Home buyers survey - damp proof course

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I am purchasing a property and the home buyer report mentions that remedial work would be required and also mentions that a specialist survey is required. The property was built in 1930s. Just wondering if I should be concerned about this or is it just a generic reports to cover liability.


The outer walls are in cavity brickwork with a brick outer face. The damp proof course could not be seen but is probably made of slate. Internally the walls have plastered finishes.

Damp proof course

Damp proof courses (DPC's) are built into properties to prevent the movement of

ground moisture through the wall and prevent deterioration of internal fixtures and

fittings and also to prevent high levels of moisture leading to wood rotting fungi.

Dampness was detected at low level to the main walls and further specialist

investigation to the whole property is required prior to exchange of contracts. Any

structural floor timbers which are in contact with damp masonry are at risk from

decay and you should instruct your specialist firm to check the subfloor timbers for

defects and again carry out appropriate remedial treatment as required. Please

see Section J1.

Condition Rating 3.

Wall finishes

Some repairs are required to the wall surfaces including repointing of open and

weathered mortar joints and replacing frost damaged bricks to prevent water

penetration. The front door sill is also in need of repair or replacement.

Cracking was noted to the masonry over the rear French doors This may be due to

inadequate lintel support and repair or replacement is necessary.

Structural stability

There is cracking above the front door which is caused as a result of shrinkage of

the masonry. This is not considered to be of structural significance, but the cracks

should be made good to prevent moisture entering the fabric.

The structural condition of the walls appears to be generally satisfactory and we

found no evidence of significant cracking, subsidence or structural movement.

Properties of this age are at risk of cavity wall tie failure. The property at present

shows no obvious signs of damage, however the degradation of wall ties is

progressive and may, in the long term, lead to structural weakness. The only way

to assess the condition of the cavity wall ties is to carry out a specialist borescope

inspection or expose the wall ties by removing bricks, neither of which we

undertook during our survey.

It is not known whether the external cavity walls contain insulation and as this

should be considered as a possible improvement as it reduces heat lost through

the walls. The cavities should be checked before installing insulation to ensure

they are not blocked which could lead to damp when the cavities are filled.

Properties of this age may not have lintels to support the masonry above the

openings. Whilst no signs of distress were noted above other windows and doors,

lintels may need installing or replacing when renewing doors and windows.
 
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Epic.

The question to ask the numpty surveyor is "does it or doesn't it?" for every one of his may-be's and could-do's.

A surveyor that can't diagnose damp. :rolleyes: WTF?
 
Epic.

The question to ask the numpty surveyor is "does it or doesn't it?" for every one of his may-be's and could-do's.

A surveyor that can't diagnose damp. :rolleyes: WTF?


Yeah seems like a typical, cover my ar** language.

This bit worries me the most...


Dampness was detected at low level to the main walls and further specialist investigation to the whole property is required prior to exchange of contracts.
 
You need to go back and ask him what kind of dampness does he mean in his nonsense statement. It could be Rex taking a quickie before his next walk.
 
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Home buyers survey= total waste of time. A gadgie (probably from a firm that has a real surveyor on the books but this isn't him or her) wanders round the place with an Ipad, ticks the YES box next to 'does the wall feel cold/damp' and the software fills in all the scare stories. I had a similar report from a damp proofing company- the report solemnly detailed (among other things) all the problems I was going to face from corroded wall ties. In half brick and solid brick walls built in 1830! Tits.

Seriously, if you're getting a mortgage based on that survey then the bank/whatever may get excited about that 'specialist survey' clause. If the place has been empty and unheated for a while (6 months plus) then it isn't surprising there's damp present- quite likely to be mostly condensation. The bigger tell would be the state of the floors and skirting boards. Are the skirting boards solid and in good condition (tap them with something solid on outside and inside walls, see if they sound different)? Does the floor dip or move in the returns by the chimney breasts (classic sign of blocked or poor underfloor ventilation) or where the joists enter the outside walls (same game)? Does the place smell damp? If there are carpets down, do they feel damp?

Trouble with getting a 'specialist' in to survey the place- at this stage in proceedings it'll cost you (probably only £100 or so but still a cost) and if the place is occupied or furnished then they won't be able to have a good root around inside (lifting carpets is usually destructive, lifting floorboards in someone elses' house is a no-no) so you'll get another copy and paste report with a price attached for all sorts of remedial works. Depending where you are in the country and whether the place is priced high or low you may be able to negotiate a reduction in the asking price to cover the works required.

So not a showstopper by any means but ultimately more questions than answers and questions that you'll be hard put to get a definitive answer to before you own the place.
 
From my knowledge (limited to the 3 houses I’ve bought over the years), these surveys are simply for the mortgage company’s benefit in order to check what they can sell the house for if you don’t keep up your repayments.

On my most recent house purchase, I obviously had to have the obligatory survey but also did my own one by looking for what to check online. Only took me an hour to look for any tell tale warning signs.

When I saw the proper survey, which cost about £400, it was a joke. Almost every point came with the caveat that access was limited or that there is a possibility of issues with older houses that should be investigated by a specialist..... electrician..... drain survey.... plumber..... etc etc.

Apart from a personalised intro I’d say the rest could be copied and pasted and was meaningless.
 
This surveyor should have included the following in the report :-
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.
 
This surveyor should have included the following in the report :-
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.

You forgot the unknown knowns. Your survey isn't worth sh*t!
 
There never are unknown gnomes because they are easy to see in the garden , and my surveys never include unknown knowns because I always know the knowns.
 

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