Buying or selling when a survey or mortgage valuation flags damp
A survey or mortgage valuation has flagged damp, rot, woodworm or wall ties, and the sale is on a clock. We are a Rotherham family firm, and we find the cause and quote for putting it right, so you know what you are dealing with before you commit.
- Family-run
- Over 30 years in the trade
Where you are
A survey has flagged damp or timber
General surveyors and valuers check a great deal in one visit, and when they see signs of damp, rot, woodworm or failing wall ties they usually recommend a specialist. That is not a verdict on the house: it means the cause and the cost are not yet known.
Damp is often flagged from a moisture meter reading on the plaster. Those meters are made for timber, and salts or foil-backed wallpaper can make a dry wall read high, so the reading alone does not show what is wrong or how much work it needs.
Some lenders hold back part of a mortgage until work is done, which is called a retention. Knowing the cause and the cost early helps everyone decide what happens next.
What we do
What we do for buyers and sellers
Plain answers about what is wrong and what it would cost to put right.
How it works
From the survey to a clear answer
You send us what the survey says
Photograph the part that mentions damp, timber or wall ties and send it on WhatsApp or by email, with any deadline you are working to.
We look at the property
Inside and out, arranged with the seller or their agent if you are buying.
We explain what we found
In plain words: the cause, how far it has gone, and what is urgent and what is not.
You get a clear quote
Free, with no obligation, so you have a cost to work with.
Our services
The work that usually follows
- Damp surveysA specialist look at damp, rot and woodworm, so you know the cause and the cost before you commit.
- Rising dampMoisture rising from the ground, stopped with a new damp proof course where one is really needed.
- WoodwormActive woodworm found and treated in floors, stairs and roof timbers, and old holes left alone.
- Wall tie replacementRusted wall ties found and replaced, so the two layers of a cavity wall are held together again.
Reviews
In our customers’ words
More reviews, or read every one on Google (opens in a new tab) and Trustpilot (opens in a new tab)
Questions
Questions from buyers and sellers
Not covered here? Ask us. A photo of what you have noticed helps.
My mortgage valuation says there is damp. What now?
Have the cause found by a specialist before you commit. A valuer notes signs of damp in a short visit; finding where it comes from and what it would cost to fix tells you what you are taking on.
What is a mortgage retention?
Part of the mortgage held back by the lender until named work is done, such as damp or timber treatment. Whether a lender asks for one, and what it needs to release it, is between you and the lender.
Can I use the quote to discuss the price?
A quote gives you a real cost for the work, which is useful when you talk to the seller. Whether the price changes is between you and them.
Should I fix damp before I sell?
It is often worth it. A buyer's survey is likely to find damp, and it can hold up a sale or bring down the price. Having the cause known, and the work done or quoted, puts you in a stronger position.
Do old woodworm holes put buyers off?
They can, though holes from woodworm that died out long ago need no treatment. Fresh dust and new holes mean it may still be active. See woodworm.
What does a damp and timber survey look at?
The walls and plaster, floors and the timber we can reach, the outside of the walls and how the house is heated and aired. See damp and timber surveys.
Not sure what you are looking at? Send us a photo.
A picture of the wall, floor or timber helps us understand the problem.
or call 07579 009 735, or see all the ways to reach us
