Surveyor has found damp in a house that I have put an offer on

123maryb

Looking for advice please.Should i ask sellors to reduce price,or would it be advisable to wslk away from this purchase

Brie

Sounds like a lot of expensive work.  That's something I wouldn't want to be taking on.  You could ask the vendor to have all the work done prior to completion but I'd be worried about them doing a cheap quick job and the problem coming back in a couple of years.  

ReadySteadyPop

Brie said:

Sounds like a lot of expensive work.  That's something I wouldn't want to be taking on.  You could ask the vendor to have all the work done prior to completion but I'd be worried about them doing a cheap quick job and the problem coming back in a couple of years.  

Good advice, walk away, plenty of property out there to choose from.

Tabieth

It depends. How does the price of this property compare with similar properties in the same area that have recently sold? If it’s a good price, you do the work and add value then great. If it’s already at the local ceiling price I’d want a price drop or I’d walk away. (I wouldn’t ask the slower to do the work, they may do a quick and cheap fix). Also, factor in how much work are you willing to do.

123maryb

I think I will go back to sellots and ask them to drop.

youth_leader

What age is the house?  It should already have a dpc and not need a new one? 

And if they do have a positive input ventilation unit  installed and it is still humid, they might suffer with condensation, like this bungalow.  I'd engage an independent damp/timber survey before proceeding any further, they can give you an accurate quote of what remedial works will cost.

MeteredOut

123maryb said:

I think I will go back to sellots and ask them to drop.

By how much? I'd be getting quotes first.

ReadySteadyPop

123maryb said:

I think I will go back to sellots and ask them to drop.

Might not be worth it if you get stuck with damp issues.

123maryb

Thankyou ,I've been quoted in the region of 10,000.I have no intention of adding on to my budget.My concern if if this does get sorted what arecthe chances of it reoccurring  

ReadySteadyPop

123maryb said:

Thankyou ,I've been quoted in the region of 10,000.I have no intention of adding on to my budget.My concern if if this does get sorted what arecthe chances of it reoccurring  

Strong chance, run away from this.

FreeBear

123maryb said:

Thankyou ,I've been quoted in the region of 10,000.I have no intention of adding on to my budget.My concern if if this does get sorted what arecthe chances of it reoccurring  

Injecting chemicals in to the walls and slapping waterproof render/plaster on the inside will mask the issues for a few years. If you are lucky, maybe ten.

The correct solution is to identify the source of the damp, and fix the root problem. The surveyor has pointed out elevated ground levels, so the obvious thing to do is to reduce the level to 150mm below the DPC. That will be a lot cheaper than tanking the wall.

I'd also be asking how he identified damp - If it is by way of a protimeter, the readings need to be taken with a huge dose of salt. Wrong tool for the job.