PRE-PURCHASE / MORTGAGE
DAMP & TIMBER SURVEYS AND REPORTS

Pre-purchase / mortgage specialist damp and timber surveys and reports for clients in the process of buying / re-mortgaging a property where it has been advised, as a condition of the mortgage / equity release offer or requested due to high damp meter readings being reported and highlighted in a homebuyers surveyors report.. We are also asked by many home owners  to carry out in-depth assessments of their property regarding any  rising dampness & timber decay problems before  putting their house up for sale.

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Damp Aid specialist damp and timber surveyors are accredited Certificated Surveyors in Remedial Treatments (C.S.R.T ) by the Property Care Association PCA which membership is often necessary for damp and timber reports to be accepted by mortgage lenders, banks, building societies, insurance companies & Equity release providers.

We know that buying & selling houses & flats can be a very nerve-racking  (and expensive!) process; therefore it is important to obtain good professional independent  advice all the way through the purchasing and mortgage application process. Our experienced and friendly staff are here to help and advise you should you have any queries.

A combined damp & timber survey involves a thorough internal and external inspection of the property. The external inspection is to locate the position and type of any physical damp- proof course and identify any potential defects, to check external  ground levels, rainwater systems, blocked air bricks sub floor ventilation, drainage and any other maintenance issues which could allow water ingress to occur.

Internally, accessible ground floor walls are tested with moisture testing equipment to ascertain any dampness, both high & low moisture meter readings are recorded on a sketch plan which will accompany a specialist damp report.

A pre-purchase timber survey includes access into roof spaces via loft hatch and, providing prior permission has been obtained, may include lifting floorboards for sub-floor  inspections enabling us to inspect and report upon any signs of dry & wet rot fungal timber decay, and wood boring beetle infestation / woodworm insect attack (be it historic / active). Staircase timbers where accessible will be inspected and checked for signs of woodworm & timber decay, which will also be reported on.

Where we suspect problems may exist and physical access is not possible, our surveyors will draw your attention to the issue within a specialist damp report; therefore you are able to make an informed decision with the option to have further damp and timber investigations carried out prior to exchanging contracts and completing the purchase of the property

A report is prepared together with recommendations and specifications for alleviating any dampness & timber decay repairs that may be required. If found necessary, we will also submit a quotation for any remedial works that may have been highlighted in home buyers reports from Chartered building surveyors (R.I.C.S.) or work specified by independent damp timber surveyors (C.S.R.T.). Should you instruct us to carry out the work, the cost of a damp and timber survey report will be redeemable. Long term guarantees are issued for any chemical damp-proofing and timber treatment for wood boring beetles carried out.

We have been established in the preservation of buildings for over 30 years and as a result, have a thorough appreciation of regional differences in materials and construction methods. We are acutely aware of our responsibilities when involved in the inspection of listed and historic buildings and we also apply these same conservation philosophies, of minimal intervention, when assessing modern properties.

Sometimes, clients purchasing a house have free surveys from chemical damp-proofing & woodwoom treatment companies but still contact us because they have doubts about the findings flagged up  by a surveyor during a pre-purchase damp survey.  Unlike the free surveys offered by damp-proofing and timber treatment remedial contractors, who profit from selling chemical products & treatments in order to offset the “free survey” and recoup their surveyors costs, our approach is to use, wherever possible, chemical free, environmentally friendly cost effective solutions which are sympathetic to the building.

You pay our damp and timber survey fees for an impartial investigation where our only motivation is to get to the bottom of the causes of the damp / timber decay defects and not sell you a product you do not need.

We find, in the majority of houses we’ve inspected, that timber decay and other damp related problems have been caused by internal bridging, raised ground levels, poor sub-floor ventilation, defective guttering and poor maintenance / up-keep of the building. A solution to these problems can usually be found without the need for the installation of a chemically injected damp-proof course & timber treatments.

You will often recoup the cost of our damp timber survey fees by the savings you make implementing our recommendations that deal with addressing the causes of the defects, rather than paying for chemical proof treatments that are used to try to manage the effects and more often than not are unnecessary

Pre-purchase mortgage timber and damp reports and surveys are carried out on detached, semi & mid terrace houses, basements, ground, 1st, 2nd & 3rd floor flats & investment buy to let properties throughout the U.K. Where possible, we try to arrange several surveys in the same area, which makes our survey fees for damp & timber reports more competitive as costs are kept to a minimum.

Please remember, whomever you decide to invite to inspect the house / property for damp and timber defects, it is absolutely critical that their recommendations deal with the causes not just the symptoms.    

We arrange and undertake a wide range of specialist pre-purchase damp-timber dry rot surveys as described below:

• Damp surveys –  Ground floor walls tested for rising dampness & sub- floor inspection  to structural floor timbers in contact with dampness checked for wet / dry rot when necessary.
• Timber surveys – flooring & roof checked for woodworm, timber decay.
• Combined damp timber surveys / reports  for the purchase of houses, flats & bungalows.
• Rising damp & woodworm infestation surveys
• Penetrating & damp proof course surveys
• Condensation surveys for home owners and landlords with tenanted properties
• Wood boring beetle insect infestation surveys
• Dry rot, wet rot fungal decay of timber surveys, along with a sub floor ventilation inspection.
• Pre-purchase mortgage surveys and reports for buyers and sellers
• Trouble shooter damp timber investigations

All to include a full written comprehensive report and written quotation, if found necessary, apart from the trouble shooter which is kept verbal to reduce costs.

For further information click on surveys options .

Damp survey, timber survey for house and flat purchase, combined damp and timber survey, specialist timber and damp reports  for mortgage providers, damp-proofing quotation and woodworm treatment are provided by Damp Aid UK in the following North West, Midlands and South East regions / areas
 Birmingham, Cheshire, Chester, Wrexham, Lancashire, Liverpool, London, Manchester,
Merseyside, Middlesex, North Wales, Shropshire, South East England, West Midlands, Wirral & Yorkshire