If you are looking to buy a house in Scotland, you are going to be treated to the Scottish conveyancing system.
It differs from the system used in England (you can learn some of the main differences here), but one of the key differences is that there is a lot more transparency during the home-buying process from the sellers side – including the availability of a home report once the property has been listed.
So, what should you do if a property you are interested in has had damp issues highlighted, but you are ready to make an offer?
Questions About Damp?
Will a Home Report in Scotland Disclose if a Property has Damp?
In short, yes. Scottish home reports are paid for by the owner of the property at the time of their listing, and they should include an overview of the property including any significant property care problems that will require attention immediately, or in the future.
This should include the likes of any damp discovered by the surveyor during their time at the property.
Whether the report will include the type of damp in the property is very much down to whether the surveyor in question was able to ascertain the cause of the damp, and the source of the problem. You should also question the findings of any surveyor if they aren’t properly qualified with the Property Care Association (PCA), as their findings regarding damp could be unfounded or wrong.
Either way, damp will be disclosed on the home report, as will a surveyor’s suspicions that a property might have damp issues. It will be up to you to decide whether or not you want to move forward with the purchase with the presence of damp confirmed.
Talk To Us About Damp Proofing
What Should I Do if There is Obvious Damp in a Property I Want to Buy, But It Isn’t Included in The Home Report?
Let’s say that you have found a property you are interested in buying, and that there is no mention of damp anywhere in the home report. Then, on actually visiting the property you encounter obvious signs of damp that have not been included in the home report.
You are going to have to make a choice about how to proceed.
Firstly, you can always ask the homeowner about the perceived damp. Assuming that the owner is acting in good faith, you may well just be making them aware of an oversight on the part of the surveyor, and as a result the home report could be amended to reflect the damp.
If you come up against resistance, and want to make sure that you have quantifiable evidence of the damp (or lack of damp, and be happily proven wrong), then you can always request to have your own survey carried out on the property.
In this scenario, we recommend that you go with a surveyor properly qualified with the likes of the PCA, who can accurately detect and identify the damp in the property, along with the root cause, and suggest remedial work to ensure that the damp is taken care of.
For Expert Advice Talk To Our Team
Do Homeowners in Scotland Need to Have Damp Treatment Before Selling Their Property?
Whilst damp should be identified within the homebuyer’s report, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it needs to be treated by the homeowner.
As long as the damp is disclosed within the homebuyer’s report available at the point the property is listed, then the homeowner is not required to have the damp treated.
Of course, this could well put you off of purchasing the property. That’s completely fair enough, especially if the property is priced at a point that does not reflect the potential cost of damp proofing, and any remedial or repair work that will need to be carried out as a result.
So, what can you do if the homeowner has had damp identified in their homebuyer’s report, and is either unable or unwilling to have it treated?
Buying a Property in Scotland?
Can I Force a Property Seller to Have Damp Treated in Scotland?
Sadly, no. As long as the homebuyer’s report has properly identified the damp in question, then the property’s seller has fulfilled all of their legal obligations.
You do have other options available to you though. First off, you should check to see if the property is priced accordingly, and that the cost of remedial treatment is reflected in the asking price.
If not, it may be worth corresponding with the solicitors involve with the purchase to see if the seller is open to negotiation regarding the purchase price, to see if they might alter the price to account for the cost of damp treatment once the sale is completed
Of course, with the closed bidding system Scotland uses in it’s home buying process, this can be difficult, and might well be a factor during the trading of missives.
There is also the option of asking the seller to increase the price of the property, in line with a quote for damp treatment. Obviously, this means that you are shouldering the cost of the damp treatment, but it does mean that the damp treatment process can be kicked off in line with you moving in.
Be aware though, that this does require a high level of trust between you and the seller, as they will need to be sure that you are going to move in, and you need to be sure that the sale will in fact complete.
In any case, the best course of action for a property being sold with damp is for the price to reflect the eventual cost of treatment. Even if you aren’t a buyer, but a seller, you should be aware that anything which puts your property at a disadvantage against others in the market is going to influence it’s presence and pull on buyers, so an incentive in the way of a price decrease might well be the best way to get the property off of the market.
For Reliable and Effective Damp Proofing...
Organising a Damp Survey for a Property Sale in Scotland
If you are looking for more information on damp discovered in a property you are looking to buy, or one that you have put on the market, you can rely on Timberwise to deliver accurate and reliable findings and solutions.
We have surveyors and technicians based in Scotland ready to help you not only discover the extent of the damp in your property, but also deliver a plan to put a stop to the damp, and restore the property to it’s peak condition.
All you need to do is give us a call, or fill in one of our online forms to book your survey today.
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