We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

surveyors advice HELP

Hi guys im new here and don’t know if this is the best place to post.



This is my problem.



I have recently bought my first home with my fianc!. We had a home buyer’s survey done in April and didn’t move into the property trill the end of July. We started to notice that there was damp on the walls by the front door and in the gas cupboard. I then this week arrange for a damp proof specialist to come and have a look.



He came today I explained to him my situation and he explained we wasn’t just a damp proof specialist but also a surveyor and used to be a Lecturer at university. I showed him my HBS and he laughed when it said

"The property has been constructed in the cavity brickwork with facing brick and part rendered external finish. We were not able to view any damp-proof course due to mortar pointing, the rendering and the rear decking.



The walls in general appear to be satisfactory, however there is some cracking to the render work which would benefit from preparation and redecoration. WE HAVE FOUND NO SIGNS OF RISING OR PENETRATING DAMP IN THE PROPERTY AND THE DAMP-PROOF COURSE APPEARS FULLY EFFECTIVE. No repair is currently need. The property must be maintained in the normal way.



The builder said the extent of the rising damp is such that it would have taken months to occur and that the meter reading the surveyor should have done would have shown this up.



The builder has suggested that he comes out and does a survey of the damp for £150 he will then send this to the company who done the survey and they will have to send this to their insurance company. He states I have a very good case as he went outside and looked at the damp proof course and said if he did look he would see that it is bridged and should have stated this in his survey.



I do believe that he is genuine as I know someone who has had general building work done and was very satisfied.

I have now had two different independent surveyors who both state i might have a claim

I am just asking your option wether you think I have a genuine case

Comments

  • b u m p....
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Whi is this guy? First you call him "a damp proof specialist ", later a "builder". Which is he, if either?

    Surprise surprise.

    A salesman (yes, I suspect that is who is was) working for a company that does damp proofing has found work that needs doing.

    One give-away: "rising damp". Very unlikely, but a damp proofcourse would be a nice little earner.

    By all means pay for a specialist damp survey, but do NOT employ anyone who has an interest in finding remedial work. Use an independent surveyor who will NOT do the work if any is needed.

    Oh, and read this about rising damp:

    http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising-damp/
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 34,082 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    What he said :)
    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
  • robatwork
    robatwork Posts: 7,297 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    In the end if you follow through with this, you would end up in court trying to prove negligence.

    So you would have an expert who would have to prove they are more "expert" than your surveyor. And they would have to declare that the surveyor made mistakes. It could cost you quite a bit to pursue this - ask the "specialist" if he is prepared to attend court if it comes to it.
  • £150 for a damp survey?? Have you shopped around?
    An opinion is just that..... An opinion
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    chris0151 wrote: »
    .
    This is my problem.

    I have recently bought my first home with my fianc!. We had a home buyer’s survey done in April and didn’t move into the property trill the end of July. We started to notice that there was damp on the walls by the front door and in the gas cupboard. ...
    OK-2nd post to see if I can be more constructive:

    If there is damp, there are several possible causes.

    1) 'Rising damp' is probably the least likely by far. See my previous link. Also, if it was caused by a missing damp proof course resulting in dampness rising up the brickwork un interrupted, the damp would notbe confined to 2 small areas.

    2) Condensation. The property has been empty for a while, so very cold (and damp). You move in and property warms up. Where doe the moisture go? To a cold area inside a shut (gas) cupboard! The front door is perhaps less obvious, but same principle.

    3) But here's the killer! He said it himself!
    he went outside and looked at the damp proof course and said if he did look he would see that it is bridged
    . So the dpc is bridged!!!. That is NOT 'rising damp', so your 'specialist' or 'builder' or whoever, does not know what he is talking about.

    Rising damp, by definition... errrr... rises! What you have is penetrating damp. There is something (you do not say what) outside, against the external wall, above the level of the dpc. Thus whatever 'it' is, 'bridges' the dpc ie it is above the level of the dpc, allowing the dampness within the 'it' to penetrate horizontally through the wall.

    'It' may be soil (eg someone has laid a nice rockery or flower bed up against the wall); it may be concrete/tarmac (eg someone has built a drive beside the house, raising the external ground level) or similar.

    VERY EASY TO FIX. you do NOT need a damp company to come and 'inject' the walls at great expense, or install a new dpc, you need to simply lower the ground level outside to below the height of the dpc!

    Spend a Sunday lowering or removing that flower bed. Or dig a narrow gulley between the drive and the wall.

    Sorted.
  • SG27
    SG27 Posts: 2,773 Forumite
    £150 for a damp survey?? Have you shopped around?

    Good luck getting an independant surveyor for any less! Ours was £225 and did and excellent job. Told us it would be a total waste of money and possible evening damaging to get a damp proof course installed. (We have none)
  • teneighty
    teneighty Posts: 1,347 Forumite
    If it is a cavity wall and the dampness is confined to a small area chances are it is something quite simple, condensation, bit of debris in the cavity, localised ground level bridging DPC, leaking gutter, leaking internal plumbing, local failure of damp proof course etc. etc.

    I do not share GM's enthusiastic devotion to Jeff Howell (I think he must have shares in his publisher) nor do I follow the general wisdom on here for only using "independent" damp proofing "experts" that charge for an inspection.

    I would start off by getting a couple of local reputable damp proofing companies out to inspect, some charge some do not. Just be cautious with the results, just as you would if a plumber came out to look at a dripping tap and told you that you needed a new boiler.

    Even if it does need some remedial work it is likely to be less than £500 so why pay out almost half that much just to be told.

    As for claiming against the original surveyor. For anything up to about £500 it probably is not worth it. However, it is actually very easy despite advice to the contrary and it does not involve court or solicitors. Have you even contacted the surveyor to ask their advice about the damp?

    If you do decide to pursue a claim (as it is a Home Buyers Report I am assuming it is a Chartered Surveyor) initially contact the firm, write or email but keep copies/record explaining the problem and ask for their comments/advice. If you are not happy with their response you can escalate it to a formal complaint, the firm must have a formal complaints procedure in place. If you are still not happy the firm will subscribe to an ombudsman scheme which allows you to submit your complaint to an independent expert who will consider the evidence, in your case your damp proofer's report and then decide if the surveyor is liable. Only after you have exhausted all these steps would you need to consider legal action.

    Good Luck
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 245K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.4K Life & Family
  • 258.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.