You may be in the process of buying a house and your home survey has come back, but your suspicious that it may have missed the damp you either knew about from the seller or that you saw yourself in the property. Whilst it may not be ideal, it is important to address this issue as soon as possible to avoid delays in the house buying process.
The last thing you want after having finished the property purchase, is finding some hidden damp, which may cause significant issues in the short and the long term.
As with anything, there will be surveys that are of better quality and more detailed, and there will be less detailed ones that may miss hidden property defects, and in particular damp.
We will explain why a Home Buyers Survey may miss damp, what you can do about it, the consequences of a survey missing damp and why it’s important to do a survey that is accredited by the Property Care Association (PCA).
Why Might a Home Buyers Survey Miss Damp?
What is a Home Buyers Survey?
First, it is helpful to outline what a Home Buyers’ survey is.
If you’re in the process of buying a property and getting out a mortgage, your bank or lender may require a Home Buyers Survey. This involves you picking a RICS accredited survey provider to visually inspect the home to determine if there are any defects or faults, which could impact the value of the property.
Whilst the Home Buyers Survey is a general visual survey, normally focusing on large structural defects, it is not specialised, and does not have to be conducted by a Property Care Association (PCA) accredited surveyor. The PCA is a trade association for representing specialists across the UK who can be trusted to identify and resolve problems property care issues affecting buildings.
Surveys conducted by trade bodies that are not PCA-accredited cannot guarantee a quality inspection and report, therefore putting you at risk of dealing with issues that this Home Buyers Survey might have missed, further down the line.
Missing property defects such as damp could result in unexpected costs and repairs further down the line.
A specialist Damp & Timber Survey correctly identified all damp and timber defects present in the property, and produces a written report with the findings and any necessary recommendations for remedial works.
Here at Timberwise, we’re members of the Property Care Association (PCA), which makes us a reliable source of advice and skilful craftsmanship in the damp and timber industry. Book your specialised Damp & Timber Survey here.
There are a couple of main reasons as to why a Home Buyers Survey might miss damp:
- Visual inspection limitations: A Home Buyers Survey is mainly conducted by visual inspection by a surveyor. This means that the only places that will be surveyed are visible surfaces or areas that are accessible. This means that a surveyor will not look under the floor, behind any walls or areas such as crawl spaces. This may be an issue as these are the places where damp often lives and hides, meaning that it may not be detected during a Home Buyers Survey.
- Insufficient equipment or expertise: Surveyors conducting general surveys may not have or use advanced equipment like moisture meters or thermal cameras. This equipment is extremely useful and detects moisture and humidity levels within the fabric of the building. Even if a wall was starting to gather moisture, it may not be detected or measured. Damp can often lie beneath the surface, which means a more specialised Damp & Timber Survey is required to identify them properly.
- Damp is at early stages: In some cases, damp problems can still be in their early stages and may not be visible or have caused obvious damage yet, making them hard to detect. A surveyor may miss subtle indicators that could evolve into more serious issues later.
- Focus on other issues: Surveyors may sometimes focus on other, more obvious or severe structural issues such as cracks, subsidence, or roofing problems. They may be inadvertently overlooking hidden damp issues, which may seem less urgent at the time of the survey.
Worried About Missed Damp in your Property survey?
What Can I Do as a Buyer if the Surveyor Missed the Damp Initially?
If there are signs, or you believe damp was missed during the survey, there are a few things you could still do. The avenue you take is completely up to you and your individual circumstances, which can make the following points more or less relevant for you.
Here are our main recommendations:
- Contact the surveyor: If you feel damp was missed or overlooked, reach out to the surveyor and discuss this with them. They might know what you are talking about, but might have not deemed it an issue and will explain their reasoning on it. If they missed an obvious issue or didn’t conduct a thorough inspection, then they may be liable, especially if they have professional indemnity insurance. They may be willing to conduct a re-inspection, but this is issue and circumstance dependent.
- Obtain a specialist Damp & Timber Survey: If the original surveyor didn’t adequately assess damp, or you want to obtain a specialist report, to remain fully informed about your property purchase, you can bring in a Property Care Association (PCA) damp and timber specialist, such as Timberwise. Professionals under the PCA are equipped with the necessary tools and expertise to identify hidden damp problems and provide detailed reports and the extent of the issues. Click here to book in a Damp & Timber survey with us: https://www.timberwise.co.uk/request-a-survey/
- Negotiate with the seller: Another thing you can do, if you discover damp after a survey, you can use the new information to renegotiate with the seller. This is best done after a Damp & Timber Survey, where you will know the severity, extent and cost of any remediation works, as you will have more negotiating power. This could involve having the current homeowner repair issues or lowering the purchase price to account for the future costs, before continuing with the property purchase.
- Consider withdrawing from the purchase: If the damp issue is significant and repairs are expensive, or the current homeowner is unwilling to negotiate or repair it themselves, it may be in your best interest to reconsider the purchase. This is weighed up on a case by case basis, and will be individual to you and your circumstances.
Book a specialised Damp & Timber Survey.
What Are the Consequences of a Home Survey Missing Damp?
Whilst a Home Buyers Survey should be able to identify damp, it doesn’t always happen unfortunately, and we are often contacted by customers that state that their survey has missed damp.
It is paramount to correctly identify damp, as the buyer could be left with significant issues. Some of these include:
- Unexpected repair costs: If damp is missed on the survey and only discovered after the purchase is complete, it can be a nasty surprise for you and your wallet. Smaller instances of damp can be more easily fixed than others. Where severe damp has caused structural damage to your property, it is likely to attract unexpected repair costs.
- Devaluation of the property: If the missed damp has been there for a prolonged period of time, it can cause significant monetary value depreciation. If the damp has not been treated, it can lead to wet rot or weakening of the property structure, which can be expensive to repair, and also reduce the property’s appeal and resale value.
- Health risks: Damp can foster mould growth, and mould growth is linked with potential health risks such as allergies, asthma, and respiratory problems. People with weakened immune systems also need to be extra careful around mould exposure. Damp and mould can often hide under floorboards or behind furniture, where it can impact your health over time, whilst going unnoticed. Missed damp on your home survey could impact yours and your family’s well-being.
- Legal or financial repercussions: If the damp is severe and the surveyor missed it due to negligence, you might have grounds for a claim against the surveyor or the surveying company. For more detailed information and advice on the legal processes, contact a solicitor who can advise you.
Property Care Association (PCA) Approved Specialised Damp and Timber Surveys
When buying or remortgaging a house, many banks and lenders require the property surveys to be carried out by a Property Care Association accredited member.
The Property Care Association is the trade association representing specialists across the UK who can be trusted to resolve property care issues affecting buildings. PCA members have met strict membership criteria to demonstrate their technical competence and service delivery standards and can investigate and resolve property defects.
A specialist Damp and Timber Survey is a common type of survey that checks for damp and timber issues, such as dry rot or woodworm infestations.
Timberwise are proud to be members of the PCA, which further endorses our high standards of expertise and workmanship in damp and timber related housing defects. Our surveyors are experts in their field, use specialist equipment and produce a PCA accredited detailed written report to you with their findings.
Before finalising a property purchase, it’s crucial to have a specialised Damp and Timber Survey, particularly if you have concerns about potential damp problems.
Getting a specialised Damp & Timber Survey before your property completion could save you from any nasty surprises. As a trusted expert in damp and timber investigations, Timberwise can provide you with peace of mind and confidence that you will not face any undetected issues once the purchase is complete.
If you would like to book in for a specialist Damp & Timber survey from a PCA approved specialist, follow this link: https://www.timberwise.co.uk/request-a-survey/ or give us a call on 0800 288 8660 today.
Worried About Missed Damp in your Property survey
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