Dampness in Victorian terraced

spiritus

My mother lives in an old Victorian terraced house and in the back room the wall between her and her neighbour is showing signs of dampness from the skirting board upwards.

The insurance company don't want to know so we're left with sorting it out for ourselves.

Nextdoor was let out to a guy for several years who in turn sub-let the house out to approx. 7 other people at any given time. In an attempt to save money the house was not heated properly save for one or two fan heaters (we know this as we became friendly with one of the couples who lived there and they confirmed this to us).

We're left with two options. Try and sort the dampness out from our side but if the source of the problem is from nextdoor then it will only resurface.

The other option is to speak to the owner of the nextdoor property which is now vacant as the owner is planning on moving in there shortly. In fact, the nextdoor house is currently gutted, plasterwork is down to the brickwork in all rooms and since this work has happened the dampness has spread at an alarming rate on my mother's wall.

If our neighbour chooses to be obstructive or simply to claim that the source of the dampness isn't from their property how do we proceed ?

I have also been reading up on damp proof courses and it seems there's a school of thought that they're not worth the expense. This is news to me. Can anyone offer suggestions as to how to combat dampness other than with a damp proof course ?

littlesnuggy

A damp proof course will only be of any use if the problem is true rising damp (which does exist, but is often misdiagnosed). If the dampness is due to condensation (which it sounds like you suspect it is, as you've mentioned lack of heating & ventilation in the neighbouring property as a potential source) a DPC will be of no benefit.

Can you take some photos of the damp areas & post them here?

NewtoDIY

I agree with the previous poster regarding the damp proof course - modern methods are rarely the solution for period homes. You should speak to the owner of next door asap and make it clear that the level of dampness in your mother's property has been accelerated by whatever is going on in there.

Also, does the wall in question border on an outside wall and if so, is the ground outside too high? (Above or within the old damp proof course)

Is there a cellar underneath and/or are there suspended wooden floors with airbricks? Are they covered up and not allowing air flow?

It could be that whatever they are doing next door is leaching salt or something else through the bricks. If they are trying to dry out the room, then they should have the heating and a dehumidifier on. Have you tried a dehumidifier also?

It's possible that there might be a broken/leaking pipe somewhere - either under or over. Is there a bathroom above?

Pictures would be useful.

spiritus

Thanks guys and I will try and post a photo on here shortly.

The wall in question is not an outside wall-it is the alcove wall in my mother's back room. I am pretty sure that my mother's house has never had a damp proof course ever.

There is no cellar but the floors are wooden with space underneath. I will have to check the air bricks. My mother had cavity wall insulation a few years ago and I would not be surprised if these got blocked.

Nextdoor is still currently empty and basically uninhabitable. They have gutted the house in preparation for a complete refurb so bare brick walls is all there is at the moment. The have every window open so I presume there is no heating/dehumidifier on either.