Woodworm / Damp

koolpc

koolpc

koolpc

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If you liked a house and the surveyors report said there was woodworm and damp in the house would you still go ahead and purchase it?

I ask as my brother in law is in the process of buying a nice looking house but as above, the survey brought up woodworm and damp issues.

Apparently, the Vendor has still got a guarantee against woodworm etc as it runs out in 2013. What would you do / suggest.
 
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Is it not possible for my brother in law to have the treatment down when the people have moved out? The warranty is for the house, not the people.

Should be no costs involved as i said it is still under warranty.
 
Get them to sort it out and provide a guarantee, it's a buyers market unless there's a hefty discount as damp could mean major work
 
SO why are the current owners not sorting it.

Has an assessment been undertaken by the warranty company? If not then why? Is it definitely covered?

Surely the damp would have been noticed before the assessor looked at it?
 
If it's under warranty I will be making my offer subject to the work being completed.

That's what we did when we got our house. We made an offer subject to the guttering issue being sorted. If it wasn't then we wanted the cost of doing it removed from the offer price.

If they don't then they either reject your offer and then have to wait for another buyer, which is going to result in the same issue or reduce the price accordingly.
 
But, can he elect to go ahead with the sale on the proviso that the work is carried out to honour the warranty?

Obviously, the work would best be done when the house is empty. I think it is only an isolated problem but might mean quite a bit of upheaval for anyone living there.
 
Surely if it was guaranteed work the person selling the property would have the work done prior to selling it? Just doesn't seem to add up that you'd be guaranteed against it and then let it rot as you sell it...
 
The woodworm has only been found because of the survey. I guess the problem is that carpets etc would have to be taken up or floorboards, etc etc.

Surely that would better be done when the house is empty?
 
koolpc said:
Damp and Woodworm still under warranty until 2013.
Click to expand...

You seem to think the warrenty is the colution to all ills.
Why did you ask the question if every piece of advice stating otherwise is countered with 'warrenty to 2013'

I'd want a written agreement based on the warrenty, and I'd then want an estimate for the actual repair cost, and then I'd knock it off the offer price anyway.

Cover yourself 100%.

Is the warrenty valid? That company still trading? Answering the phones? Happy to sign up to get the work sorted?
 
Company apparently still working as brother in law checked. He contacted them regarding warranty work and they stated that they always honour such.

Whats the point in getting an estimate for the work if the warranty is there?
 
What kind of damp is it? does the house have concrete floors or suspended timber?

how severe is the woodworm?
 
Woodworm is upstairs in hallway, skirting and some boards. Damp is patches which my brother in law thinks is condensation!
 
Imo I would get the damp checked out before buying the house, my house had a damp patch in the attic which looked like nothing but condensation and someone had replastered the area to repair it, I found it was actually the flashing on the chimney and a broken flaunch that was allowing rain to get in and had rotted some of the timber, would've been an unforseen cost to repair it but I was gutting the place anyways.

Hopefully the woodworm is only contained to those areas and can be sorted out before it spreads but I'd be wary incase it's in other places he's not able to see
 
Thats the problem, how much of the house do you rip apart to check for woodworm? How much does a surveyor check? Does he lift back carpets etc etc?
 
No idea, my surveyor advised me to get wood treatment specialists in to survey the place before buying it , they may also know a bit about damp and could identify the cause , would give your brother a much more informed view before buying it
 
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