‘Alarm bells’: Hidden home defect that can cost more than $50k

A buyer’s agent has warned house hunters about an easily missed property red flag that could come with a repair bill of more than $50,000.

Ella Cas said buyers need to keep an eye out for rising damp, pointing to a recent home inspection in Ferntree Gully as a prime example.

Despite moisture being difficult to spot, Cas said it should set off alarm bells for buyers before they make an offer.

“If you’re inspecting a house and you see this, turn around and leave that inspection,” she said in a video shared to Instagram.

“It’s not just a bit of moisture from a rainy night, it’s rising damp and it’s a major defect that can cost upwards of $50,000 to fix.

“You can hardly see it with your naked eye, so always snap a picture of the outside of the house because the camera will actually show it up better.”

Rising damp happens when moisture from the ground travels upwards through a home’s walls and brickwork.

At the property shown in the video, Cas said insufficient drainage appeared to be the root of the problem, highlighting a downpipe that was not connected to stormwater drainage.

Instead of being carried away from the property, water was pooling around and underneath the home before absorbing into the brickwork.

The problem can become considerably more expensive once moisture makes its way beneath the home.

“Once moisture is in that subfloor, first of all, you’ll have rot,” Cas said.

“You’ll have to replace the timber stumps, otherwise you’ll get movement in the house and that causes cracking.”

Other signs buyers can look out for include discolouration or a mark near the bottom of walls, flaking paint or plaster and a white, powdery residue on brickwork.

Cas said the defect isn’t impossible to fix, explaining that a builder with the skills and budget to tackle the repairs could even use the problem to negotiate a better deal on the home.

“If you are a builder inspecting a property and you see this, well, take it as an opportunity to get the house for a great price and then fix the issue,” she said.

“If you are a regular investor, this should be alarm bells ringing.”