Most house insurance policies for buildings and contents do not cover damage caused by wet or condensation. When you apply for home insurance, you must accept a set of assumptions, one of which is that your home is in ‘good condition.’
A summary of the risks to a building’s condition can be found in a RICS condition report. If you have rising damp in your home, it is in poor condition. Failure to notify your insurer could result in your policy being canceled.
Some insurers cover rising damp specifically, but it’s generally better to maintain your home on a regular basis to reduce the risk of damp causing extensive (and costly) damage.
Is damp covered in house insurance?
âDoes house insurance cover damp?â is a question we get a lot. The answer to this question is very certainly “no.” Buildings, content, and landlord insurance policies rarely cover gradual deterioration, which is the category in which damp issues typically fall. This is especially true in the case of rising damp, which insurers typically equate with a steady deterioration in the building’s health.
Buildings, content, and landlord insurance policies rarely cover gradual deterioration, which is the category in which damp issues typically fall.
It’s a good idea to double-check the exclusions specified in your policy documentation beforehand, but you’ll almost certainly have to arrange and pay for the repairs yourself. Before beginning any work, speak with multiple reputed damp specialists to ensure that the damp problem in your home is accurately diagnosed and that you are paying a fair fee.
Is rising damp a serious problem?
Rising damp is a serious issue that, if left untreated, can cause structural damage. It’s incredibly unpleasant to live with because of the damage it may do to your plaster, flooring, and decorative finishes, as well as the stench. Rising damp, like most types of damp, is bad for your health and can make some respiratory diseases worse. It can also lead to higher energy bills due to increased heat loss.
Buying a House with Rising Damp
If you are in the midst of purchasing a home and a survey conducted by a RICS-approved surveyor indicates that you may have a rising damp problem, you should look into it further. Before closing on the home, we recommend hiring a competent damp business to conduct a rising damp survey.
You should hire a qualified surveyor, preferably with industry-recognized professional credentials. If your home was built after the 1850s, you should expect to see DPC in some form, whether it’s bitumen or slate. It’s unlikely that this has deteriorated unless there’s been some sinking, which is a major problem in and of itself. Another reason the DPC failed is that it was bridging, which is frequently caused by debris or insulation in the cavity wall below the DPC level. Outside, ground levels may have increased above the DPC level.
What happens if rising damp is left untreated?
If left ignored, rising damp can cause serious structural damage to your home. The expense of damp-proofing is modest when compared to the cost of repairing or replacing your home’s interior and exterior fabric. Rising damp can ruin your home’s decoration and plaster, as well as cause rot to the wood.
How do I know if my house has a damp proof course?
There are a lot of tell-tale symptoms that there is humidity in the walls. The following are the most common warning indicators to look out for:
- On the inside walls, a black spot mold is forming. This is also a common sign of a condensation issue.
- Damage to other decorative finishes, such as wallpaper, due to plaster peeling off walls.
- When wood, such as skirting boards, comes into touch with moisture, it begins to decay.
Is damp in a house a problem?
The presence of damp can stymie the buying process because many lenders will require that damp concerns be resolved before lending on a home, slowing down the process. In other circumstances, mortgage lenders may impose a’retention’ on the amount they lend until the problem is resolved and inspected, which means you’ll have to come up with not only the money for the repairs, but also the money to complete the purchase.
Damp can cause structural wood degradation, plaster damage, corrosion, health issues for people with asthma and respiratory problems, ugly stains, and mold development if left untreated. It’s also worth remembering that the longer a damp problem is ignored, the greater the chance of permanent damage, which could lower a home’s value.
How do you treat damp on internal walls?
The easiest method to keep a damp problem from growing worse is to fix it as soon as possible.
- Ensure that air can readily circulate around your home, and avoid placing furniture and other items against walls.
How long does it take to fix damp?
Rising damp-affected walls can take up to 6 months to dry out if they are 150mm thick, and even longer if they are thicker. After the increasing damp has been halted, the usual rule is that each 25mm thickness of wall will take one month to dry.
Can you sell a house with rising damp?
Obviously, a survey will be conducted in the majority of situations, and moisture difficulties will be discovered.
If this is the case, a mortgage lender will almost always request more research from an expert surveyor.
Some lenders will consider the surveyor’s report’s cost of work when determining whether or not to issue a mortgage subject to retention.
When a mortgage lender withholds a portion of a loan until the buyer completes certain improvements to the property, this is known as a holdback.
This is a positive result for the seller as long as the bidder does not reduce their offer.
Mortgage companies will not lend in severe cases of rising damp, so the seller will have to do the work themselves or sell to a cash buyer.
There will be a discount for a cash transaction; sellers should expect a 10% to 20% discount on market value, plus a discount for the cost of work.
Can you ever get rid of rising damp?
Installing a remedial damp proof course by injecting a water repellent damp proof cream into the mortar bed joint of afflicted walls is the most common and successful approach to treat increasing moisture.