Rising damp guide
Buying a House With Rising Damp
A damp note in a survey should prompt better questions, not immediate panic. The important issue is what evidence supports the diagnosis and what repair is actually being proposed.
Ask how it was diagnosed
Was there visible plaster damage, salt, a clear moisture pattern or an identified DPC problem? Or was the conclusion based mainly on high meter readings?
Find out whether another source was checked
Ground levels, drains, plumbing, rain penetration and condensation should be considered where relevant. A quote for injection alone does not show that alternatives were ruled out.
Understand the full repair cost
Ask whether the estimate includes skirting, plaster, joinery, drying and redecoration. These can materially change the final figure.
Previous treatment is not automatically bad news
Old injection holes may simply show that somebody treated the property before. What matters now is whether active moisture remains and why.
Want somebody local to look at it?
If you would rather have the damp investigated in person, you can use our help page to describe the problem and decide what sort of specialist you need.