Homebuyer Survey Results Show Damp (and others) - Next Steps?

LunaAndBelle

ETA: Additional wording on comments from report (at the bottom of post)

I’m a first time buyer and I’ve had my mortgage approved today so this was something to celebrate. I was able to upgrade to a homebuyers survey through them and it was done really quickly. I’ll get the full report tomorrow but the surveyor contacted me today. 

The house is a 2 bed terraced and found out it was built in the 1930’s - so I was expecting something would show. 

The main concern is damp. Although it didn’t show structural issues, it did have elevated damp readings. One area would be where a conservatory is along that wall. It was mostly unseen but a small patch of rising damp was found in the kitchen. The vendor mentioned some remedial action was taken but I don’t have further details. The surveyor mentioned there may be a guarantee but my solicitor would check this. Although no concerns with the floor as it’s a timber joint, it could be an issue of rotting with the damp. 

Another area was the chimney breast because a fireplace was removed. There wasn’t ventilation added so can build up with damp. It was suggested to add a vent as damp readings in the flue. 

Due to the year it was built, there are textured ceilings which could be asbestos. 

The boiler is old and serviced in 2021 so recommended to get that done again. 

The roof and electrics were done in the last couple of years and again should have everything. 

I like the house and I offered the asking price. I need to wait for the full report but I’m concerned about the damp. We only discussed the level 3 on the call really so I guess it makes it sound really bad. What would my next steps be? If I wanted to negotiate price and ask for the boiler to be serviced before buying would this be via the agent or getting the solicitor involved? 

 Many thanks for any help.

ETA: Some comments from the report about damp. 

1. Outside (Main Walls) - There is evidence of a slate damp-proof course to the walls. There is evidence of a chemical injection retro-fitted damp proof course. 

The report continues to ask illegal advice if the guarantee is valid and can be changed to me. 

2. Inside downstairs walls - High damp readings were detected to the ground floor walls. Adjacent timbers are therefore at risk of decay/rot and to commission a registered contractor to look further. Ideally before buying purchase. 

Visible damp was only found in the kitchen area (which is along the front of the house) and comments from the first point would match this. Photo taken (not the clearest) 

3. High damp readings were taken on the chimney breast. Because the fire was removed and there was no ventilation, there is also this suggestion. 

mi-key

If the boiler was serviced in 2021 there is no reason to get it done again unless it has some problem. You could ask the seller though as its a pretty cheap thing to get done.

Lots of houses around 100 years old will have some signs of damp, it really depends where its coming from and how bad it is. Dont get a damp proofing company to check it though as they are notorious for saying half the house needs dismantling at huge cost ( and big profit for them ) 

LunaAndBelle

mi-key said:

If the boiler was serviced in 2021 there is no reason to get it done again unless it has some problem. You could ask the seller though as its a pretty cheap thing to get done.

Lots of houses around 100 years old will have some signs of damp, it really depends where its coming from and how bad it is. Dont get a damp proofing company to check it though as they are notorious for saying half the house needs dismantling at huge cost ( and big profit for them ) 

Yeah the report doesn’t seem as bad as I thought. I know the house will always need something given it’s age and doesn’t seem something major.  I like the house and the boiler is easily sorted cheaply as you say. 

I was advised to get in touch with a company that was registered with the property care association for the damp. 

youth_leader

I would recommend getting an independent damp surveyor to take a look.  Not a sales PCA company.

Do go for a second viewing and ask lots of questions - especially about the floors.

I got majorly caught out by damp here.  No floor surveys supplied although the vendor says she 'supplied them' -  the 25 year timber 'guarantee' she did supply at completion completely worthless as company had gone bust in 2018.  Six months after moving in had to pay £15K including taking out the shower/fitted units/fitted wardrobes to get all the floors replaced in this 1930's bungalow.  Turns out the previous owner had a repair done and it was attached to the existing woodwormed joists.  Other floors were replaced with chipboard on top of non tannelised joists.  

Emily_Joy

Stay clear of anyone who recommends Property Care Association. Can you ask for another viewing, take photos of the damp identified by the surveyor and post them here? If the brickwork outside is exposed (no render) look for the signs of DPC injections.

hazyjo

If you want any sort of check or survey on the boiler, no harm in asking the vendors (via the EA), but these sorts of things would usually come out of your pocket though, and up to you to instruct someone (liaise with the EA for times, etc). It may be that they believe a recent boiler service will be a positive thing when selling, so may oblige.

LunaAndBelle

Emily_Joy said:

Stay clear of anyone who recommends Property Care Association. Can you ask for another viewing, take photos of the damp identified by the surveyor and post them her? If the brickwork outside is exposed (no render) look for the signs of DPC injections.

They surveyor mentioned they took lots of photos so I’ll post them here once I see them on the report tomorrow. 

The outside isn’t rendered. 

LHW99

Worth checking guttering. We had a nice new section on a single story that didn't actually extend along the whole roof edge, so was spilling water down the wall junction. Was identified as rising damp by the surveyor, but was actually coming from the gutter issue. Also a small area in a kitchen may be due to condensation not rising damp

propertyrental

Property Care Association? Beware. Most companies will send round a surveyor salesman to do a free survey sales inspection. And then recommend expensive treatment that, (surprise!), they ca provide.

Adding some ventilation to the chimney is good advice, easy, and cheap.

Is the damp in the kitchen on an external wall? Or wall between kitchen/conservatory? Unlikely to be 'rising damp'. More likely either ground level outside, or guttering/lead flashing above. All cheap / easy to fix. Unless the damp is so bad that wallpapr/paint is peeling and the wall has mould, or the house smells of damp, I wouldn't worry too much.

My dad didn't get his boiler serviced for 20 odd years. It ran fine and never caused a problem. If it's 15 +years old, OK you'll need to budget for a new boiler. Maybe next year but it might last another 10. Who knows? Does it heat the radiators? supply hot water? Not give off CO (you can/should buy a £15 CO alarm)? If so it's doing what boilers are meant to do!

Thousands maybe millions of homes have textured ceiling that might or might not have asbestos. As long as you don't produce dust and breath that dust, by cutting / drilling it, it's fine.

flashg67

This site helped me - might answer some questions/put your mind at rest - https://www.heritage-house.org/

ss2020jd

I was recommended in a survey for the house I was buying that one wall would need about £5k of work due to damp readings. 

Thanks to this forum, I got a local independent damp specialist who specialises in older buildings and it saved me a fortune. Damp can have many causes. In this case it was a lot of vegetation (Virginia creeper) growing at the front of the house coupled with lack of heating in that room and condensation without adequate ventilation.