damp issue covered up by previous owner

camxg1977

Hi, I've bought my house 2 months ago.  The house is 10 years' old.  After some stormy weather this week, an internal drip from the ceiling appeared.  Closer inspection has revealed the area has been painted over by the previous owner to hide a damp patch.  Inspection of the attic, which I have not ventured into previously, shows it to be damp, and there is evidence of penetrating damp when carpets are pulled back in the room above the leak.  It basically looks like the water ingress has been going on for a while, and the motivation of the previous owner in painting over the damp patch remains unclear....(Was she deliberately trying to hide it?)  The survey does mention that penetrating damp was checked for.  Nothing was picked up here, but it is not clear whether the affected part of the house was tested.  Assuming I can establish that the damp issue and damage has been going on for a while (and whilst the house purchase was ongoing), does it sound like I have grounds to pursue an indemnity claim against the seller or surveyor?

cattie

No, you bought the house as is from the seller, so the issue is yours with no comeback to them. It's common to paint over damp patches as very few people want to live with a stained damp patch & you've no proof that the damp problem continued after vendor painted the patch. Water is very insidious & can take months & months for it to show any visible signs when there is a leak from somewhere.

As for the surveyor, I think they warn you in their report they they do not lift carpets or fully inspect lofts. You are always told to call in experts to check things such as damp, gas, electrics etc. as surveyors are not fully qualified in these fields & cover their backs this way.

youth_leader

I had leaking flashing around my chimney which stained my bedroom ceiling.  The roofer came to fix it and said to paint the ceiling with something called damp seal afterwards.  Your vendor might have used the same?  

[Deleted User]

You're replying to a thread made 7 months ago, the original poster never bothered to return to comment so you're unlikely to get one either.