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I recently looked round a house and put in an offer. There is visible damp underneath every window in the house. Would this be solved by replacing the windows? Or is there likely a more serious cause of the damp?

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Ollie Williams
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    That's why you don't buy before having a survey done. – Tetsujin Nov 06 '23 at 13:50
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    Yep. All offers should be contingent upon professional inspection, and subject to negotiation to fix any problems the inspection finds. – keshlam Nov 06 '23 at 14:04
  • Could you provide a better picture? It's hard to tell what we're looking at with the one you posted. – SteveSh Nov 06 '23 at 17:16

1 Answers1

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There could be several reasons:

  • Rain coming through an open / improperly closed window
  • A leaky roof
  • Leaks around the edge of the window, eg cills
  • Condensation forming on the inside of the window and running down
  • Faulty guttering causing water to run down the outside and come in somehow
  • Water crossing the wall barrier - eg bridging across a cavity or soaking through a porous solid wall
  • Condensation forming on a cold wall surface, eg an uninsulated wall or one with the vapour barrier in the wrong place (eg a breatheable wall covered in non-breatheable paint)

With any damp problem you need to take a whole-system approach: it may be that there's a series of faults that chain together. For example a faulty gutter and then an improperly sealed window allowing rain water to come in.

If you don't know what you're doing, professional advice is strongly recommended. You may have a hypothesis as to why it's happening, but somebody experienced may be able to make a better judgement.

If possible, it's a good idea to inspect on a rainy day, since if it's caused by rain water you may be able to see what the water is doing directly.

user1908704
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