Damp found 2 weeks after moving in, none on survey

ChrisBint

Apologies if not the right forum, feel free to move if not.

I had an RICS Building survey done on the property I have since completed on. The survey was supplied to me on 28th November 2017 and performed a few days before that. The survey showed no category 3 issues and no Specific mention on damp. There were a few category 2 but nothing that gave me any cause for concern.

The survey was completed during a period of showers as indicated in the report.

No work on the property has been performed since this point to my knowledge.

We completed on 19th January 2018.

The house itself has what I can only describe as a lower level roof and the upstairs rooms have a slight slope on the outside wall with the majority being flat. A number of rooms and the hallway have artex still, the other rooms are plastered.

In the front bedroom and hallway there are now clearly darker areas. Using a damp meter, the percentage moisture in these dark areas is 10-13%, the rest of the ceiling is 0%. I have ordered a more expensive meter to test again just in case, however it does seem to be working.

I can only assume this means dampness somewhere.

Some pirtures of the hallway and bedroom that shows the darkness. For comparison, there is another bedroom next to the hallway that has a plastered ceiling that does not display any issues. I also added some images of the moisture test, those with > 0% are the dark areas and a white area that showed 0%

https://imgur.com/a/qFO9P

I cannot see how this could have only just become an issue, surely this should have been spotted on the survey.

If it should have been, what sort of comeback do I have on the company that performed it if it does indeed turn out to be a serious case of damp.

Any suggestions for next steps?

Thanks

Cakeguts

Are the gutters blocked?

ChrisBint

Cakeguts wrote: »

Are the gutters blocked?

I have not checked, but have not noticed any water coming down where not expected. I do admit that I have not been looking for it either, so simply could have missed it, will check in the morning.

Thanks

martinthebandit

When, and how, was the wallpaper removed?

ChrisBint

martinthebandit wrote: »

When, and how, was the wallpaper removed?

Hah, that was done only this week, and with a steamer! Never thought if that, I assume that could well be the cause! Will have to see whether it goes in a while. Artex could soak up the moisture more than a standard plastered ceiling?

Thanks!

glasgowdan

What are the grade 2 items on the report?

PokerPlayer111

Damp meter checker can read higher if it reads salt in the walls i've since come to learn from watching youtube vids.

I've viewed a more modern build with no signs of damp but has a wall reading of 18% in some places, most of wall 11-12%. No idea if i should buy it or not?

moneyistooshorttomention

Wondering if running a dehumidifier in there for a week or two would result in the ceilings reverting to normal/staying normal?

Then you'd have a better idea whether it's "damp" or temporary (ie from all the steam on wallpaper removal).

But...yes...I'd still check outside (eg the gutters).

Smodlet

ChrisBint wrote: »

Hah, that was done only this week, and with a steamer! Never thought if that, I assume that could well be the cause! Will have to see whether it goes in a while. Artex could soak up the moisture more than a standard plastered ceiling?

Thanks!

Oh hell, yeah artex soaks up more moisture than plaster which (please forgive the pun) does not suck at sucking up moisture itself. Ever tried to get artex off a wall? Makes stripping wallpaper a walk in the park. Much easier just to skim over it if you can.

Some of those dark patches look as if polystyrene tiles have been removed from a ceiling, is this so? Also, to the best of my knowledge, "damp" meters measure conductivity rather than actual moisture. You could perhaps test this idea by applying your meter to a copper pipe or something else you know has a high level of conductivity.

I too would certainly check the gutters all the way around and look in the loft to check for leaks from pipes/header tanks etc. Even if you have a combi boiler it does not automatically follow the header tank for the old style boiler was removed (though it should have been) Also, just in case, check there are no holes or cracks in the roof since you suspect the surveyor may have missed some issues.

Best of luck with it all and HTH. Mokie and Doggo are beautiful.

dimbo61

Well first of all you need to have a look at the roof and gutters.
Normal survey does not involve Roof inspection or checking gutters.
Next time it rains go outside.
Get heating on to dry out the plaster/ceiling and see if you can spot any damp patches

Mutton_Geoff

Those damp lines in your pictures look like cold bridging with the rafters. Is the space above insulated? If you have been stripping paper throughout the house, you'd be dumping loads of water into the air which will condense on those cold spots. You need to ventilate and dehumidify if possible but check there are no leaks from outside. The pattern is too regular to be a leak, imho.