Can you rule out dry rot from visual and historical observation?

indielad

I am selling my house and my buyer's surveyor want a damp and timber report as she says there is a potential for dry rot.

She probably thinks this because I damaged a couple of floorboards by dropping wet plaster on my laminate flooring, which damaged the surface of them 3 years ago. Though the integrity of these 2 floorboards are not good. There is no signs of fungus either on top or around the floorboards, neither on the skirting boards or on the surface or below. I can't observe below the floorboards, but none of the surrounding floorboards have shown any signs of damage in 3 years. I'm a bit worried the damp surveyors are going to want to rip up floorboards just to check out an unlikely situation, can they rule it out just just the survey?

Thank you

anselld

These surveys are generally non-invasive.  They certainly will not lift laminate flooring.

Having said that, there are a significant proportion of "damp surveyors" who are actually sales people with a vested interest in selling questionable and expensive treatments.  It will be up to the buyer who they send, but try to encourage them to send someone which is not linked to a treatment Company and which they will therefore need to pay for.  

Chief_of_Staffy

Surveys don't rule out anything, and surveyors won't pull up your floorboards. It's up to you whether you allow an invasive examination by a specialist, though, should such an entity exist.

youth_leader

My buyer had a damp/timber survey and when I booked it, I hadn't been told to lift the floorboards. 

When the surveyor arrived he asked why I hadn't - and he said he couldn't.  As he had come to inspect the subfloor and the joists it was a ridiculous visit, and he was a 'salesman'.  Recommended many things which the buyer's mortgage lender threw out as unsuitable for a heritage building.  

indielad

youth_leader said:

My buyer had a damp/timber survey and when I booked it, I hadn't been told to lift the floorboards. 

When the surveyor arrived he asked why I hadn't - and he said he couldn't.  As he had come to inspect the subfloor and the joists it was a ridiculous visit, and he was a 'salesman'.  Recommended many things which the buyer's mortgage lender threw out as unsuitable for a heritage building.  

was that from an independent surveyor?

I think my buyer made a mistake in choosing the 'banks' homebuyer report rather than an independent one, the bank's surveyor will report any minor issue as a potential structual disaster to the bank. A bit like a doctor having you checked for lung cancer if you get a cough. Bit bizarre them requesting a timber and damp report if they cant rule anything out none invasively.

stuart45

It's standard for surveyors to recommend a specialist damp and timber survey.
Damp and the related timber issues are the main defects in older houses. 
The potential for dry rot could just be a lack of adequate ventilation under the floors. It's up to you whether it not you allow them to lift any flooring.
It's been a common complaint about surveys for years that they report high readings taken with a damp meter, and then another surveyor gives you an estimate for thousands of pounds for unnecessary work.

indielad

There is an airbrick at the front of the house for floor ventilation.

I'm using Peter Cox, where the damproofing is under guarantee, I'm hoping that will be a dissuading factor for unnecessary work!

I know it is not dry rot. I am trying to proof this to the overeactive bank surveyor this. Like trying to convince a hypochondriac a cough isn't lung cancer I read somewhere that it can be ruled out with infrared sensors detecting temperature differences in the floor. I'm not sure how accurate that is.

anselld

indielad said:

I'm using Peter Cox, where the damproofing is under guarantee, I'm hoping that will be a dissuading factor for unnecessary work!

"You" shouldn't be using anybody.  The report is for the buyers and should be commissioned and paid for by the buyers.

youth_leader

My EA persuaded me to pay for my buyer's damp/timber as 'poor X' has already spent so much on the survey' (poor X turned up in a new BMW on completion day). 

I was persuaded to pay for it using the money I'd saved for food for Christmas, I had to book it for 8 January.  Cost was £300 for the PCA approved Peter Cox company.  Nice man came, 'standing in for a colleague'.  When I sent the report to the EA to forward to the buyer, it seems his mortgage lenders threw it out as inappropriate.  

If you are going to take floorboards up I do recommend getting a joiner in to do it for you.  My house had original Victorian floorboards and the plumber broke one of them - I would have had to drive 45 miles to the nearest salvage yard to get the 'size'.  Luckily managed to buy a 'brace' that joined the board together (read cobbled!).

indielad

youth_leader said:

My EA persuaded me to pay for my buyer's damp/timber as 'poor X' has already spent so much on the survey' (poor X turned up in a new BMW on completion day). 

I was persuaded to pay for it using the money I'd saved for food for Christmas, I had to book it for 8 January.  Cost was £300 for the PCA approved Peter Cox company.  Nice man came, 'standing in for a colleague'.  When I sent the report to the EA to forward to the buyer, it seems his mortgage lenders threw it out as inappropriate.  

If you are going to take floorboards up I do recommend getting a joiner in to do it for you.  My house had original Victorian floorboards and the plumber broke one of them - I would have had to drive 45 miles to the nearest salvage yard to get the 'size'.  Luckily managed to buy a 'brace' that joined the board together (read cobbled!).

that sounds gutting

If it comes to ripping up floorboards the guys not getting his mortgage I'm afraid. I don't mind paying for the damp survey as fair enough he didn't know or not if there's any. Or he can get another mortgage provider,  and just do a valuation without him daftly choosing the ban's surveyor rather than an independent one.

indielad

anselld said:

indielad said:

I'm using Peter Cox, where the damproofing is under guarantee, I'm hoping that will be a dissuading factor for unnecessary work!

"You" shouldn't be using anybody.  The report is for the buyers and should be commissioned and paid for by the buyers.

why not?

It's fair I should pay for it as I didn't know or tell him there was any suspected damp when he made his offer?