Survey Damp Issue, pull out, inform my buyer?

Doozergirl

tracytown said:

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.

Your original question may not have been the right one; every answer you've received has suggested the same thing, so there's some weight behind it.  Don't get caught up
taking the wording personally.  People read things in different ways, but there is an element of truth in that statement and the other questions asked are excellent, so it's a shame to fixate on being offended.  

You're scared because you don't know about something - you can't know what you don't know, but to those more experienced, it may well be unfounded, or a very cheap fix as long as you avoid chemical sales people.  A chemical DPC is never the right answer.  

It would be a good idea to consider the replies carefully because you may be giving up on a decent property for no good reason - your first port of call could be to investigate before pulling out, because there are people here offering to help diagnose without paying out if you put in a bit of legwork.

But yes, if you decide to pull out over this then you should be telling your buyer and not hiding it from them, because it is disingenuous not to do so.  

Do the better thing, do a bit of homework reading the links you've been provided with, go take some photos, inside and out, with decent context of the apparently affected walls and report back to see if we can work out what the issue is.  Damp is often far, far easier to sort than the salespeople make out.  

Your 'wavy wall' if you think it is a plastering problem, is still a plastering problem, it just might have been cause by some dampness.  Whether that is a leaky gutter or a ground level that's a bit too high, the solution is to fix the gutter, dig away the dirt and let it dry.  If you were already anticipating plastering that wall the. There's no major issue.  

In all my experience, damp is never a major concern unless you're below ground.  Even then, it's not insurmountable, it just requires more thought and money (which in that case might make you reconsider the purchase), but above ground it's often a very cheap fix if there is a genuine issue at all.   So let's work out if it's a genuine 'major' concern or not.  

babyblade41

You should have seen the damp in my current house... all plaster crumbling away , upstairs as well as downstairs.

Cost to fix  probably about 2 k which was basically re-plastering affected walls & some over boarding of ceilings 

To stop the ingress of water was free as it was an aerial cable fitted incorrectly so when it rained instead of  a loop in the cable it went directly into the wall...over 18 months rain was just coming through a hole in the external wall .

Some re-pointing of the chimney. stack and some new guttering  & job done .


Was the house priced  correctly to the problems it had on viewing ?

daveyjp

Everyone is commenting blind. Any chance of a photo to show type and age of property?

fortgrange

I had a full structural survey done on the place we’re buying. It’s a 500 year old thatched cottage so it seemed the appropriate thing to do 

I was expecting the worst but to my surprise it was mainly positive.

One area of concern was part of the timber frame showed a bit of rot and needed investigating. I immediately contacted the vendor and said there would be a slight delay whilst investigating the issue. They were fine with that. I researched potential problems, instructed the appropriate tradesmen to take a look. They reported it was superficial and costed the repair which was so reasonable I didn’t even consider passing that cost onto the vendor.

I could have pulled out following the report but a bit of investigation showed it wasn’t an expensive fix.

The most important thing was keeping the vendor up to speed.

Just a shame the people earning the big bucks, i.e EA and Solicitors weren’t so efficient. But that’s another story 

jonnydeppiwish!

As previously posted, most damp issues can be a relatively simple fix. Guttering, ingress through cracked render, leaking baths/showers, external ground levels above damp proof course. Step back and look at the problem.

Where are the wavy lines?
What’s above, below and behind the walls?
Can you provide a right move link so a more informed response can be given?

Talk to the surveyor, but unless it’s an independent damp specialist, don’t take any recommendations from them. 

Research - read the links already given.

if you find the responses rude, step back again and remove any emotion when you read them. You’ve asked for advice and people are giving it. They will have seen this same question time and time again so don’t take offence if the replies seem blunt. They’re not, they’re just to the point.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

FreeBear

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.

Ideally, an independent surveyor with experience of old & historic buildings. Unfortunately, not easy to find one without any links to the PCA.. If the surveyor has an in depth knowledge of historic buildings, they will understand construction methods and be able to advise on appropriate sympathetic repairs.

Doozergirl said: In all my experience, damp is never a major concern unless you're below ground.  Even then, it's not insurmountable, it just requires more thought and money (which in that case might make you reconsider the purchase), but above ground it's often a very cheap fix if there is a genuine issue at all.   So let's work out if it's a genuine 'major' concern or not.  

Sometimes, just sometimes, there is an underlying problem that isn't so easy to fix - Had a damp patch at the base of a cavity wall here, and had done all the usual fixes (reduce ground levels, fix leaking downpipe & drainage). Eventually opened up the cavity and found it full of sand & bits of brick rubble. Cleared out the debris and the damp looks to be gone.

Noneforit999

To be fair to the OP, modern buyers (at least some) are not looking for something they need to spend money on in terms of having walls plastered etc so it would put some people off.  

We have no damp in the house we are buying but every wall needs skimming. Its 2-3 weeks to get a plasterer booked in and then a week for it to dry, a week of getting mist coat and final coat on. Skirtings back on, rads back on etc. I can understand why plenty of buyers don't want the aggro of having to get work done like this. We need the whole house done so having to live round it whilst working full time and a 2 year old running round is definitely something we wouldn't do again. 

OP - Wait for them to confirm where the damp is located and further details before making a decision. 

 

stuart45

Sometimes, just sometimes, there is an underlying problem that isn't so easy to fix - Had a damp patch at the base of a cavity wall here, and had done all the usual fixes (reduce ground levels, fix leaking downpipe & drainage). Eventually opened up the cavity and found it full of sand & bits of brick rubble. Cleared out the debris and the damp looks to be gone.

There must be loads of houses with the cavities filled close to and above DPC. The NHBC now recommend the concrete infill to be 225mm below DPC instead of the old method of 150mm. 
Also work like knocking off old render with the power tools  can cause the snots to drop down and fill up the cavity.