Is 'damp' something I -have- to tell prospective buyers about?

tizerbelle

t1redmonkey wrote: »

Thank you very much for all of the opinions. I think I will take some time over the next few days to call some damp proofing companies in my area and see what they quote me to get the damp sorted out (if it truly does need sorting out!). I'm still annoyed at myself for not getting a proper survey done before I bought the place last year, but hey, you live and you learn I guess.

Nooooo! Don't call damp proofing companies/ contractors - they are looking for work to do.

You need to call an independent damp surveyor who is not tied to a damp proofing company.

Try here - http://www.independentdampsurveyors.co.uk/ ( I have no connection / experience of this website or the individuals featured on it.)

Google "independent damp surveys" or "independent damp specialists" etc to find someone

Rachylou1981

anselld wrote: »

Not really. It will stop the paint discolouring but it won't stop the plaster crumbling.

Surely if you keep replastering anyway it would not be much more expensive to treat the area with a chemical injection and damp-proof render.

I get the plastering done for free by family. This time uncle has put some sort of damp proof stuff in and said it should work but I now have salt coming out on one side of the newly plastered wall, which is new thing

I have a builder friend coming soon to take a look and see if anything can be done to fix problem permanently

alanmilstein

Telling a prospective purchaser about a defect such as this can actually be used to your advantage. After all, if they make an offer in the full knowledge that the defect exists then they can't really come back and renegotiate a lower price later, can they?
Does rising damp exists? Yes, 100% certain it does. It's due to physics and capillary action. Those reports saying it doesn't exist are misinformed. it's true, however, that many cases of rising damp are due to outside factors such as leaks from gutters and drains etc.
Does a surveyors meter detect damp? No, it can measure moisture content and, if you interpret the indications properly, AND use knowledge and experience of building pathology then, yes, it can indicate that dampness, be it rising or penetrating, is likely to be present.
Where to go from here? My advice would be to find an independent damp specialist through the Property Care Association (I don't have any connection to them but, yes, I am a specialist residential surveyor) and get a report done. You can decide from there whether any remedial work is necessary.
Incidentally, your situation explains very clearly, as you suggest, why it is ALWAYS worthwhile having a comprehensive survey of a property before you buy it.

Rachylou1981

I have put a thread in the DIY section regarding the damp in my house, including pictures. If anyone can help that would be great.

dinofabio

The mention of damp seems to terrify people these days. especially younger buyers

Most old houses have some damp.

[Deleted User]

Young buyers tend to be stretched, so they want to avoid anything that will cost money to put right.

Slightly_Squiffy

DELETED USER wrote:

Young buyers tend to be stretched, so they want to avoid anything that will cost money to put right.

That was a factor of us pulling out of our last purchase (there were many other things too though!) the damp was going to cost us £3.5k to sort and the vendor was unwilling to negotiate on price (after we were paying OVER asking price :eek: and in the end it wasn't worth the hassle. Also remember that however many £k up front to repair damage is worth far, far more than the same amount spread over a 25 year mortgage. We were asking for double off the offer price than what the work was going to cost simple because even getting the double off was only got to free up 1/3 of price of the work from our deposit. That probably didn't make sense...but anyway. Maybe that made us greedy but we were happy to walk away. I would look at getting an independent damp guy in to see how much the work would cost.