Damp?

[Anonymous]

Hi
I am selling my house (1930s 2 bed semi) and the lady buying it has had a homebuyers survey carried out on it. The Surveyor has come back saying that there is damp on the external walls and the whole house needs the rendering taken off, the damp sorted out, rendered again and new guttering purely because its the old steel guttering. We have had no problems of damp internally and the rendering was only recently painted and is in good order, he seems to think it has all blown. Obviously I'm not a surveyor but the house is in good order and it just seems so drastic when we have had no previous problems with damp. Any advice please??

 

[Anonymous]

Thats probably a lot of money they are asking you to drop off the price isn't it ?

Independent survey time ?

Remember as the seller you also have the right to pull out of the sale at any time up until you exchange.

 

[Anonymous]

Don't believe what you can't see. It's not a question of religion, it's making money, when you get such advice from interested people. As you have no damage, the render may still remain at the wall. It's just normal, that there is some damp in a facade, where the rain and nightly condensate comes to. But facades are made for this and normally some damp doesn't matter.

Good luck!



Some things about damp old houses

 

[Anonymous]

I rather suspect that the surveyor stuck a damp meter in the walls, and isn't totally informed regarding their limitations.

It's certainly time to query the survey as a start.

Is there anything wrong either with the metal gutters, or does the surveyor simply think plastic is an 'improvement'?

 

[Anonymous]

We had the damp surveyor round this morning and he only found 3 minor patches of damp on the whole house, which is great but now the homebuyer surveyor is being questioned. He said he used a damp meter but if he did that why would he of told the lady to pay for another damp suryveor!!??

 

[Anonymous]

I suspect the first surveyor 'found' damp - with a damp meter - and then suggested another survey from a 'damp specialist' to confirm this and suggest treatment.

The first surveyor was covering his back. The problem starts with finding a genuine 'damp specialist' who isn't simply a salesperson allied to a firm which makes its money from finding damp and flogging you its treatments... usually involving horrendous cost, chemical injection, cement render...

It is probable that your home already has a damp proof course. Hopefully any external render is not covering this.

It's also very possible that your home has cavity walls. In that case, although cement render and impermeable paints are not a good idea on solid walls, here it's a rather different matter.

Unless your gutters are rotten and leaking, I can't see why anything needs to be done about those.

I'm afraid there are surveys and surveys...

Your few damp patches may be simply condensation.

 

[Anonymous]

>>The problem starts with finding a genuine 'damp specialist' who isn't simply a salesperson allied to a firm which makes its money from finding damp and flogging you its treatments... usually involving horrendous cost, chemical injection, cement render...

 

[Anonymous]

Strange chose of words, that seem to have translated better than other postings!!!

PC

 

[Anonymous]

I thought he was quoting from something.

 

[Anonymous]

I think you may be right Moo, the words do sound familiar.

Who owns those words, come on reveal yourself?

PC

 

[Anonymous]

If you read the thread, I think you'll find he was quoting me... no idea why without an additional comment though!