Possible “rising damp” found during semi-detached Building Survey in Surrey

Moisture Problems in Surrey, says Home Buyers Report

A serious dampness problem found at the rear of  a house in Godalming was discovered during a Home Buyers Survey in Surrey, undertaken in order to inform the new owners of the state of the property.

The home was found to have numerous smaller problems, but this was deemed to be critically important - the Surveyor could not recommend buying with property until the water damage was addressed.

Dampness can be allowed to accumulate in separate isolated areas of a building where the damp-proof coursing is insufficient.  The damp-proof coursing, or DPC, acts as a barrier to rainwater and even snow that accumulates outside the building, and stops its passage into the internal cavity walls of the building.

For this Godalming residence, the Home Buyers Survey in Surrey suggested that dampness from the outside may well have been allowed to rise through the walls from ground or near-ground level, and affect both the features of the bathroom and patches near the rear lobby area.

It was suggested that this problem should be inspected by specialists, so that the construction and moisture-proofing of the building could be restored to an effective state, before the necessary redecoration was done. This was the minimum required to comprehensively restore any and all internal areas affected, as basic renovation work would hide rather than resolve underlying issues, likely causing bigger issues in future.

Prediction of a roofing headache

The flat roof, which was made of mineral felt, was described in the HomeBuyer Report in Surrey as 'very close to the end of its working life', and it would need replacing in just a few years’ time, which would add a significant expense for the new owners.

Findings such as these could be used to drive down the purchase price of the property during offer negotiations.

Walls needing a 'facelift'

Many parts of the external brickwork around the property needed some form of repair or eve patch replacement.  This is generally for aesthetic reasons, though in some cases it can save a house from developing serious structural problems.

Niggling extra costs... that add up to a big repair bill

The following smaller issues were listed by the conscientious Home Surveyor:

• A number of windows were deemed to need replacement,
• Several areas on the property needed to be cleared of vegetation in order for gutters, pipes and chimneys to function correctly,
• The front door was found to be very hard to open from the inside, prompting the suggestion of a replacement locking and handle mechanism should be installed. Particularly for a new owner, issues such as this can present an unexpected but severe risk in the case of a fire or other issue requiring evacuation of the building.

Alltogether, these findings made the Home Buyers Survey in Surrey particularly worthwhile. The report detailed when the property's various issues would need repair work budgeting for, were the buyers to go ahead.

Importantly, this information allowed the purchasers to ensure that their offer was reasonable, as well as informing them of the kinds of costs that could be immediately associated with buying this property.