Want to make an offer but noticed damp

Marky82

Hi all, we're currently looking at houses to buy. We've seen a detached house we really like, but on our second viewing there was a damp musty smell in the dining room. There is no visible evidence of damp inside the room but there is a damp patch outside on the brick of the exterior wall of this room. I tried to post a photo of the brick here but it didn't let me as I'm a new user

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? It something I need to be worried about or is it probably something minor. I know that's not much to go on but I really have no experience with this.

Is it worth sending an expert round at our own expense before we put an offer in?

We mentioned it to the EA who spoke to the owner, who said he was not aware of any damp. I should also point out, it was previously rented out and is now sitting empty.

Many thanks in advance.

G_M

said he was not aware of any damp.

Of course. Standard non-commital response.

Is the damp at ground level, or higher up? If there's a smell inside that suggests damp has built up, but the cause could be a simple and cheap as a leaking downpipe or dripping gutter, or as expensive as a whole new damp proof course.

Problem you now have is that if you make an offer, it's clearly in the knowledge of this issue, so if you later try to renegotiate price following a survey the seller will respond "Well you knew that when you agreed the price because you mentioned it followibg your initial viewing."

Marky82

It's ground level.

The whole house is a bit worn and needs redecorating and we don't think it is worth the current asking price. We were planning on putting in a cheeky low offer so wouldn't push our luck if it did come back with damp. We'd just have to deal with it. That's kind of why I'm trying to get a handle on it now. Thanks for the response!

ED2

I had a damp inspector look at a family members house, at no charge. Might not cost too much for a damp inspector to take a look. Could be just the result of careless tenants and the house being unoccupied, or an indication of a more serious issue.

Use it a a bargaining chip for a lower price and get a complete survey done before purchase.

G_M

What on earth is a 'damp inspector'? And how do you get one to work for nothing?

Oh - yes, I know: it's a salesman working for a damp proofing company. Well he'll give you an honest, unbiased opinion..........

Doozergirl

If you have a picture, post it on a hosting website and then post us a broken link to it so it doesn't get picked up as a web address. We'll fix the link.

There's always a reason for damp that isn't a 'failed damp proof course'. If there is a visible damp patch outside, there will almost certainly be an obvious reason for it nearby. It's usually a basic maintenance issue that is cheap to solve.

Marky82

See if this works. Replace the & with /

ibb.co&h3fRRQ

Marky82

There is also this just by the door:

ibb.co&efz3O5

Note, there is a little sloped roof/awning (not sure what you call it) above the door, so this could be water running off there. It's not near the other one mentioned above though.

ED2

G_M wrote: »

What on earth is a 'damp inspector'? And how do you get one to work for nothing?

Oh - yes, I know: it's a salesman working for a damp proofing company. Well he'll give you an honest, unbiased opinion..........

A person who inspect damp, hence the term damp inspector. :T

Grenage

He means that a 'damp inspector' giving out free inspections will inevitably identify damp in almost any situation.

A true inspection would be more invasive, and cost money.