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Original poster

flat with damp - would you offer or walk away?

46 replies

Greenhats10 · 15/08/2020 15:32

Hi,

We are FTB and considering putting an offer on a property where one of the rooms on the ground floor has wet and twisted floorboards at the back of it. It's a conversion and the rest of the place looks fine but for that one room. Am tempted to offer a bit less and just deal with it. but would you walk away. Is damp really hard to deal with? Not sure what it is as estate agent feigned ignorance

Any advice would be great.Never dealt with any sort of building works so just not sure whether to walk away or try and deal with it

OP posts:

SparklingLime · 15/08/2020 15:35

You need to know the reason for the damp. It can be a nightmare.

FortunesFave · 15/08/2020 15:35

Shouldn't the flat be surveyed? You have to learn why it's damp...I would never buy without knowing.

HooseDilemma · 15/08/2020 15:37

We walked away from a house due to damp, even though we could identify the cause. Too much hassle. Also did a thread on here about it, because it was perfect in every other way.

In your case, you really need to id why it is damp because without that you can't fix it. Does the flat come with share of freehold? If it's structural, how easy would it be to make the changes required? If you have a rubbish management company / freeholders then it could turn into a nightmare I'm guessing.

Yaottie · 15/08/2020 15:37

I walked away from damp flats as a ftb. Don't need that kind of hassle.

BlueSlice · 15/08/2020 15:46

I bought a flat with damp as a ftb.

If you go for it then be prepared:
Figure out why it’s got damp in the first place and make a plan for rectifying this.
Get a specialist to look at it and give you a quote for works. (Reduce your offer by that amount.)
Find out if there are any other hurdles to rectifying the damp (freeholders etc).

If the flat is worth it and you’re ready to tackle the issue then it doesn’t need to be a reason to walk away.

CraftyGin · 15/08/2020 15:49

@Greenhats10

Hi,

Any advice would be great.Never dealt with any sort of building works so just not sure whether to walk away or try and deal with it

You need to know the reason for the damp. Some damp is trivial to rectify, if caused by, say a broken drainpipe.

Skirting boards might be rising damp, which is much more costly.

You need a damp specialist to survey it.

Oliversmumsarmy · 15/08/2020 15:49

If you can see where the damp is coming from it could only take a few pounds and a couple of hours of your time to fix.

I have seen terrible damp patches caused by a blocked gutter. Cleared out gutters and left to dry the painted the wall. A couple of hours of time and the cost was negligible.

It all depends on where the damp is coming from and whether you want to fix it.

Fwiw I do think damp is a common problem.

Original poster

Greenhats10 · 15/08/2020 15:51

how much would it cost to rectify it? It basically looks like the back wall of one room is damp enough to make the wooden flooring twist.....

thanks for everyone's suggestions

OP posts:

Original poster

Greenhats10 · 15/08/2020 15:56

@FortunesFave we would definitely do a survey but essentially trying to figure out whether it's even worth going through all the hassle

OP posts:

ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble · 15/08/2020 15:56

As someone who lives in a flat with damp... walk away. You'll need to find the reason for the damp, then fix or try to work around it. The flat we live in ALL have damp and condensation issues, regardless of what floor we're on, how many people living there, habits, vents etc.

It's not great health wise, and if you can't fix it properly it can damage decor,furniture,clothes etc.

It can be costly,frustrating and way too much hassle.

Tbh, if you can , ask around the other flat occupiers if they have the same issues. If they do, definitely walk away.

I actually love our flat, but the winter months have brought me to tears more than once.

Original poster

Greenhats10 · 15/08/2020 16:00

@ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble yes, apparently there is also condensation. I would probably be ok with it if we knew say pay 5k it'll all be sorted, but what if it isn't. It might be rising damp as it's coming from the skirting board

OP posts:

FortunesFave · 15/08/2020 16:31

Is it a ground floor flat then?

ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble · 15/08/2020 16:34

Any chance you can ask the neighbours?

If they say they have no issues, then it might just be the extension and then you can make more research on that.

If they have issues , then I doubt it would be easily fixable/under 5k and also you might have problems somewhere else in the flat too that aren't obvious now.

Original poster

Greenhats10 · 15/08/2020 17:01

yep, it's a ground floor flat but part of a conversion rather than an extension but not sure whether it would even be possible to get to the outside of the wall as it's blocked off

OP posts:

justoverthehorizon · 15/08/2020 17:08

[quote Greenhats10]@ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble yes, apparently there is also condensation. I would probably be ok with it if we knew say pay 5k it'll all be sorted, but what if it isn't. It might be rising damp as it's coming from the skirting board[/quote]
be careful. ..damp companies may say it's rising damp but there are many who say that rising damp does not exist. companies like to make you put in a damp course at vast expense. condensation is easier to control it's about lack of ventilation and lifestyle factors. it may be easier than you think..but do your research thoroughly.

Original poster

Greenhats10 · 15/08/2020 17:13

not sure how there would be condensation in a bedroom...with a window...

would people recommend that we get a damp specialist? or who usually deals with stuff like that.

so hard being a FTB without any knowledge of buildings

OP posts:

TheHighestSardine · 15/08/2020 17:15

I've walked away from houses with damp, I'd never even consider a flat with damp. Sorry OP, there'll be another place.

ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble · 15/08/2020 17:16

Our walls literally drip in the winter. Worst room. A bedroom, with a window.
Since it's also the room that gets the most damp it's a killer combination.

candycane222 · 15/08/2020 17:18

Honestly I wouldn't unless the cause is simple and obvious like a broken drainpipe aa pps have said. Sometimes its fairly obvious (eg ground level on the outside too high) but still really expensive, complicated and difficult to resolve because of access, ownership, freehold issues, risk of displacing problem or encountering buried services etc etc...

It is miserable and unhealthy to live with - and can damage your possession s as well...

Original poster

Greenhats10 · 15/08/2020 17:18

@ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble any idea what you it is??

OP posts:

fuckingcovid · 15/08/2020 17:43

Walk away. A flat is not a single structure that is easy to look at, like roof or a faulty damp proof course. Too complicated

ShyTown · 15/08/2020 17:51

We’ve bought a house with damp. Fine as we knew the cause, it needed a full gut anyway and was priced fairly given all the problems. Sorted it out and lived there happily without so much of a drop of condensation for years. However, I wouldn’t touch a flat with a damp problem as there are so many additional factors like the freeholder, access, neighbours etc. that mean you can’t just crack on and sort it. I think you should walk away.

WithIcePlease · 15/08/2020 17:55

Walk away!
I have a flat that I let our with damp in 2 rooms due to roof leaking. Management company are useless. I have spoken to them repeatedly and no help, just charged me £120 for an expert opinion (that my expert, my workmen and tenants) disagree with)
I'd have sold it rather than re let it but sadly wrong timing with Covid and the SD holiday house market

AntiHop · 15/08/2020 18:20

No one here can tell you how much it will cost. There are several possible causes of damp - burst pipe/broken pipe, faulty gutters or drains, rising damp, condensation.

If you like the flat, get a survey. Yes it's annoying to pay for a survey if you end up not buying it, but that's one of the risks of property purchase. You could also consider getting a specific damp survey from a specialist surveyor. That should only cost a few hundred. Don't get a free damp report- they are not true damp surveys.

We made an offer on a house with damp. We had a damp survey and a house survey. We were clear what needed to be done. Once we knew how expensive the work was going to be, we wanted to reduce our offer, but the seller refused, so it fell through.

FlamingoAndJohn · 15/08/2020 18:23

I would walk away.

As has been said up thread unless it has an obvious cause, like a blocked drain, then it will be a bugger to fix.

I lived in a rented flat that was damp about 20 years ago. It ruined a lot of my things and the few things I have from then still smell.

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