Homebuyer's Report - Work Needed

laurathree

Hi all,

FTB here, and we have just had our Homebuyer's Report back from the survey. Unfortunately there are a few things that require 'urgent' action. These are:

-Inspection of all the utilities: gas, electricity, water and boiler.
-Damp around the front door.

The Inspections don't worry me too much - that is (hopefully) straightforward to arrange. However, the damp around the front door does concern me a bit more. This is what the report says:


The damp-proof course (horizontal damp barrier)

The walls appear to contain a chemical damp-proof course.

Damp was found internally and further investigations and repairs/improvements are needed. High damp meter readings were obtained internally where there is a yellow damp stain adjacent to the front door. This appears to be caused by the
bricks that project externally above the front door with no lead capping or flashing. High damp meter readings were also obtained adjacent to the front door at low level which appears to be caused by defective pointing to the brickwork and the step bridging the damp proof course. Further investigation is necessary.

Condition Rating 3.

You should instruct a Property Care Association (https://www.property-care.org/) registered company surveyor to inspect all areas of the property for damp and report to you before exchange of contracts.
Walls of this age and type have poor insulation and therefore are more prone to condensation and mould forming on internal surfaces. Ventilation and heating may well need to be increased and controlled more frequently to reduce this risk."


Now, as we are FTBs, we are a bit at sea with this. My first thought was I saw nothing indicating damp when we viewed the property, but this could well have changed as the weather has gotten worse over the last month or so. Also, the flat is vacant so it hasn't been heated or ventilated. But we don't want to be stuck with serious issues over it, so it will need sorting.

My questions are:

- Should we alert the estate agent to this? And should we be getting quotations before contracts get signed?
-Anyone know how much we could be looking at for repairing the damp course on a small 2-bed ground floor maisonette?

As for the Homebuyer's Report in general, we also have a smattering of non-urgent issues like minor brickwork re-pointing, minor roof repairs, a tree in the back garden 9m from the house, and due to the property's age (1935 approx build date) probably some asbestos lurking somewhere. Is this all to cover the Surveyor's back and fairly standard for a property of this age, or is it pretty bad?

Lord_Baltimore

Whoa. You focus on the damp issue and gloss over the inspection of all the utilities: gas, electricity, water and boiler.

The inspections may well be easy to arrange; it is the findings of those inspections that you need to think about. Exploratory work could be expensive as could, say, restoring drainage or a gas pipe...ask your surveyor to elaborate.

TheCyclingProgrammer

Utility inspections are normal. The surveyor is not qualified to inspect them. Get independent inspections if you think they might be necessary. Do the electrics look old? Might be worth paying £200 or so for a full electrical inspection (EIHC). What about the boiler? Do you know how old it is or when it was last serviced? You may just need a safety check when you move in.

It doesn't sound like there is a problem with the DPC at all. It sounds like there are some very obvious causes of damp (penetrating damp due to failing pointing, DPC bridging) that your surveyor has pointed out. It sounds like the current owner had previously had a bunch of cowboy damp proofing "experts" in to fix the damp by injecting a chemical DPC which of course hasn't fixed he problem as the underlying causes remain unfixed.

You could pay for an independent damp survey but it sounds like some repointing, flashing work and removal of the step might be all that is needed to fix the issue. Once the internal walls have dried out you may have to reassess to see if replastering is needed. Do you know any builders who could take a look and give you a quote for repairs?

Whatever you do, avoid specialist damp proofing companies offering free surveys.

laurathree

Thanks both.

Not glossing over the utilities inspections - it just seems to be standard if the surveyor hasn't seen inspection certificates as they aren't qualified to comment. We will have the opportunity to ask the vendor to show us these (if they exist) soon. Also I have family who are qualified tradespeople for gas, water and boiler. Hopefully will be able to find an electrician through recommendations. The boiler and fuse box looked reasonably new to us when we viewed so we aren't anticipating huge issues - though of course not ruling it out either.

Unfortunately I don't know any contractors who could quote for that - and I may struggle for recommendations. Unfortunately my family and all my connections in that area are in South Wales, and I don't know anyone in London (no surprise that very few of my friends up this way have managed to buy property at all...). Annoyingly my current landlord is a builder, and a pretty good guy, so I would happily get a quote from him. However, I don't particularly want to alert him to the fact that we are moving out until we have signed contracts...

Also, several maisonettes in the street have added a porch to the front of their door. That was something we have talked about doing, so might be worth getting a quote for that at the same time.

G_M

Let's cut through to the chase.

Very minor stuff, to be expected in an older property.

laurathree wrote: »

The damp-proof course (horizontal damp barrier)

Damp was found internally and further investigations and repairs/improvements are needed. High damp meter readings were obtained internally where there is a yellow damp stain adjacent to the front door. This appears to be caused by the
bricks that project externally above the front door with no lead capping or flashing.
Quick, cheap and easy to fix. Any builder, or brickie, or even a decent odd-job-man can insert some lead flashing into the mortar between the brickwork. This will stop the water penetration, and the damp will dry out in time. An hour's work?.

High damp meter readings were also obtained adjacent to the front door at low level which appears to be caused by defective pointing to the brickwork
A bit of defective pointing can be repaired in an hour at the same time as the flashing is put in. As above, the damp will then dry out.

and the step bridging the damp proof course. Further investigation is necessary.
So there is a step which is higher than the level of the damp proof course.
1) lower/remove the step.or
2) introduce a gap between the step and the wall so that water cannot transfer from step to brickwork. or
3) introduce a new, higher, dpc specifically at that location

all very simple.



My questions are:

- Should we alert the estate agent to this?
with what purpose?
And should we be getting quotations before contracts get signed?
if you think I might be wrong (I might!) and you are concerned about ending up with a big bill, get builders, independant damp surveyors etc round for quotes.

But yes, saisfy yourself before Exchanging Contracts ('signing' is fine - it is 'Exchange' that matters)
-Anyone know how much we could be looking at for repairing the damp course on a small 2-bed ground floor maisonette?
from what you have said, it is just a small area where the dpc has been breached " the step bridging the damp proof course. " The dpc does not need 'repairing' - it needs the external ground level (the step) to be below it's height.

As for the Homebuyer's Report in general, we also have a smattering of non-urgent issues like minor brickwork re-pointing, minor roof repairs, a tree in the back garden 9m from the house, and due to the property's age (1935 approx build date) probably some asbestos lurking somewhere. Is this all to cover the Surveyor's back and fairly standard for a property of this age, or is it pretty bad?

Pretty standard in an older house.

Get the other bits of re-pointing fixed at same time as the front door.

Minor roof repairs? My odd job man pops up a ladder & fixes half a dozen tiles in half an hour for £25. (A 'roofing company' would install scaffolding and charge (£750)

Tree? What kind? How tall? How good are the apples......?

laurathree

G_M wrote: »

Tree? What kind? How tall? How good are the apples......?

Looks like a London Plane tree to me, so !!!!!! all on the fruit score .

It's reasonably thick, but a decent way from the house (and leaning towards the garden next door...). I would rather it wasn't there, but it seems short, stout, and solid for a London plane. The cost of felling a tree is one of the many things I can add to the list of "things I have no idea about". Getting longer by the day.

We're planning to dot the is and cross the ts with this property, so we're going to get a few specialists to look at the damp, the re-pointing, and the electrics I think. Also, as the surveyor didn't go into the roof (access is through the upstairs flat, and they weren't home), I'd like for someone to take a look at the inside. I don't particularly want to pay top dollar for this flat and then be slapped with 50% of the bill for a huge case of dry rot.

Your odd job man isn't based in Greater London, is he?!

G_M

Aha! New information......!!!!!!

(access is through the upstairs flat, and they weren't home), I'd like for someone to take a look at the inside. I don't particularly want to pay top dollar for this flat

It's a flat! You are buying the leasehold presumably?

So structural repairs (damp, roof etc) will not be your responsiility - it will be the freeholder's responsibility. (you will be a leaseholder).

Yes, depending on what your lease says (read it or ask your solicitor), you may have to pay the freeholder for the work, but

a) it may be covered by the annual service charge
b) there may be a reserve fund already built up which will cover the costs
c) the cost may (probably will) be shared with the upstairs flat

So at the lease you can expect to divide the cost of these repairs by two, and may not have o pay at all........

Get out the lease and start reading.......

penguine

laurathree wrote: »

- Should we alert the estate agent to this? And should we be getting quotations before contracts get signed?

I would definitely let the estate agent know that your survey has turned up some possible damp issues. This way the EA and the seller are prepared for you to negotiate on the price if necessary.

When we bought in 2013 both our estate agent and our solicitor clearly expected us to negotiate on the price based on issues with the roof that turned up during our survey. In the end, we got £2000 off the price, which wasn't much but did help.

Also, ask your solicitor to look through the lease and find out where the responsibility lies for repairs to the building. They should also be sure to find out how much service charges have been paid over the years, whether there is a sinking fund and whether any major work is expected in the near future.

laurathree

I cannot BUHLEEVE I didn't mention it was a flat. It's a flat/ maisonette, leashold. 2 beds, ground floor, one maisonette above us. It's in the kind of building that looks like 2 semi-detached houses, but is actually 4 purpose-built maisonettes.

Sorry guys. I'm a fool.

My solicitor (or rather, her assistant) is being really snippy and grumpy. Every time I ask for information I get a boilerplate email explaining they don't give out information until they have sorted all their enquiries "to avoid duplication". This is irksome to say the least... but I am already on to her for lease details asap. I will update you!