RICS Building Survey for buying a flat?

Post date: 2024-03-26 07:46:29

We're about to put in an offer on a flat in Edinburgh, Scotland. We've gone over the home buyer report extensively and there was one issue that received a "address at some point in time." My instinct screams to get a more comprehensive survey, with a discount in price if any major problems are identified, but I'm not sure. Also, a sub-question about rising damp.

Background info:

The flat is a ground floor flat in Edinburgh, the building was constructed in the 1910s. It has been continuously occupied and currently has a family living there. The housing report (home buyer's report in the rest of the UK, but with added energy efficiency ratings) indicated a small area with rising damp and a possible looped current for the wires, but otherwise was fine.

Two questions:

1.) Is there somewhere I can read up on rising damp that is not a company trying to sell me products? The first 4 pages of a google search are SEO shit and running a search through reddit find a consensus that I am wary of because I want it to be true (rising damp is incredibly rare, damp is most likely caused by other factors). The home report indicated rising damp, there is a quote from a damp proof coursing installation company with a guarantee of some variety, but there is no tide mark on the walls, just a little bit of mold growing on the wall, something we've had happen in our current flat from condensation issues (we stopped drying our clothing in the bathroom without the fan running and the mold went away). I really like the flat, so I want to believe it is just condensation. Also, I think one of the air bricks is being mostly blocked by a cabinet, so that could definitely influence things.

2.) Is it worth getting a full building survey done on the flat, especially given that the building is only 110 years old? They look like they tend to run in the multiple thousands of pounds and given that the only issues the home report found is damp in one room and possible looped current, I am not sure it is worth it.

The dampness thing has me a little adrift here, as this is something I've never had to consider in the US, even living in pre-war buildings in NYC with steam heat.

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