Is this Damp?

Yoku82

I’ve  found a flat I really want to buy but it has these circular marks over the walls. Are these damp patches? The problem is not localised but through out the flat and always on the external walls. The internal walls have no marks. The building is rendered over brickwork, so no way of looking at brickwork or pointing. The rendering looks ok to my eye but I’ve no experience. The marks feel cold to the touch. The house has been empty for a few months. Any ideas what this could be and what the solutions/cost might be to fix it? Thanks for any help. 

Doozergirl

Is this ground floor?  

The ceiling is a small-ish leak from above.  It's got a hint of 'shower tray' about it.  

The peeling looks like a bit of localised low level damp.   What is on the other side of the wall?  Photograph it.  

The blobs, I would say, because the flat is empty and it is cold, is thermal bridging through where the plaster board was dot and dabbed onto the walls. It's condensation.  It should go when the flat is heated.   

The flat doesn't look too freshly painted so I don't think any thing worse is being masked.  It's one of the benefits of it being empty, really.  

NameUnavailable

I had some similar patches on a previous place which turned out to be pointing. If this place is rendered it could be as above or could possibly be blown rendering that's trapping moisture which is coming through on the inside walls.

You really need a proper investigation carried out.

Slinky

Why the air freshener on the fireplace?

Yoku82

Thank you for the help.

Yoku82

Doozergirl said:

Is this ground floor?  

.....::

The blobs, I would say, because the flat is empty and it is cold, is thermal bridging through where the plaster board was dot and dabbed onto the walls. It's condensation.  It should go when the flat is heated.   

The flat is ground floor. Do you think there is any possibility that this is penetrating damp? It’s the blobs that are throughout the flat in quite some number.  Is it easy to differentiate between penetrating damp and damp arising because of dot and damp plastering? 

Who exactly would we contact to confirm what type of damp this is? Is it just something we’d wait and see from a survey, or could we get somebody else to take a look before committing such funds....?

Thank you 

Doozergirl

If you go for a Level 3 building survey, you might get some answers as to what they think it might be.   Most RICS surveyors will pass you to a "PCA" surveyor, which is just terrible.  The surveyor gets to wash their hands and pass you to someone, the majority of whom will sell you an irrelevant 'solution', but you trust them because the surveyor said so.  

If it was penetrating, I'd expect more damage like the bubbling paintwork at ground level.  

Feel free to post photos.  We can't go on inside pics only, need outside for clues.  

Doozergirl

Bedtime reading 
https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html