Damp issue on survey

HungryKitty

Hello all,

I'm hoping you can give me some advice on what to do about the results of my homebuyer survey. A small patch of damp has been identified in the dining room, which meant that Nationwide put a £1000 retention on the mortgage.

I’ve had my builder go round to look at the damp and also the roof - as it was mentioned that this also needed to be looked at properly and would probably need replacing in the near future.

He has had a good look and the damp patch in the dining room is very small - he was surprised that the surveyor even picked it up. However the wall outside is damp - even though it is dry today, and some of the bricks are deteriorating. He believes that it could be caused by an issue with the drains, the paving next to the wall - which is slightly sloping towards the house or a combination of the two. He’s recommended that the next course of action is for a drain survey to be carried out.

There are also some issues with the roof, which will cost about £1.5 - 2K to resolve (there is currently nothing on the roof gable to stop water running down the wall and there’s also an issue with the chimney – something to do with concrete!)

I’m assuming it is my responsibly to pay for the drainage survey, which is fine, and that I then need to negotiate with the vendor to resolve the damp issue. My question is: should I be negotiating for the work required on the roof? It is only the damp that has affected the mortgage valuation so I’m not sure. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks, HungryKitty

dexterwolf

HungryKitty wrote: »

Hello all,

I'm hoping you can give me some advice on what to do about the results of my homebuyer survey. A small patch of damp has been identified in the dining room, which meant that Nationwide put a £1000 retention on the mortgage.

I’ve had my builder go round to look at the damp and also the roof - as it was mentioned that this also needed to be looked at properly and would probably need replacing in the near future.

He has had a good look and the damp patch in the dining room is very small - he was surprised that the surveyor even picked it up. However the wall outside is damp - even though it is dry today, and some of the bricks are deteriorating. He believes that it could be caused by an issue with the drains, the paving next to the wall - which is slightly sloping towards the house or a combination of the two. He’s recommended that the next course of action is for a drain survey to be carried out.

There are also some issues with the roof, which will cost about £1.5 - 2K to resolve (there is currently nothing on the roof gable to stop water running down the wall and there’s also an issue with the chimney – something to do with concrete!)

I’m assuming it is my responsibly to pay for the drainage survey, which is fine, and that I then need to negotiate with the vendor to resolve the damp issue. My question is: should I be negotiating for the work required on the roof? It is only the damp that has affected the mortgage valuation so I’m not sure. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks, HungryKitty

I negotiated on our house for repairs to wall and roof. We met halfway in the end with the repair costs. You could try and ask for a reduction on the agreed price but if they are leaving the property then I doubt they will want to reduce by a few thousand.