Cracked rendering and damp

counting_stars

Hi all, looking for a bit of advice. I had a builder come round to look at the property I am buying, I have not had a survey yet. It was suggested to me to have him come round first.

He picked up patches of damp in the external walls of the bathroom and utility room, although these are not visible and there is no redecoration hiding it. This appears to be caused by cracks/ repairs on the outside rendering. There have been areas patched up, although these have cracked again in some places again. In the bedroom and living room there is a drywall (hollow) which has been put up on the external wall, from what I can tell, for a couple of years now. This again shows no signs of damp but blocked the damp reader and clearly seems to be hiding the issue.

I have emailed the agent asking about this directly.

I have googled away but I can't tell what my next move should be. I was hoping for a bit of advice as I'm not sure who else to ask! Thank you for anything you can recommend.

G_M

counting_stars wrote: »

I have emailed the agent asking about this directly.

.

what exactly do you expect this to achieve?

* he is not a surveyor, or builder, so knows less about building construction or repairs than your builder.

* he is employed. and paid by, the seller. Not you. He is not your friend

* he is paid on successful sale. he will do /say anything (hopefully within the law) to achieve the sale. he will not do /say anything to put the sale at risk....

counting_stars

Hi G_M, thank you for your reply. The builder suggested asking directly whether the vendor had installed the drywall and the reason why, also whether there had been any treatment for damp in the past. I realise the agent isn't there for me, but I guess I'm at a bit of a loss and feeling naive in this process so took that as a first step. I'm a first time buyer and haven't got a great deal of guidance. I'm not sure whether to use this as an opening to negotiate price, to seek further guidance with a structural survey (although a few people have said that as they wont have access to the upstairs, roof and behind the drywall there is little point), or to just accept that down the line I may need to fork out forbig repairs if needed. I guess I'm ok with all the rest of the work that needs to be done, I can fix stone garden walls, drop the paving level and a few other bits, but this could be an 8k job.

I'm not sure if this is also relevant, but the mortgage valuation did not pick up on any issues, I'm guessing as the damp is not visual, and they valued it at the price I had offered.

camptownraces

Asking the vendor questions like this is a job for your solicitor. Your solicitor corresponds with the vendor's solicitor in writing.

You don't do it via the Estate Agent, by phone or in person, for just the reasons G_M gave, plus the fact that any answer given needs to be documented fully.

Davesnave

counting_stars wrote: »

this could be an 8k job.

I'm not sure if this is also relevant, but the mortgage valuation did not pick up on any issues, I'm guessing as the damp is not visual, and they valued it at the price I had offered.

The mortgage valuation is just that, a valuation, not a survey, so it wouldn't pick up anything not already obvious to the average person.

Given that the house has been valued at the price you offered, why should the vendor reduce it now? Have you anything in writing to say that there's work costing up to £8k to fix? If not, you have nothing to negotiate with.

Sorry to be harsh, but unless you have a clear understanding of the situation, you are likely to be knocked-back.

Propertyauthor

The most important thing to do is to understand the causes of the damp patches. To do this relatively easy and actually costs you nothing. All you have to do is contact a timber and damp specialist who is a member of the Property Care Association.

They will be able to tell you if any work is required and check any existing guarantees. If the work is going to cost money you can either try to get the whole amount knocked off the price or agree to split the cost.

It is quite right that the mortgage valuation will not protect you from any problems with the property, it only protects the lender. You should always make any offers subject to an independent survey.