damp meter and rising damp dilemma

[Parkingt111]

we had a level 2 buyers survey done today on a house we are hoping to purchase. we will get the full report next week but the surveyor rang to say their is rising damp in most of the rooms. so I asked If he has taken pictures as we didn't see anything when we went to the house. he said he didnt see any visible signs or water marks but it was detected by the damp meter. I found it strange that he said it's in almost the whole house but no visible signs he could photograph
as a first time buyer I'm ofcourse worried but waiting for the full report
have any of you encountered this before? thanks in advance

You'll get some 'rising damp' in a lot of older properties - such as the house I live in. In mine, it is (in places) visible, but not a 'problem' and I have lived with it for years. Your's isn't visible, so really there is no problem is there ? Buy the house !

What area is your house in? If it’s local to me I know of a damp expert who may be able to advise you after seeing it.

Beware of using 'damp experts' who will no doubt recommend expensive remedial work you probably don't need. As PP said if it's not causing any visible issue then I would not panic. Many cases of rising damp are just condensation on the coldest part of the wall.

@Sacada I was thinking the same thing but will wait for the full report. we really like the house and couldnt really see anything as such when we went to view it

That’s an unfair assumption. My damp expert doesn’t rip people off and charges/recommends fairly.

Those damp meters are not at all reliable when used on brickwork and plaster. See here.

Best to use an independent damp surveyor not affiliated to any company offering treatment. They will give you a report with an assessment of any damp identified and a range of suggested solutions. Chemical treatments often cause more problems than they solve particularly in older properties.

And he’s independent. 🙄