Selling house - Will repairing damp course add value ?

[marcusjames]

A tenant has recently moved out of my buy to let. I have noticed some rather bad rising damp coming through in two rooms. I was already thinking of selling up to re-invest in a new project.

I organised two quotes that came in between £8k and £10k. The house is a 3 bed terrace in Kent and currently valued around £130k.

My options are:

1) Replace damp course (not done before so no guarantee available etc) for around £10k and then replaster, paint.

2) Replaster and paint to make good. A survey will identify the damp but at least it will look a little better on the eyes (some buyers may be unecessarily put off as they lack imagination when seeing the house in a dilapidated state)

3) Sell as is, obviously discounting by a notional amount and aiming to appear to a DIY enthusiast

Any thoughts / advice welcome ?

Thanks

[Mattt]

Is it rising damp for sure, and not condensation caused by the tenant?

[marcusjames]

Mattt said:

Is it rising damp for sure, and not condensation caused by the tenant?

It does appear to be damp. There were a few signs of it before the tenant moved in. I got a builder to renovate and he blocked the fireplaces before fixing the chimney pointings. Therefore the water leaked through the walls around the fireplace. The tenant was a little hard up and so rarely had the heating on. It therefore never really seemed to clear, in fact, just worsened.

[Jasandjules]

I should imagine that most buyers would get a survey done and then would be looking to knock you down for the repairs (I don't know if a "Mortgage Survey" would cover it mind - perhaps a surveyor can clarify).....

[anonymous-user]

marcusjames said:

A tenant has recently moved out of my buy to let. I have noticed some rather bad rising damp coming through in two rooms. I was already thinking of selling up to re-invest in a new project.

I organised two quotes that came in between £8k and £10k. The house is a 3 bed terrace in Kent and currently valued around £130k.

My options are:

1) Replace damp course (not done before so no guarantee available etc) for around £10k and then replaster, paint.

2) Replaster and paint to make good. A survey will identify the damp but at least it will look a little better on the eyes (some buyers may be unecessarily put off as they lack imagination when seeing the house in a dilapidated state)

3) Sell as is, obviously discounting by a notional amount and aiming to appear to a DIY enthusiast

Any thoughts / advice welcome ?

Thanks

I would get a specialist to have a look, as in a Building Surveyor, not a damp proofing contractor as they are renowned for trying to get work/money out of people.

I may be damp, but it is unlikely to be rising damp as it is quite a rare occurrence. It is most likely to be a combination of poor ventilation, condensation and fluctuations in internal and external temperatures.
It may even be penetrating damp caused by a breached DPC, water running down a cavity from faulty rainwater goods or roof, or a leaking water pipe.

Do you have any more details or any photos to look at?

[marcusjames]

MonkeyMatt said:

Do you have any more details or any photos to look at?

Guys, thanks for the help.

[Engineer1]

Repairing that probably won't add value in that an estate agent is likely to put it up for the same price with or without the damp, of course obvious damp is likely to be an obvious and instant price reduction and if you have been told £10K they will be thinking £10K+ off the price.

[anonymous-user]

That doesn’t look like rising damp; my initial thoughts would be condensation. Do you know if there was any furniture up against the wall where the damp patches are? Also it looks like all the vents are closed!
I think that a new DPC is unnecessary and the people who have quoted the work are just trying to get work out of you.

However without having a proper look it is difficult to know for sure. I would definitely get a Surveyor or reliable builder to have a look, preferably someone who has no vested interest in making money from damp proof work prior to you making any decisions.

[joewilliams]

I'd repair it now; having it show up on the survey can make some buyers panic and run, and others start demanding huge amounts off the asking price to compensate.

[plug]

Is the damp just on the chimney breast? If it is it you need a larger vent 6" * 9" or 9" * 9".

[Dr_Gonzo]

As others have get a BS in to look at it; a DPC contractor WILL find rising damp as they want the business. If it is rising damp it shouldn't cost more than 3k to treat; however you will have to hack of and replaster atleast 1 metre above the highest damp tide mark. If it really is rising damp it will show up on a buyers survey and the mrtgage company will probably not lend unless the problem is rectified first. The last property I bought had this and I had to get the DPC installed between exhange and completion - not something a lot of people would be prepared to do.

[russ_a]

We are in the process of buying a house with damp. The mortgage company have placed a retention figure on what they will lend which is equal to their estimated cost of repair.

[Johnniem]

I agree with Matt, this is almost certainly not rising damp. Rising damp is evidenced by an horizontal tide mark which gradually works its way up the wall (usually to about 1.2 metres if left untended). These are patches of damp on, what appears to be a chimney breast. My guess is that the problem is inefficient ventilation where the fireplaces have been blocked up. As per the previous poster, increase the vent size and make sure there is actually cross ventilation (ie two vents serving the same flue) otherwise no size of single vent will work.

If it is not the flue vent at fault it will be penetrating damp or, possibly condensation (although this is very unlikely of the photos are anything to go by).

Do the vent work, get a dehumidifier to dry the wall out and then redecorate. DONE!

If the problem still nags at you then employ a Chartered Building Surveyor for advice on the specific problem, (not a full survey). This should cost around £150 - £250 at most.

BTW....£8k - £10k for an injected dpc?

[Angelina1910]

Hi,

I just want to say that by looking the pictures it seems that the house is suffering from the problem of rising damp. It s better to take measures at an early age as it badly affects the property and health. I just like to tell you that you need the suggestion of an expert as an expert can perfectly advice what measures to be taken ? After checking the condition of the house. I can suggest you one company which provides the perfect advice, the companies name is Protech Conservation Solutions. You can click on the link for perfect advice for rising damp http://www.pro-tech.ie/rising-damp-proofing.html
Thanks.

Edited by Angelina1910 on Tuesday 3rd August 06:51

[JR]

Johnniem said:

I agree with Matt, this is almost certainly not rising damp. Rising damp is evidenced by an horizontal tide mark which gradually works its way up the wall (usually to about 1.2 metres if left untended). These are patches of damp on, what appears to be a chimney breast. My guess is that the problem is inefficient ventilation where the fireplaces have been blocked up. As per the previous poster, increase the vent size and make sure there is actually cross ventilation (ie two vents serving the same flue) otherwise no size of single vent will work.

No need to guess:

marcusjames said:

I got a builder to renovate and he blocked the fireplaces before fixing the chimney pointings. Therefore the water leaked through the walls around the fireplace. The tenant was a little hard up and so rarely had the heating on. It therefore never really seemed to clear, in fact, just worsened.

You need a professional to advise you on how to rectify the above problem properly. It appears that the two (I'd go for four or six, two on each floor level inc the roof,) is the most likely solution.

[Mattt]

Angelina1910 said:

Hi,

I just want to say that by looking the pictures it seems that the house is suffering from the problem of rising damp. It s better to take measures at an early age as it badly affects the property and health. I just like to tell you that you need the suggestion of an expert as an expert can perfectly advice what measures to be taken ? After checking the condition of the house.
Thanks.

Thanks for proving that you're not experts but salesmen/con artists.

[C Lee Farquar]

I suspect you still have debris within the chimney breast. Open it back up and clear all the brickwork and soot back to the brick pillars and rear brick wall. Older fireplaces tend to have bags and bags of soot behind the throat which is likely to be hygroscopic. Most builders don't understand that all of this crap needs to cleared before blocking up. This usually shows as damp patches with heavy salting. Vent and replaster using sharp sand and a salt neutralizer and your problems should go.

If you feel the urge for a chemical DPC, read the small print, most guarantees will exclude firepleces.

[bigandclever]

Mattt said:

Angelina1910 said:

Hi,

I just want to say that by looking the pictures it seems that the house is suffering from the problem of rising damp. It s better to take measures at an early age as it badly affects the property and health. I just like to tell you that you need the suggestion of an expert as an expert can perfectly advice what measures to be taken ? After checking the condition of the house.
Thanks.

Thanks for proving that you're not experts but salesmen/con artists.

"Angelina" did the same on a 5 year old SingingPig topic too

[painterhombre]

hiya. Just been browsing this topic. Please do not be fooled, replacing your damp course does NOT cost 10 grand!!!!!!

The cheapest and most effective way to eradicate damp in your walls, especially if it rising damp 9coming up from the ground_ is to have an injected chemical DPC which are very effective and can be done with usually the minimum of fuss. I would agree with the chap above here who said 3k and below, that's a good price guide. If someone wants 10k to damp proof the wall, well put that into perspective, think about what else you can spend 10 k??

Are you sure its only rising damp and not penetrating damp? Is it ground level or upstairs?

and yes, curing damp in your home will not only make sure you get a better price, with the shaky housing market , there are LOTS of other non damp homes your buyer can choose from, so yep, get it done!

[anonymous-user]

painterhombre said:

hiya. Just been browsing this topic. Please do not be fooled, replacing your damp course does NOT cost 10 grand!!!!!!

The cheapest and most effective way to eradicate damp in your walls, especially if it rising damp 9coming up from the ground_ is to have an injected chemical DPC which are very effective and can be done with usually the minimum of fuss. I would agree with the chap above here who said 3k and below, that's a good price guide. If someone wants 10k to damp proof the wall, well put that into perspective, think about what else you can spend 10 k??

Are you sure its only rising damp and not penetrating damp? Is it ground level or upstairs?

and yes, curing damp in your home will not only make sure you get a better price, with the shaky housing market , there are LOTS of other non damp homes your buyer can choose from, so yep, get it done!

It doesn’t appear he has got rising damp (rising damp is a very rare occurrence) and chemical dpc are not very good at all and in most circumstances not at all necessary! If he does intend to have any work done he needs a specialist such as a surveyor, not a damp proofing contractor, to investigate the root cause of the problem.