Damp and Timber Surveys in the Forest of Dean
Building Societies have tightened up on their criteria for lending
during the recession/credit crunch and even though you may think that
you have jumped through all the hoops and obstacles they put in your way
and are just about to get your mortgage they will invariably say, just
at the last minute-before exchange of contracts, that there is some
dampness and timber decay related problems and that a specialist damp
and timber survey is required before the mortgage will be granted.
Often your Estate Agent may have an arrangement with a damp-proofing and
timber treatment company to provide a ‘free survey’ and ask them to
undertake an inspection and provide a quote. But don’t be taken in by
these free surveys as there are simply a way for many firms to provide
you with quote for work that is not really necessary and will often cost
thousands of pounds when there is often a much simpler and cheaper
option.
Much of this damp-proofing work is unnecessary as rising dampness is
often assumed to be the problem when it may in fact be condensation or
penetrating damp, due to raised ground levels etc., and these two
problems can usually be remedied at a fraction of the cost of remedial
works. Similarly woodworm and fungal infestations are usually confined
to damp timbers and can be controlled by the removal of the dampness and
often the infestation or decay will die out naturally without the need
for any preservative treatments.
FOREST DAMPBUSTERS have been helping house-buyers in the Forest of Dean
and Wye Valley for over 25 years by offering and alternative to these
‘free surveys’ by carrying out independent survey undertaken to find the
real extent of any suspected dampness and timber defects. Often there is
no dampness or timber decay affecting a house and the Building Surveyors
employed by Mortgage Companies etc often err on the side of caution to
prevent any future claims regarding professional negligence. We can
inspect a property and provided an unbiased, impartial written report
which will satisfy your lender with regard to any perceived dampness or
timber decay problem.
Our fees for surveying a property and providing a report range from
£150.00 to £300.00 depending on the size of the house and the scope of
the survey. In over 90% of properties surveyed resulted in no
damp-proofing or timber treatment work being required therefore
substantial savings compared to the average cost of damp-proofing and
woodworm treatment to a house, which can easily exceed £4,000.
Usually the work involved to rectify any dampness or timber decay
problems are fairly straightforward and may just involve reducing
external ground levels and installing extra air bricks and can be
carried out by a competent general builder without resorting to any
specialist contractors but we can also carry out the works and deduct
the survey fee will be deducted from the final invoice.
Even after carrying out surveys and findings some of our customers still
ask us to provide some form of damp-proofing and we can therefore
install the following systems:- Injected damp-proof course,
electro-osmotic systems , physical damp-proof courses, French Drains.
If any damp-proofing or timber treatments are required then this work
will be covered by long term guarantees issued through the Guarantee
Protection Trust. These are the only insured guarantees which are
authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Building Societies and other lending institutions accept all our reports
and findings as a certificate of integrity of the house with regard to
dampness and timber defects as a suitable alternative to previously
obligatory guarantees.
Forest Dampbusters work with all leading Estate Agents, Surveyors and
Architects in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley and we are happy to
undertake surveys for any damp and timber decay related problem that you
may think that the house you are buying is suffering from. We undertake
most of our surveys all over the Forest and Wye Valley including all
major towns such as Coleford, Cinderford, Lydney , Newent , Chepstow and
Monmouth but we are able to carry out surveys further afield and welcome
enquiries from Gloucester, Hereford, Ledbury, Abergavenny, Newport and
all surrounding areas.
FOR STRAIGHTFORWARD, HONEST ADVICE ABOUT SURVEYS FOR MORTGAGES OR EQUITY
RELEASE IN THE FOREST OF DEAN & WYE VALLEY YOU SHOULD CALL FOREST-DAMPBUSTERS
ON 01594 837300 OR EMAIL US AT enquiries@
forest-dampbusters.co.uk