Finding Damp Prior Property Purchasing
A property purchase is a major financial commitment, and careful consideration is required before you make an offer or enter into a contract. One of the most important aspects of the process is the thorough evaluation of your chosen property. A building survey involves a comprehensive overview and is essential for identifying any problems or pre-existing conditions present in a property. We can complete a detailed survey and provide you with a detailed home buyer report for your Reading property, ensuring you are kept fully informed.
Included in our full survey is a complete inspection of the house for damp. Regardless of age, every house contains moisture as it is present in the materials used in construction and the air that circulates within the home. Moisture has a natural tendency to spread out from wet to dry areas and to move downwards due to gravity. The construction of every property should allow for this, but when moisture levels become excessive it can cause major problems.
Damp reflects a localised excess of naturally occurring moisture. There are typically two contributing factors to damp: an escalation of moisture that cannot escape the building, and a sudden increase in the amount of moisture that enters the building. Plumbing issues such as leaks can lead to damp.
We assess all aspects of the internal plumbing system and check for corroded water pipes, failing waste pipes in older bathrooms and damaged seals that surround baths and showers. Holes in the roofs cause leaks and they can be a result of slipped, missing or broken tiles or slates or a worn out thatch. Provided access to the roof is available we will inspect the roof internally and externally.
The causes of damp are not always obvious, and some properties can have multiple defects that are responsible. Cement rendering is used on exterior walls and naturally develops cracks on the surface. These cracks encourage water into the wall but as the render is impermeable the water cannot escape. Modern plaster, paint and wallpaper are also impermeable and prevent the passage of moisture.
These are just a few of the root causes of damp and they highlight the importance of a comprehensive survey of a property. We can identify any damp presence along with any other issues. This will not only enable you to come to an agreement with the owner about treatment or negotiate on price, it will also save you the hassle and costs involved with discovering damp after you have bought the house.
