Survey results - is it as bad as it sounds?

mildredalien

Hi all, looking for some advice about a property we have offered on - we are fairly far into the process having had the mortgage approved, valuation done and searches back from solicitor.

We instructed a full building survey which they did today and gave us some verbal feedback which has slightly put a 'dampener' on things if you'll excuse the pun! The house is ~100 years old so some issues to be expected however the main points are:

- Rising damp in downstairs walls over the level of the current damp proof course
- Damp particularly bad in the wall under the stairs and in hallway raising concerns about impact on stair structure - surveyor said this area was 'saturated' with water/damp.
- Floor in sitting room/dining room is saturated with damp, surveyor said this is due to ground moisture
- Small one storey extension flat roof reaching the end of lifespan and likely need replacing soon
- Kitchen window needs replacing as interior beading has been removed and it is insecure
- Extension has some 'interesting' building decisions including a floating floor and lowered ceiling - the surveyor was concerned that under the floating floor the concrete could also be saturated.

The surveyor said that it might cost about £7k to fix the damp problem which would include stripping plaster off and taking up floors, drying out floors, putting a damp proof membrane down, screeing over this so it is level and then new flooring, plastering and decorating to make good. We couldn't live in the property while this was happening.

I've read so many conflicting things about damp, I'm tempted to get an independent damp specialist to take a look for a second opinion. In terms of the extension it has planning permission from 2000 but the sellers haven't provided any building regs/certificates.

We don't have a spare 7 grand or so lying around to deal with such large immediate issues on top of the general cosmetic attention the property needs so even if the sellers knocked some money off it might not help much. The surveyor said he didn't think it was worth the price we are paying (which has been accepted by the valuer who did not raise any damp concerns and is reasonable for an OK condition property in the area). He also said that he wouldn't buy a property with these issues and could see it turning into a money pit!

Questions:
- Is the surveyor right that this is a particularly costly/bad damp problem? Is he trying to save us from buying a dud or scaremongering?
- Is it worth paying a couple of hundred quid for a specialist damp survey? Should we ask the sellers to pay for this?
- What kind of negotiations should we consider with the seller if we proceed?

We really like the house and it's in a perfect location for us, with very few houses in the area that are in our price range. If the damp issues are due to the construction and location of the house I wonder if other houses in the terrace have had similar issues, I'm tempted to start knocking on doors! We will walk away if we have to though, there will be other houses.

Hoploz

I don't like the sund of all the floors being saturated. The damp under the stairs I was wondering if it's attached to your neighbour perhaps they had a toilet under the stairs which had a leak?!

Are the floors concrete? I'd expect suspended timber floors with a void underneath at that age. Sounds a bit odd to me actually. Did he lift the carpets? Was the concrete crumbling? They aren't normally as thorough as that.

G_M

As with all damp problems, the key is identifying the cause.

- Rising damp in downstairs walls over the level of the current damp proof course
rising from where? If this is for example raised external ground level above the dpc (eg a new driveway or rockery) it's easy to lower the ground level outside.
If the dpc has genuinely failed, a new one may be required
- Damp particularly bad in the wall under the stairs and in hallway raising concerns about impact on stair structure - surveyor said this area was 'saturated' with water/damp.
so the issue here is how far the dampgas spread, and how much damage to woodwork it has done. Only further investigation can tell you
- Floor in sitting room/dining room is saturated with damp, surveyor said this is due to ground moisture
It sounds like this is a solid floor ie concrete or similar, as opposed to a wooden floor raised above ground level with an air gap beneath it
If so, it should be sealed to prevent damp penetrating upwards and this seal may have failed.
- Small one storey extension flat roof reaching the end of lifespan and likely need replacing soon
standard comment as flat roofs have shorter lives than pitched tile roofs. It might last a year - it might last 10 year. The surveyor has not actually said it leaks.
- Kitchen window needs replacing as interior beading has been removed and it is insecure
You could proboby secure it with new beading. If you want to replace, go ahead.
- Extension has some 'interesting' building decisions including a floating floor and lowered ceiling - the surveyor was concerned that under the floating floor the concrete could also be saturated.

Again, only further invesigation will tell.

If you
a) really want the property and
b) think the seller may negotiate on price based on evidence you produce

then pay for further independant survey of the damp, and the woodwork.

But make sure the seller agrees to providing access for the surveyor, not just to the property, but the the hidden parts eg
* raising fitted carpets and maybe floorboards to examine the floor and sub-floor
* moving furniture etc

Sellers may be unwilling to agree either because of damage or inconvenience, in which case your new survey will again rely on guesswork.......

nicmyles

re: the extension flat roof. They pretty much always say that. I would suggest looking at it yourself and gauging the condition - or if you have a friend with any knowledge in this area, better yet.

Rising damp is very rare, but if most surveys are to be believed is a serious problem for every older house in the UK.

That said, yours of course might be the rare property that actually has rising damp and a problematic extension roof, and floors being saturated sounds quite specific and beyond the usual "the damp meter said ping so I need to cover myself" survey warnings.

So may be worth getting a quote for the roof renewal and the damp inspection as you suggest. You could ask the vendor to pay for the inspection, but he obviously doesn't have to. Does the house generally look in good repair to you? If there's no visible signs of damp, arguably if there are repairs to be done, they may not be urgent.

mildredalien

It's a terraced house, from what I can gather concrete floors and he lifted up the laminate flooring to look underneath. It's empty so there shouldn't be too many issues with inspecting further.

The terrace faces straight onto the street, no drive or front garden so nothing should have changed recently... We don't have the report yet just his verbal comments so there should be more specific info in that.

mildredalien

nicmyles wrote: »

So may be worth getting a quote for the roof renewal and the damp inspection as you suggest. You could ask the vendor to pay for the inspection, but he obviously doesn't have to. Does the house generally look in good repair to you? If there's no visible signs of damp, arguably if there are repairs to be done, they may not be urgent.

We thought the house looked in ok nick but he showed my husband how where the current dpc is the walls looked ok but they were visibly darker further up the walls. Apparently he said one wall couldn't get any wetter if you threw a bucket of water on it!

nicmyles

We thought the house looked in ok nick but he showed my husband how where the current dpc is the walls looked ok but they were visibly darker further up the walls. Apparently he said one wall couldn't get any wetter if you threw a bucket of water on it!

Right. Well, that doesn't sound ideal. And I've just re-read the OP and seen this was a full building survey rather than a homebuyer's. I'd probably be looking to get formal quotes to rectify the damp issues and a commensurate discount on the purchase price in that situation. If that wasn't forthcoming, would need to depend on how much I liked the house and how much hassle I was prepared to go through for it.

mildredalien

We'll wait for the full report in any case, but I'm wondering whether paying for an independent specialist damp survey would be helpful/necessary before we get quotes, or whether the full building survey would be enough.

fairy_lights

mildredalien wrote: »

Apparently he said one wall couldn't get any wetter if you threw a bucket of water on it!

I'd be sceptical about that. If the walls and floor are really as wet as he says wouldn't it have been obvious from the first time you viewed it? If the walls are 'saturated' then surely they would be damp to the touch, or there would be visible mould or at very least a smell of damp in the property?

sheff6107

You have three choices:

- get them to knock x amount off
- get them to rectify everything as a condition of sale at your offer price
- walk away

Maybe £10k off if you are to fix it, or they can pay £7k to fix it themselves.

Clutterfree

fairy_lights wrote: »

I'd be sceptical about that. If the walls and floor are really as wet as he says wouldn't it have been obvious from the first time you viewed it? If the walls are 'saturated' then surely they would be damp to the touch, or there would be visible mould or at very least a smell of damp in the property?

I agree. We once viewed a property and as soon as the owner opened the front door we could smell the damp before we even stepped over the threshold!