We recently had a damp survey conducted, and the surveyor has declared it one of the worst cases of damp he's encountered—so much so that he suggested there might be dry rot due to a collapsed floor in the front porch and inadequate ventilation under the floorboards. While I acknowledge that the damp situation isn't great, it also doesn't seem as dire as he portrays it. He even mentioned wanting to use photos of our home on his website to showcase this 'extreme' case of damp! Now he's saying we need a more intrusive survey which would cost an additional £700 on top of the £300 we already paid. Moreover, he claims that if we fix the issues, it could set us back around £25,000. Given he knows we're applying for a £25,000 grant for repairs, I'm left feeling uncertain about whether we should proceed with his recommendations for an intrusive survey or seek a second opinion, possibly from a builder friend of my stepdad's. I don't fully understand how he came to such alarming conclusions when it doesn't look that bad to me.
1 Answer
First off, did your builder recommend this surveyor? Also, does he know about the grant you're applying for? Honestly, take what he says with a grain of salt. It's suspect that he wants pictures for marketing—looks like he's more interested in promoting himself than truly helping you out. I'd strongly suggest getting second or even third opinions. Sure, it costs some cash, but it's worth making sure you're getting the correct advice.
We don’t currently have a builder. We were told to get a damp survey for the grant—just picked this surveyor because he had good reviews. He was aware of the grant after my husband told him. It's weird that he guessed the fix would cost the exact amount we could receive for the grant.