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Damp, woodworm and lower valuation- survey
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hobbeskat
Posts: 63 Forumite

Looking for help as a clueless FTB.
We have just had the survey back on our house, which we offered at £120,000. It has been valued at £117500, so £2.5k under.
Reinstatement costs are £155000
There are various category 3s, the ones which are most worrying to me are damp and the windows.
CATEGORY 3
Electrical safety test requires to be carried out.
Gas meter and pipework safety tests require to be carried out.
The central heating system requires to be safety tested.
Appliances require to be safety tested.
Penetrating and rising damp and rot and woodworm infestation requires specialist
treatment.
Glazing should be formed in safety glass for safety reasons.
The windows are formed in PVC double glazed windows. A number of the windows
do not open and close. A number of the windows have misted up / failed which
would be an indication that the remaining windows will mist up / fail in due course.
The windows require to be inspected by a competent contractor and necessary
Electrical safety test requires to be carried out.
Gas meter and pipework safety tests require to be carried out.
The central heating system requires to be safety tested.
Appliances require to be safety tested.
Penetrating and rising damp and rot and woodworm infestation requires specialist
treatment.
Glazing should be formed in safety glass for safety reasons.
works carried out.
Some comments- roof
Roof
Access to the main roof void is accessed via a hatch in the second floor landing. A
head and shoulders inspection of the attic was carried out only due to head height
restrictions. Gaps in the party wall in the attic were noted which require to be filled
in for fire safety reasons.
Roof
The attic is insulted. The insulation is below current standards and additional
insulation should be provided. There is no ventilation in the attic. Adequate
ventilation is required to prevent the build-up of condensation and damp thereof.
This is of particular importance when improving the insulation.
Walls
The walls are plastered and painted. Some of the walls are papered and removal
of the paper finish is likely to damage plaster surfaces. Test were carried out at
random locations to walls throughout the property and evidence of damp was
noted to ground floor walls. A number of the walls have been battened out which
may mask further defects. Timbers in contact maybe affected by rot. The damp
was mostly found adjacent to the bay window to the separating wall between the
front and rear living room and to the kitchen walls, to the rear elevation walls in the
kitchen and underneath the sink in the kitchen. Other areas maybe affected.
Evidence of penetrating damp was noted to the bay walls to the front elevation
and to the separating wall between the living room and the entrance hall at the
front elevation area. Evidence of severe penetrating damp was noted to the
kitchen wall adjacent to the rear door, this goes right up to the ceiling. Evidence of
penetrating damp was noted to the landing wall above. The cause of the damp
ingress should be ascertained and necessary repair works carried out. Timbers in
contact maybe affected by rot.
Chimney
Chimney
The chimney breast to the rear part of the living room has been removed. There is
no obvious signs of any support to the removed chimney breast. You should
instruct a structural engineer to inspect same and advise on any necessary work.
Chimney
There are none. The chimney breasts have been blocked up. Adequate ventilation
should be provided to same to prevent the build-up of condensation and damp
thereof
Do we need to walk away? This house was a bargain to us but we can't afford to do loads of work on it.
Many thanks
We have just had the survey back on our house, which we offered at £120,000. It has been valued at £117500, so £2.5k under.
Reinstatement costs are £155000
There are various category 3s, the ones which are most worrying to me are damp and the windows.
CATEGORY 3
Electrical safety test requires to be carried out.
Gas meter and pipework safety tests require to be carried out.
The central heating system requires to be safety tested.
Appliances require to be safety tested.
Penetrating and rising damp and rot and woodworm infestation requires specialist
treatment.
Glazing should be formed in safety glass for safety reasons.
The windows are formed in PVC double glazed windows. A number of the windows
do not open and close. A number of the windows have misted up / failed which
would be an indication that the remaining windows will mist up / fail in due course.
The windows require to be inspected by a competent contractor and necessary
Electrical safety test requires to be carried out.
Gas meter and pipework safety tests require to be carried out.
The central heating system requires to be safety tested.
Appliances require to be safety tested.
Penetrating and rising damp and rot and woodworm infestation requires specialist
treatment.
Glazing should be formed in safety glass for safety reasons.
works carried out.
Some comments- roof
Roof
Access to the main roof void is accessed via a hatch in the second floor landing. A
head and shoulders inspection of the attic was carried out only due to head height
restrictions. Gaps in the party wall in the attic were noted which require to be filled
in for fire safety reasons.
Roof
The attic is insulted. The insulation is below current standards and additional
insulation should be provided. There is no ventilation in the attic. Adequate
ventilation is required to prevent the build-up of condensation and damp thereof.
This is of particular importance when improving the insulation.
Walls
The walls are plastered and painted. Some of the walls are papered and removal
of the paper finish is likely to damage plaster surfaces. Test were carried out at
random locations to walls throughout the property and evidence of damp was
noted to ground floor walls. A number of the walls have been battened out which
may mask further defects. Timbers in contact maybe affected by rot. The damp
was mostly found adjacent to the bay window to the separating wall between the
front and rear living room and to the kitchen walls, to the rear elevation walls in the
kitchen and underneath the sink in the kitchen. Other areas maybe affected.
Evidence of penetrating damp was noted to the bay walls to the front elevation
and to the separating wall between the living room and the entrance hall at the
front elevation area. Evidence of severe penetrating damp was noted to the
kitchen wall adjacent to the rear door, this goes right up to the ceiling. Evidence of
penetrating damp was noted to the landing wall above. The cause of the damp
ingress should be ascertained and necessary repair works carried out. Timbers in
contact maybe affected by rot.
Chimney
Chimney
The chimney breast to the rear part of the living room has been removed. There is
no obvious signs of any support to the removed chimney breast. You should
instruct a structural engineer to inspect same and advise on any necessary work.
Chimney
There are none. The chimney breasts have been blocked up. Adequate ventilation
should be provided to same to prevent the build-up of condensation and damp
thereof
Do we need to walk away? This house was a bargain to us but we can't afford to do loads of work on it.
Many thanks
0
Comments
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Re the woodworm
Mains electricity is connected and the fuse box is located in the living room. The 3
fuse box is of a modern design. It was noted that there is some rot and woodworm
infestation in the meter box. All timbers throughout the property should be checked
by a competent specialist contractor and necessary treatment works carried out.
The electrical system was not tested. It should be tested by a competent
contractor, NICEIC registered, the condition ascertained and any necessary works
carried out.0 -
Also worried by the chimney breast!0
-
-
:rotfl: I didn't notice that!0
-
Anyone able to help?0
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Hm there's quite a lot there. I m not an expert but I'll start you off ...
Hard to see the wood for the trees in a way, as most of it seems to just say that things have it been inspected, eg electrics, appliances etc. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong!
Gaps in party walls in lofts can be problematic mortgage-wise, due to fire risk.
The main issue seems to be the damp. Bays are often affected. Sounds like the property has been suffering with condensation, which is caused by poor heating and poor ventilation. Damp on the wall that says it goes up high could be caused by poorly fitting or missing guttering. There might be more I have missed, and obvs without seeing it in the flesh it's hard to diagnose, but that's a couple of simple fixes I am noting.
Added to this the windows want replacing - is this a do-er upper? It sounds like it to me. In which case a lot of things you'll already have planned to replace or fix up in any case.
If you want a house to just open your suitcases and live in, this might not be for you ... But you'd have seen that when you got there!0 -
That is a lot of problems that you don't want in your first home. Have you taken into account how much it would cost to repair/replace everything mentioned? I have been in a similar situation to yourself and we decided to walk away as it would've costed £35k+ for repairs and the house just wasn't worth that. The house had similar problems as you have mentioned above. Is this a forever home or just a starter home? If it's just a starter home then you need to think about when you go to sell. Will you be able to make any profit?0
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This house has been recently refurbished which worries me
We did want to stay in this house for a long time, yes.
0 -
It doesn't sound like it's been ''refurbished'' it sounds like it's been cosmetically tarted up whilst trying to hide the more serious and expensive issues.0
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OK that is different. If its recently refurbished and these points have not been addressed, leave it alone. Find another house which hasn't had all its problems covered up with a lick of paint0
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