How much of a problem is damp?

[HotChoc10]

I am viewing a house which the agent has told me has a damp roof which needs fixing, and its window frames need to be replaced.

I am a first time buyer and have no idea if its something that could be fixed quite easily, or something that's likely to cause ongoing long term problems. The house in question is under our max budget by quite a lot so we're happy to pay out a fair bit to get work done.

If it's absolutely clear where the water entry point is, and it hasn't been in that state for too long, then it wouldn't overly bother me, as you can get the problem fixed IF you have access to good builders/roofers in your area. If the damp has been long term, you need to be wary of rot. Do you know a decent builder who might come and look with you?

Damp can be a bugger though when it seems impossible to find out where it's coming from, and you have to experiment, with various builders and damp 'experts', who don't look for the source of the problem, but just want to wrap your house in plastic.

I'd never do it again, unless it's a specific fixable issue ( eg a leaking downpipe).
Our previous home had damp, it comes back again and again and also led to severe chest issues for ds1. Even though the mould wasn't awful, it gave him asthma attacks, and we also learned that living in a damp house increases the risk of a child developing asthma in the first place.

I'd say delicately get an experts opinion and quotes on how much it would cost to fix. It can be a health hazard.

• definitely (not delicately!)

Feel the walls when you go. Look behind furniture if at all possible, anything against external walls. Feel the window ledge, look for a rotten window sill. Are the floor boards cold or spongy.

I lived with damp for 5 years, I had to bleach the walls every 3 months in summer and every month in winter. Clothes took forever to dry. The beds felt wet on cold days. It improved a lot with dehumidifiers and the constant bleaching but I was fighting against it every day.

My damp was condensation damp, due to the structure of the flat, and there was very little that could be done about it. I’d never consider it again but see what you think when you view. If you don’t have children, it might be liveable for a while. Even all our books rotted

If it's caused by a leaking roof, you mend it.

If it's caused by a leaking pipe, you mend it

If it's causes by paving or flowerbeds being heaped up against the walls, bridging the dpc and blocking the airbricks, you dig it out.

If it's caused by broken drains, you mend them.

If it's caused by neglected or faulty walls allowing rain to penetrate, you repair or clad them.

If it's caused by the occupants throwing buckets of water against the walls, or draping wet washing inside the house, which amounts to the same thing, you change the occupants.

If it's caused by the occupants refusing to open windows or use extractor fans in bathroom and kitchen, you change the occupants.

There are very few cases where injecting chemicals into walls will fix any of those problems.

However if you invite into your home a person who sells chemical injections, he will tell you to buy chemical injections.

Thanks all. I will ask the agent if they know the source point and extent of the problem when I go. I don't have children but want anything I buy to be able to accommodate them in the future.

@PigletJohn: By 'someone who sells chemical injections' - do you mean all the damp proofers who come up on Google?

Don't be put off by the word damp. It can mean needs a new roof. It can mean needs a hole patched. Find out what the problem is and go from there.

We bought our current house knowing it needed a new roof, joists included. It is now water tight, dry and we've added ££ in value.

Good to know @Showofhands. I had a brief look and others have said they've paid about 5k to replace a roof, which, if that is one of the worst case scenarios, is a lot better than I was expecting.

If it's caused by neglected or faulty walls allowing rain to penetrate, you repair or clad them.

This was our situation but we were unable to get the freeholder to do much. The walls were crumbling. Is it leasehold or freehold?

This one is freehold. Its this house - the estate agent did say the photos were 'flattering' but I think you can see it a bit in the 6th photo, and I feel like in the dining room photo you can see somethings a bit dodgy with the kitchen ceiling in the 4th photo but they haven't shown the kitchen properly www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55238349.html

Have you seen the other photos of it here? Couldn't help but be nosy, and look at the recently sold houses.

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=61923112&sale=41931990&country=england

Just noticed in that link I posted above, in the last picture, next door's loft conversion isn't yet there (pics from Nov 17, it says). So you might at least be able to get a recommendation of some decent tradespeople from the neighbours, as they've only just had their work done (if they're happy with it, mind!)

Ha! I had not. So the kitchen needs some serious work. Thank you

Could be next door's loft conversion which is partly responsible for roof leaks and damp, so that would be something to look out for. My friend had this on moving into a semi with a neighbour with a loft conversion - can cause a lot of damage and be a pain to get them to sort.