Damp Proof Course

brucethefish

Hi there
Im buying a house, and its got the the point where copies of the deeds etc have arrived from the solicitors
Within the pack are two guarantees for damp proofing, one dated July 97, the other March 18
The first one has ticks against rising damp, re-plastering, wood boring insects and wood rotting fungi, but a cross against masonry sterlization
The second has cross against all the boxes above, but a note saying part against rising damp
Does this basically mean its had partial rising damp treatment again?
If so does this raise alarm bells, or is it good that its been looked after and the work carried out?
The second has a ten year guarantee so 8 years left.  Interestingly the first one was guaranteed for 30 years, though maybe it occurred in a different place?
TIA

FreeBear

Most of those guarantees are not worth the paper they are written on. Way too many cop out clauses and probably not transferable.

In 99% of cases, the work is a waste of money and only hides the problem - This can be demonstrated by the fact that there has been two lots of damp proofing work done. Fix the problem at the source (bridged DPC, leaking gutters/down pipes. etc). and the damp will often disappear. Slapping waterproof render/cement on a wall only traps the moisture within and it will re-emerge in another spot and/or cause damage to the wall.

If it is an old property with solid brick/stone walls or timber framed, personally, I would seriously consider looking for another house that hasn't been messed around with - This one could end up being a money pit to revert inappropriate "cures".

greatcrested

Does the guarantee say wha kind of dampproofing was done?