Damp

sycamore0716

Hi,

My first post... looking for some advice

Had home buyers survey today and surveyor rang me this afternoon. I haven't seen sight of the homebuyers report yet. However the surveyor shared that there was some damp recorded (I assume on some sort of device!) but he couldn't see the full extent as the wall had been plaster boarded. he has suggested I ask a specialist to assess the work and meet with them at the property to discuss the work that needs to be done. he anticipated that there is the potential that it could be a big job as all the plasterboard would need to come off.

Who would I ask to visit the property to assess this work and what do I do with this information. The vendor is after a quick sell.

Thank you for any advice

amfan

Well I'm not an expert on damp so I can't answer on that part. But what I can say is does the house look reasonably freshly painted?

Maybe not as obvious as smells freshly painted, but certainly clean enough to have been done within the last 6 months?

The reason I ask this is because the house that we recently bought did come up with slight damp meter readings in places, but as the house looked in reasonable condition we figured it would be something we could get to in time.

Turns out now the rain is setting in that this is a problem they painted over to sell, and walls are quite literally running with water at times in places and the paint is wet to the touch and bubbling in other places.

Had we been a little more savvy and not naive FTBers we would have sought out the proper advice beforehand and potentially renegotiated the what is now looking like it will be mounting costs off the purchase price.

Good luck and I hope you manage to find the right advice

G_M

Do NOT instruct a damp proofing company who will offer you a free 'survey'.

They will send a salesman who will do a 'survey', find damp, write a report, and give a price for his company to rectify.

Use an independant surveyor who has no personal interest in finding work. Pay for it.

Doozergirl

G_M wrote: »

Do NOT instruct a damp proofing company who will offer you a free 'survey'.

They will send a salesman who will do a 'survey', find damp, write a report, and give a price for his company to rectify.

Use an independant surveyor who has no personal interest in finding work. Pay for it.

This. All day long. This.

Apart from the spelling of independent

bigheadxx

I had a homebuyers survey done this year, it pretty much tells you to get a quote for work for everything, even the things they think are OK. Damp wise, I had evidence of it in front room and bedroom. My house had layers of wallpaper with loads of coats of paint and little ventilation. Most damp is caused by condensation so allowing the moisture you create in your home to actually escape is very important to help prevent damp issues. If your rendering/guttering is OK then most likely something internal that is the problem, pipe leaks or condensation.

sycamore0716

Thank you everyone. Yes the house is freshly painted and I'm inclined to think the seller - who appears to be a property developer might have "patched" over the problem rather than solve it.

The surveyor also mixed his advice with comments like I wouldn't let it put you off the property and indicated that it was his duty to inform me of what he had discovered but perhaps I should take some stuff with a pinch of salt but that's only my interpretation. He wasn't saying it was a real mess.

Would I be able to get a recommendation of a surveyor from my solicitor. Do you think it may be foolish to move ahead with searches until I surveyor has visited he property.

Thank you

makeitstop

Get a decent surveyor (a real "RICS" one and not one of these damp "specialist" fools) to check over it and give you a full report. It's worth the money.

Damp may be minor, or it may be significant and costly. Get it checked if you're clueless about these things.

bigheadxx

donnelly37 wrote: »

The Home Buyer Survey was done by e.surv Chartered Surveyors organised by the bank which I paid for. The survey was a RICS HomeBuyer Service. Should I be going back to them to seek for advice on the damp as a separate report. I know so little on this I'm sorry.

So was mine. The report itself should identify where the damp actually is and you can ask the surveyor specific questions although the answers will be pretty vague. Once you see the report you can go back to the house and see if there is anything obvious before committing to anything else.

sycamore0716

Thank you. I'm actually at the property tomorrow with my parents so will have a look at the areas he mentioned on the phone and await the full report before I get too much in a tizz about it all and over commit! I have the surveyors number so I may will ring him again and get some more specifics answers from him.

Thank you again for your quick replies

Doozergirl

When you go, take us some photos both inside and outside of where they say the damp readings are.

G_M

donnelly37 wrote: »

...I'm actually at the property tomorrow with my parents so will have a look at the areas he mentioned on the phone

Look outside too! At the areas where the damp supposedly is.

Obvious causes can be
* roof gutters leaking or overflowing/blocked with leaves etc
* downpipes from gutters loose/leaking
* drain at ground level blocked/overflowing
* external ground level raised - eg a drive or patio built against the house and above the level of the damp proof course

All the above are relatively easily/cheaply fixed, and the walls will then dry out indipandintly