Dampness noted in homebuyer's report

london.cidade

Dampness was noted at the base of shower cubicle within the ensuite facility at second floor level which is a loft conversion.
(a level 3 item, serious and must be repaired ASAP.

What should be my next step?

1 Will my solicitor deal with it?
2 Or should I talk to the EA for sorting it out through the vendor?
3 Or should I take a quote from a company for the repair and then negotiate price deduction accordingly with the vendor based on this quote?

Thank you

london.cidade

Ftb here, I appreciate any insight regarding market practise please.

burnsguitarman

I would say, a combination of 2 + 3. Talk to the EA and negotiate. A reduction in price is probably more preferable than the vendor 'fixing' the problem, as they could do a cheap and quick touch up job, instead of repairing properly.

AndyTails

london.cidade wrote: »

Dampness was noted at the base of shower cubicle

(a level 3 item, serious and must be repaired ASAP.

There's nowhere near enough information here. Unidentified damp might be cheap and easy to fix, or it might be expensive and difficult. It's pretty much impossible to fix without identifying the cause.

Is this dampness caused by water from the shower? Has the sealant around the shower screen deteriorated and needs replacing? Yes you'd want to repair this sooner rather than later, but it'd just go on my list of something to do once I move in. Costing less than £10 for the sealant, and an hour of your time, I wouldn't bother mentioning it to the vendor or estate agent.

Or is the sealant intact, and water coming out of the shower another way? Is water leaking behind the tiles due to dodgy workmanship? This is a bigger issue, possibly requiring the whole en-suite to be rebuilt. You could be talking up to £10k, depending on how much of the work you do yourself. If so, this would be worth raising and discussing. Price negotiations I'd probably do through the estate agent rather than my solicitor.

Or is there nothing wrong with the shower cubicle, and you have water coming through an external wall. Is this caused by failed guttering? That's a cheap and easy fix, less than £100, and not worth negotiating over. Though you might want to tell the vendor to get it fixed to avoid further causing further damage.

aneary

AndyTails wrote: »

Is this dampness caused by water from the shower? Has the sealant around the shower screen deteriorated and needs replacing? Yes you'd want to repair this sooner rather than later, but it'd just go on my list of something to do once I move in. Costing less than £10 for the sealant, and an hour of your time, I wouldn't bother mentioning it to the vendor or estate agent.
.

If this is the reason it might not just be a £10 job if the sealant needs replacing you would want to know for how long it has been in need of replacing. If it has been for some time the shower tray may need removing to dry out the whole area (this has happened in my ensuite).

london.cidade

Thank you. Ive just sent an email to the ea for arranging technician visit. (I will be searching for related companies, asked him if he knows somebody local as well)

Ps. Below are the full findings from the survey


A) Floors --> Condition Rating 3 item: Dampness was noted at the base of the shower cubicle within the ensuite facility at second-floor level. There may be possible damage to the underlying floor surface. Further Investigation. You should arrange for a detailed investigation by an appropriately qualified person such as a plumber and/or PCA timber treatment contractor. I also refer you to my comment in Section J -Risks.

Bathroom fittings --> Condition Rating 3 item: There is evidence of leakage to the shower cubicle causing damp to the base surround. Urgent repair and is needed to prevent further damage. There is a risk of damage to the floor as a result of the leakage and this should be investigated further as repairs as found necessary. Further Investigation. Condition Rating 3. Further Investigation. You should arrange for a detailed investigation by an appropriately qualified person such as a plumber. I also refer you to my comment in Section J -Risks.

ssparks2003

Sounds like the sealant is gone, if this is the extent of the issues your survey has picked up you have done well.