Rising damp in house we are selling...

chacha5520

We are selling our 150 year old terrace. The homebuyer report mentioned damp so the buyers had a damp and timber treatment company in to inspect. He diagnosed rising damp and suggested a damp proof course on every wall internal and external. He quoted 4k but that wasn't including moving kitchen cupboards, radiators, wood panelling, bathroom fittings... We are expecting our buyers to want to negotiate.

Thing is we know there are patches of damp on the front wall and what would have been the original rear wall. But no signs of damp on the 70s kitchen/bathroom extension at all. And none on the hall and inner wall. Is it possible to dpc only effected walls? Scared our sale will fall through because of this.

Thanks in advance

Habbakuk

There's a guy who writes articles in the Telegraph about various issues to do with property. He claims that of the 500 properties he (I think it was him) visited that had suspected rising damp, not one of them had it. He says that there's an industry which has been created to deal with this almost imagined menace. These experts don't get paid unless they 'find' rising damp. Usually, dampness is due to a blocked drain etc; cracks in rendering; lack of air circulation (is there a lot of water on the inside of windows); ground outside having been raised above the floor inside the house.

Habbakuk

Found it:

http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising-damp/

Since the cost of remedying this is so much....at least £4k, why don't you get an independent dampness expert to take a look at it. You will have to pay him/her. Those employed by the damp and timber treatment companies are free and get paid by commision. :-)

From the article I posted:

Q. I am in the process of selling my house. The buyer’s mortgage lender insisted on a survey for rising damp, and the surveyor’s report says that there is extensive damp in all walls. There is no evidence of damp, such as wallpaper lifting, and a recent TV programme concluded that treatment for rising damp is seldom justified. What is your advice about current practice?
A. Rising damp is a myth. The ‘surveyor’, who says there is extensive dampness in all the walls is actually just a salesmen for chemical damp-proofing products. Tell your buyers that they need an independent dampness survey carried out to the standards described in Building Research Establishment Digest 245, and under no circumstances allow them to deduct the cost of damp-proofing works from the asking price.

SG27

Unfortunatly your buyers have made a huge mistake in getting a damp proofing company to do the survey. Damp proofing walls of a 150 year old house will be a waste of money and likely just make things worse! The house needs breathablility not sealing up.

As above, if I was in your position I would pay for an independent survey preferably by someone experienced in period properties. It will probably cost around £200-£250 but will be something you can offer buyers for an independent recommendation of what would be the most appropriate way to deal with it.

tired_dad

yup, independent survey. You don't have to accept a lower offer depending on circumstances. If the market is hot and there was lots of interest then you could argue that your agreed price assumes some making good. Someone else will buy. However, if this buyer is the only one in town, I would tread carefully.

SG27

tired_dad wrote: »

yup, independent survey. You don't have to accept a lower offer depending on circumstances. If the market is hot and there was lots of interest then you could argue that your agreed price assumes some making good. Someone else will buy. However, if this buyer is the only one in town, I would tread carefully.

Problem is that this current buyer will now be terrified by the 'experts' advice. They may well pull out if they can't be convinced of the independent advice.

Habbakuk

It's also worth bearing in mind that if they pull out, then your solicitors who are acting for you in this sale may charge fees even if the sale falls through. That's what happened to a member of our family recently. Of course, some firms have a 'no sale no fee' policy. So, getting an experts advice would be I would imagine less than the solicitors' fees for the aborted sale.

spannerzone

I wonder if any 'damp treatement company' has ever actually found a property that doesn't require their treatments? I suspect it's never happened since damp proof companies sprouted up in the 1960's

I'd get an independant survey from someone that doesn't happen to own or be associated with a damp treatment company to get a real view of the problem.

Might be poor ventilation rather than rising damp that many don't believe generally exists (me included) - my damp walls are due to the poor ventilation, humidity in the house and the botched plastering done by previous owners that prevent the walls breathing.

Habbakuk

chacha5520 wrote: »

Thing is we know there are patches of damp on the front wall and what would have been the original rear wall. But no signs of damp on the 70s kitchen/bathroom extension at all. And none on the hall and inner wall. Is it possible to dpc only effected walls? Scared our sale will fall through because of this.

Thanks in advance

It could be cracks in the outside rendering but it's difficult to get a clear pic from the above.

cyclonebri1

Habbakuk wrote: »

It could be cracks in the outside rendering but it's difficult to get a clear pic from the above.

Your posts are bang on, I've followed this for years with great interest, the debate is "does rising damp actually exist at all?"

My view point is as follows, your buyer is offering on a 150 year old property with solid walls, it has to be, cavities happened from 1900 onwards. He must accept a few issues,
I would say you were aware of the issues when you priced the property, but believe it not to be damp but breathing issues do to your own lifestyle.
I would not offset the scammers cost, unless you are desperate.

Remember, I don't know when yours was valued, but the average increase in property values will be higher than when you put it up for sale, stick with it in my view.;);)

jenfa

I remember my boss a few years ago was in exactly the same situation, she too suddenly felt panic at the thought she would lose the house she wanted. She got a different company in to assess and found no damp at all or certainly not more than expected for a house of the age and her sale went through. Good Luck

Our surveyor who cost £850 7 years ago picked up on a couple of things but failed to notice a leaking roof and a leaking water pipe in a kitchen :eek: