What does 'Damp' mean when buying a property?

"... surveyors should never estimate the cost of works; When rising damp, penetrating damp, subsidence, cracking, sagging roofs, bulging walls and all the other frightening things in a surveyor's report might be serious, and when they are not; Why asking the vendor to carry out work is not..."

"... a house where the mortgage payments will be £1,000 but the rental will be £1,700 and assume it will be tenanted for 11 months out of 12 every year. The profit is £8,400 per year. Now in year three the roof needs to be replaced at a cost of £25,000. This has instantly wiped out all the profit since the purchase. Period properties also need periodic work on the bricks, windows and possibly the damp proofing so it is extremely easy to start loosing money instead of making..."

"... homebuyers survey is the usual choice for those buying a flat. It looks at any defects on the property such as the windows, flooring, plumbing, damp and, if there is access, the roof. A structural survey is usually chosen by those purchasing a house as it includes everything in the homebuyers report as well as an inspection of the..."

"... chaff you may decide you want to have further inspections. The most common are: damp - a damp proofing company to see if the damp found by the surveyor is significant enough to warrant tampering with the walls. Electrics - an electrician to see if there is anything unusual or "unsafe" in the..."

"... will still want to have the same piece of mind. Guarantees - these are the actual guarantees that have been specified in the Seller's Questionnaire. Common items that may be covered by guarantees are the roof, damp proofing, structural work, etc. Planning Consents - these are only required if..."

"... survey did not reveal any great surprises but he did believe he might be able to save a little more by renegotiating on some points regarding damp and timber. The time spent going backwards and forwards gave the vendor plenty of time to think and they concluded that actually they were underselling their own property for no good reason. Furthermore they believed the buyer was now being unreasonable in his demands and so they withdrew from the..."

"... surveyors should never estimate the cost of potential works; Why retentions don't suggest the cost of repairs; The difference between rising damp and penetrating damp; How to check more than a structural survey covers and pay less; Why a sagging roof may not be a real issue; How to..."

"... is crucial as if the surveyor does not agree with your offer price the bank won't lend. It is also the most valuable type of survey and probably all you need for almost any purchase. Most people are not aware that the valuation survey will also report on anything crucial that should be investigated. If they believe there is a serious problem with, for example, damp they will hold back all or part of the mortgage until it is investigated (see below). It is much easier to read a two page report that is very specific about major issues that will affect value than a fifty page report telling you that the aerial may need re-fixing and one of the windows in the back bedroom needs to be repainted in the next twelve..."

"... the surveyor, carrying out any of the above surveys, believes the property is worth the price you have agreed to pay for it all is fine. If, however, he sees a major problem such as damp around the windows he will suggest that the bank holds back a certain amount on the mortgage until it has been satisfactorily..."

"... to pick up on something. The choice below is almost a check list of where the surveyor will choose one or two items for further investigation: damp The Roof The Electrics The Plumbing The Structure Remember a good surveyor will simply say "there is damp which requires further..."

"... a good surveyor will simply say "there is damp which requires further investigation". A bad surveyor will say "there is probably around £5,000 worth of damp that needs to be repaired". The latter is a ridiculous statement. Does this surveyor own a damp company? In other words remember..."

"... is a ridiculous statement. Does this surveyor own a damp company? In other words remember this The surveyor is not a damp proof specialist and will not carry out the work so should not quote. The surveyor is not a roofer and will not be carrying out the work so should not quote. The..."

"... so should not quote. The surveyor is not a structural engineer and will not be carrying out the work so should not quote. True Story - damp at Packington Street Sarah and Nicki had successfully offered on a two bedroom lower ground floor garden flat just off Islington Green in London...."

"... and Nicki had successfully offered on a two bedroom lower ground floor garden flat just off Islington Green in London. They had seen no end of properties and although this one was above their original budget they stretched to afford it. They then cut costs by going with a lender that had the lowest fees. The surveyor that looked at the property was a self employed individual who agreed that the property was worth £240,000 (their offer) but said £5,000 should be held back as a retention because of damp in the..."

"... back as a retention because of damp in the property. A damp proof company was instructed to give a quote on how much work they believed was in the flat. They found £346 plus VAT! The surveyor had evidently picked a figure out of the air. Sarah and Nicki doubted the difference in the two..."

"... and Nicki doubted the difference in the two figures and instructed a second damp proof company who quoted £379 plus VAT. The vendor felt that the buyers were obviously desperate to reduce the price and if it wasn't this they would find something else in the legal paperwork so, having lost confidence in them, withdrew the..."

"... the surveyor is simply someone who is trained to see tell tale signs that then require you to get a further specialist in. If you want to be thorough and save time then get a valuation survey and at the same time pay for a roofer, plumber, electrician and damp specialist to inspect the property (for freehold properties pay a structural engineer as well). You will short-cut the long survey report and you will know the absolute worst case scenario as each specialist going in will be hunting for work. Then you can take a proper quantified..."

"... if someone else will do it cheaper. Here is how it works in reality: Mr X offers and gets a survey carried out Mr X is very worried about damp and so gets damp specialist in damp specialist says £3,000 of work required Mr X tries to negotiate price, the vendor says , "The damp has never..."

"... in reality: Mr X offers and gets a survey carried out Mr X is very worried about damp and so gets damp specialist in damp specialist says £3,000 of work required Mr X tries to negotiate price, the vendor says , "The damp has never been a problem to me, when I moved in I took a view on..."

"... damp and so gets damp specialist in damp specialist says £3,000 of work required Mr X tries to negotiate price, the vendor says , "The damp has never been a problem to me, when I moved in I took a view on it" Mr X eventually successfully gets £1,000 off price and goes through with..."

"... £1,000 off price and goes through with deal Three years later Mr X sells his property Mr X gets an offer which he accepts Mr Xs buyer has a survey which shows up damp Mr Xs buyer gets a damp specialist in who says £3,000 of work is required Mr Xs buyer tries to negotiate the price, but Mr..."

"... Mr X sells his property Mr X gets an offer which he accepts Mr Xs buyer has a survey which shows up damp Mr Xs buyer gets a damp specialist in who says £3,000 of work is required Mr Xs buyer tries to negotiate the price, but Mr X is furious Mr X tells his agent, "The damp has never been..."

"... says £3,000 of work is required Mr Xs buyer tries to negotiate the price, but Mr X is furious Mr X tells his agent, "The damp has never been a problem to me, when I moved in I took a view on it" Mr X eventually agrees to take £1,000 off as a token of good will to the buyer In this..."

"... For this reason a specialist could visit the same property three of four times over a ten year period and never see a penny of work from it. damp - There are two types of damp: Rising damp - damp coming up from the ground Penetrating damp - damp coming through the wall Bulging in the..."

"... specialist could visit the same property three of four times over a ten year period and never see a penny of work from it. damp - There are two types of damp: Rising damp - damp coming up from the ground Penetrating damp - damp coming through the wall Bulging in the walls and one..."

"... three of four times over a ten year period and never see a penny of work from it. damp - There are two types of damp: Rising damp - damp coming up from the ground Penetrating damp - damp coming through the wall Bulging in the walls and one solution One of..."

"... never see a penny of work from it. damp - There are two types of damp: Rising damp - damp coming up from the ground Penetrating damp - damp coming through the wall Bulging in the walls and one solution One of the walls has started to move out in one..."

"... only expected to last 20 years all timber windows should be repainted and repaired every five years damp proof courses rarely really last the twenty or thirty years they are guaranteed for. This means that even when the survey says for example, that the windows will need attention in the..."

"... it can be too time consuming to check some of the most common work. Let's take an example of penetrating damp found underneath a window which is coming from a crack between the outside brickwork and the window frame. The work to fill in the crack might cost £200 so you would feel confident in asking the vendor to put it right. But he hires a cheap builder who uses low quality materials and provides a receipt confirming the work is done. It may have been done to such a standard that you will have to undo and redo the work yourself at some stage in the near..."

"... fixtures and fittings list Any planning consents (if applicable) Any building regulation certificates (if applicable) Any guarantees (damp, roof, etc.) The building insurance details The local search If the property is leasehold The last three years service charge..."

"... helpful. By making the approach direct you will be able to find out if the company in question is still in business. If not you can immediately organise quotes to ensure something you relied on in your offer, say the damp proofing, is not going to become an unaffordable expense. - Service..."