Render causing damp. Should we buy?

[Lupa Monkey]

We went to see the house yesterday. Yep, just as we thought it was in a state. Oddly enough the roof seemed ok, and there was no damp evident in the attic room. Worse rooms were the front bedroom and living room.

Render is cracked all over. Estate agent says that the vendor got in a builder who confirmed that it was the render to blame for all the damp, but EA couldn't confirm whether this was because it was sand and cement not lime.


EA reckoned when the vendor got the builder in he said it would cost 20k to sort out the render and plastering. Does that sound like an optimistic quote? Coincidentally, that was a figure we had plucked out of the air before we went, but I can't help thinking that many other jobs will need to be factored in too, like electrics and other hidden horrors.


I forgot to ask about the DPC but have attached photos to show the lower part of the building. Can anyone tell me if it looks like a DPC?

We are going to go for another viewing and I will ask to lift the carpets to see the state of the floors as there is a lot of mold on the carpets.

Here are some more piccies.

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[NickB_99]

Estate agent says that the vendor got in a builder who confirmed that it was the render to blame for all the damp, but EA couldn't confirm whether this was because it was sand and cement not lime.

EA reckoned when the vendor got the builder in he said it would cost 20k to sort out the render and plastering. Does that sound like an optimistic quote? Coincidentally, that was a figure we had plucked out of the air before we went, but I can't help thinking that many other jobs will need to be factored in too, like electrics and other hidden horrors

For me, I'm cautious with what EA's have to say in circumstances like this. They want to sell the house, they represent the vendor.
They may well have had a builder offer this opinion, but there may perhaps be other opinions that have been offered (not so favourable) and vendor is choosing not to solve it themselves before selling. They may not be sharing this info with the EA either.
I guess a surveyor is the only one who could offer an opinion with some come back if it's wrong, but i believe is sometimes tough to make stick due to careful wording on their part usually.