Survey Damp Issue, pull out, inform my buyer?

tracytown

I had a homebuyers 2 survey which showed several level 3 issues. Most are not concerning, but the main one is damp on the downstairs walls. I already had started to get misgivings and had budgeted for new bathroom, expected to need new boiler, having spent a lot of surveys and the homebuyers survey I don't really want to fork out more for a damp inspection.

Overall I feel I want to pull out of the purchase. 

My buyer (FTB, no chain):
- Although overall its been 8 weeks, they took 2 weeks to get draft contracts (their solicitor slow) so its really only been 6 weeks.
- Leasehold flat, much slower and lots of enquiries brought up by their solicitor 

My purchase
- I took a few weeks to find somewhere in difficult market time in feb. Offer accepted mid march.
- Obtained mortgage within 2nd week, so now I would need a new one and do all that again/credit score down again
- Since offer accepted, this is now week 4.
- I am buying a house, which is at least 1 month quicker (estimated) than buying a leasehold flat in my experience

My question is what is the general way to go forward, is everything lost? If I can find somewhere in the next 2 weeks do I need to contact my buyer first to inform them? I guess they will just pull out too.

Another part of me thinks to just try get a price reduction and accept the damp issues to avoid the stress and hassle of starting again.

(I cannot rent and cannot stay anywhere else)

canaldumidi

I have no idea what your realproblem is, but it seems to be paranoia about damp yes?

So: does the property smell damp? Is the wallpaper/paintwork peeling off? Is there condensation/water on the walls? Can you see evidence of mould?

What does the survey say about damp? Where exactly is it - 'downstairs' is far too general. Internal or external walls? High up at ceiling or at ground level? How was it 'diagnosed? What's on the other side of the wall in question? What does the survey say is the cause of the damp? If it does not say, have you rung the surveyor to ask?

Thrugelmir

tracytown said:

My buyer (FTB, no chain):
- Although overall its been 8 weeks, they took 2 weeks to get draft contracts (their solicitor slow) so its really only been 6 weeks.

Took you 4 weeks to find somewhere yourself. A case of the pot calling the kettle black. Solicitors cost money, all down the drain if the chain collapses. 

t1redmonkey

Get clarification from the surveyor on where exactly the damp was detected, what he thinks the cause of it, and also the remedial action(s) he'd suggest taking to solve it.  That'll give you a good idea of how much it'll cost to sort out.  Yes it can sometimes be costly, but it can also be a really quick and easy fix sometimes.

ka7e

You do need to ascertain what the damp issues actually are - and how they were detected as most damp meters are calibrated for timber, not plaster. Were there visible patches of damp (usually accompanied by blown plaster and/or mould)? Is it on external or internal walls? Internally, it's often caused by poor ventilation, rarely leaking pipes. Externally, is the ground level higher than the DPC? Have guttering and downpipes been checked for leaks? There may be a cheap remedy and a competent general builder should be able to pinpoint the cause.

A "damp inspection" is usually carried out by a "damp expert" who is actually a chemical damp-proofing salesman.

tracytown

canaldumidi said:

I have no idea what your realproblem is, but it seems to be paranoia about damp yes?

So: does the property smell damp? Is the wallpaper/paintwork peeling off? Is there condensation/water on the walls? Can you see evidence of mould?

What does the survey say about damp? Where exactly is it - 'downstairs' is far too general. Internal or external walls? High up at ceiling or at ground level? How was it 'diagnosed? What's on the other side of the wall in question? What does the survey say is the cause of the damp? If it does not say, have you rung the surveyor to ask?

I'm not sure this method of reply is warranted. I do not have "paranoia" I had a survey done which lists damp as a serious/urgent issue. Thanks anyway.

My issue was the one sentence with a question mark. Not to worry, I tried to make the post as short as possible but it seems it was not clear.

tracytown

t1redmonkey said:

Get clarification from the surveyor on where exactly the damp was detected, what he thinks the cause of it, and also the remedial action(s) he'd suggest taking to solve it.  That'll give you a good idea of how much it'll cost to sort out.  Yes it can sometimes be costly, but it can also be a really quick and easy fix sometimes.

Yes I have asked, it states on all lower walls downstairs. It just says to get an inspection on the "whole" property. I await their reply. The plaster in the living room has all starting coming off, which I thought was a plastering issue, obviously not.

Slithery

The reply that you had from canaldumidi was perfectly reasonable. Why does your surveyor think that there is a damp issue? What evidence have they given you?

General surveyors aren't damp experts - at most they'll just recommend further investigation. Whatever you do don't go for a free survey from anyone associated with the PCA as they are just salesmen that make commission from recommending useless chemical treatments. In the vast majority of cases fixing any damp issues that do exist (if at all) is cheap and easy.

I suggest the following reading...

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/the-fraud-of-rising-damp.html

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/the-ping-prong-meter-guilty-of-fraud.html

Why would you need a new mortgage application?

tracytown

Slithery said:

The reply that you had from canaldumidi was perfectly reasonable. Why does your surveyor think that there is a damp issue? What evidence have they given you?

General surveyors aren't damp experts - at most they'll just recommend further investigation. Whatever you do don't go for a free survey from anyone associated with the PCA as they are just salesmen that make commission from recommending useless chemical treatments. In the vast majority of cases fixing any damp issues that do exist (if at all) is cheap and easy.

I suggest the following reading...

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/the-fraud-of-rising-damp.html

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/the-ping-prong-meter-guilty-of-fraud.html

Saying "what is your real problem" and "paranoia" is not reasonable in an opening sentence. I don't have paranoia if I get a homebuyers survey that shows serious issues with damp, how is that paranoia? 

There are wavy marks on the living room wall, plastering issues. I thought just decorating problems.

Yes I notice lots of people commenting "Don't use a PCA contractor," although that is what the survey suggests and don't get a person working for a damping company. Not really sure who that leaves. It's all very well stating all these factors but then how do you find someone?

My original question was whether I need to tell the buyer.

Slithery

tracytown said:

Yes I notice lots of people commenting "Don't use a PCA contractor," although that is what the survey suggests and don't get a person working for a damping company. Not really sure who that leaves.

An 'independent damp surveyor' as they only provide surveys and have nothing to do with selling any needed remedial works. A quick Google search should bring up plenty of results in your local area.

tracytown

Slithery said:

tracytown said:

Yes I notice lots of people commenting "Don't use a PCA contractor," although that is what the survey suggests and don't get a person working for a damping company. Not really sure who that leaves.

An 'independent damp surveyor' as they only provide surveys and have nothing to do with selling any needed remedial works. A quick Google search should bring up plenty of results in your local area.

ok thanks