damp inside of wall, patch of tarmac exposing bricks below the damp proof outside - councils problem?

[Piper79]

Hi I have damp on the sitting room of my wall which has spread in bits across the wall.

 

I first thought it had come through from my neighbors house, and then I just thought it was due to a decorator usingbway too much paste on the wallpaper (which we ended up removing as started to mouldy and feel damp).

 

just recently noticed outside of my house on the street there is a patch of tarmac missing/worn away which is exposing bricks below the damp proof course, so now I'm thinking this is where the problem has started from.

 

Would the council be responsible for the repairs to have my wall fixed (the street is public, no garden) or would I still have to pay being the home owner. Thanks

Edited May 24, 2017 by dx100uk

[dx100uk]

your problem you own the home

 

 

just need a bit of re rendering , not tarmac!!

 

 

dx

[dx100uk]

does your property side wall directly butt to the pavement

if it does then yes the council are responsible for repairing their tarmac.

and take up any other related damp issues damage with them too.

 

sorry your post can be read two ways!!

 

dx

[stu007]

Hi

 

Could you clarify if you are a Home Owner (not private renting, shared ownership ors ocial housing)

 

If you try to claim form the council the onus would be on you to provide evidence that they were at fault to rectify your issue.

 

The only way to do this would be to get professionals in to provide you with evidence of this and you may have to get your house

insurance involved (do they have legal assistance).

 

Have a wee walk all round the external of your property and just have a good look (especially the area of the damp problem

internally):

 

1. Roof. (are any tiles missing, is it slopping differently, if you have an attic also check this internally)

2. Pipework leading from Guttering (no cracks,faults,blockages)

3. Pipes leading from guttering. (are the all sound with no fault, cracks)

4. Check any brickwork. (is it sound or mortor missing)

5. Are there any dill holes in the external wall. (have they been sealed)

6. Is there an external overflow pipe running. (look for discolouring in the area of the external pipe and check the brick & mortor is sound)

7. Are all drains inside & outside of the property on your land running clear with no blockages.

 

Internal where the damp is appearing what is above this area?

 

1. Check what is above this area. (especially any pipework, bathroom, radiator pipes (even under floor))

[unclebulgaria67]

Sounds more like a problem of lack of ventilation in the property. With houses with double glazing fitted, you seal in all of the moisture from cooking, washing, human bodies sweating etc. It shows up in growing areas of black mold.

 

I don't think it will have anything to do with the tarmac issue underneath the damp proof course.

 

If you don't own this property, then you need to speak to the owners or their agents to tell them of this damp problem and ask for help, as you don't want it becoming a health hazard.

[Steve__M]

The damp proof course is supposed to be above the tarmac.

 

Bricks below the damp proof will get damp because of moisture rising up from the ground. The damp proof course stops it rising further than the level of your indoor floorboards.

 

If the tarmac is going above the damp proof course then moisture in the ground will get in above the damp proof course and continue to rise up.

 

I used to have damp in a house because the previous owner laid a patio slab too high, covering both the damp course and the under-floor ventilation grills!

 

Of course it could be issues with ventilation, a problem in the cavity (if it is a cavity wall house) or something else. Really, a knowledgeable person needs to take a look.

[ericsbrother]

post up a picture of the missing tarmac/wall boundary and we will see if we can see what is wrong. overflowing guttering, downpipe at wrong angle, all sorts of things could be the underlying cause.