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Can anyone advise? My prospective buyers have just had a survey done on my house & waiting for the report. Whilst the surveyor was here he said that the house had a damp problem as he had found very high moisture readings in the external walls. There are no outward signs of damp at all and Ive never had a damp, mould or condensation problem in the last ten years! Any ideas? Its a 1950s house with double glazing, central heating, cavity wall insulation & damp proof course.
many thanks, Sian

sian,
I assume you mean the inner leaf of external walls and in this case ventilation is the solution ie open windows.
end

[quote="stoneyboy"]sian,
I assume you mean the inner leaf of external walls and in this case ventilation is the solution ie open windows.
end[/quote]

Hi, thanks for the reply - Im a fresh air fanatic, I live with all my windows open 24/7. I also have airbricks in the bedrooms & dining room & 1 open chiminey & 1 vented! What I dont understand (sorry as you may have realised Im totally naive to this sort of stuff!) is I always thought that there would be some signs on the walls eg mould or a musty smell or something that would indicate damp. Is there anything else that would cause these readings?

There is a distinct probability that the surveyor made a mistake.
I recommend that you buy a decent meter and test the places that you saw him test and see what is there.

As a matter of fact, all houses are damp!

The fact is to what extent!

There are many properties built 400 years ago that have been damp since they were built but, people pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to live in them!
From what you write I might wonder if there was a connection between the buyer and the surveyor?

sian

you say the property has a damp proof course. Is this the original or is it a remedial dpc?

If the latter electrical moisture meters are not an acceptable method of testing the efficacy of a remedial dpc (as per the guidelines of the bwpda)

This is because some ground salts which may be present are hygroscopic i.e they absorb moisture from the air. In my experience most surveyors dont know how to use a damp meter properly. you need the advice of a suitably qualified experienced damp surveyoy who preferably is independant ( wont try and sell you something) There are other ways of testing the efficacy of the dpc.

Please advise

There usually is, although it may be where the air doesn't circulate, in cupboards etc.
See what the survey throws up, it may be a ploy.
Try and get a free damp survey by a speciaist company.

Thank you everyone - I feel much more reassured! I will wait for the report and if needs be get an independant consultant in [u]before[/u] I agree to dropping the price!!!

[quote="Perry525"]There is a distinct probability that the surveyor made a mistake.
I recommend that you buy a decent meter and test the places that you saw him test and see what is there.

As a matter of fact, all houses are damp!

The fact is to what extent!

There are many properties built 400 years ago that have been damp since they were built but, people pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to live in them!
From what you write I might wonder if there was a connection between the buyer and the surveyor?[/quote]

Hi Perry525 - (just wanted to mention after your comment) - funny you should say that, when he told me I expressed my (genuine) surprise & said that I had never seen any signs of damp - he agreed that he couldnt [i]see[/i] any signs & said " maybe its me". At the time I thought it was a strange thing for a surveyor to say but put my thoughts down to the neurotic paranoia that seems to accompany everything to do with the housing market at the moment!! :lol:
thanks again, Sian

Well - day of exchange of contracts & buyers have said that the survey has said I have "extensive damp throughout the ground floor" & has recommended a complete replacement DPC!! Buyers wanted to get a firm in for a quote.
Ive arranged for a specialist damp survey for next week - thanks to the great advice from you guys!!!! Wish me luck.....

Any news on what happened?

Interested as I completed on a house just recently where the Surveyor also said there were signs of damp and we should get a specialist survey done (well 7 different specialist surveys in total actually).

In my case the gutters were quite clearly blocked & broken so when it rained the water cascaded down the walls - you didn't need a specialist surveyor to work out whats wrong with that.

I reckon they may well be ALL reporting signs of damp and recommending a survey; that way they reckon they cant get sued.

Check the gutters, check the water pipes, check the overflow pipes,check the waste pipes & the lav flush, check the chimney caps, and maybe if you still have damp after that you might need a specialist.

I'd be very interested in how this issue has progressed. Please provide an update as I am in a similar situation but I'm buying not selling.

I do not believe that you can beat checking for damp yourself.
A damp meter is not expensive and if it does not show damp, you can believe it! (provided you remembered to switch it on - check the battery is OK and check its working by pressing it on your arm = we are 70% water)
If it does show damp, then there is the question of how much damp and where is it.
Test first, sort out what the result means later.