Should I fix damp before or after the Home Report?

Before, where you can. A recorded damp issue usually costs more in negotiation than the repair does to complete.

Does old stone property always have rising damp?

No. Much diagnosed rising damp in Scottish stone buildings is condensation or the result of a defect such as blocked rainwater goods or raised ground levels.

Pre-sale preparation

Fixing damp before selling

Diagnose independently, fix the source, keep the evidence

The short answer

Damp recorded in a Home Report costs more in negotiation than most repairs cost to carry out, so it is worth resolving before the survey. Get an independent diagnosis rather than a free survey from a firm selling the treatment — much of what is diagnosed as rising damp in Scottish stone property is condensation or a defect such as a blocked gutter or raised ground level.

What the work involves

Identifying the moisture source, correcting the defect, drying and treating affected surfaces, redecorating, and retaining the report and invoices as evidence for buyers.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

The property questionnaire requires disclosure of known issues. Work on listed buildings, including some damp-related interventions, may need consent.

What commonly goes wrong

Paying for a chemical damp-proof course in a solid stone wall where the real problem was a leaking downpipe or a bridged wall base.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

An independent surveyor's diagnosis costs a fraction of an unnecessary treatment.
Correcting external defects — gutters, pointing, ground levels — is usually the cheapest real fix.
Evidence of a properly diagnosed and completed repair protects the price better than the repair alone.

What to do, in order

1Look outside first: gutters, downpipes, pointing, ground levels and paths against the wall.
2Commission an independent damp and timber report from a chartered surveyor.
3Fix the source and allow proper drying time.
4Treat and redecorate only once readings are stable.
5Keep the report, invoices and photographs for the buyer's solicitor.

Local detail for the Lothians

Solid sandstone walls in Edinburgh behave differently from cavity construction, and injected damp-proof courses are frequently inappropriate.
Raised pavement and garden levels against tenement walls are a common cause of ground-floor damp in the city.
Top-floor flats show damp from shared roof and gutter defects, which involves the other owners.

When you need a professional

An independent chartered surveyor for diagnosis, then a contractor to carry out the identified repair — not the same firm doing both.

Common questions

Should I fix damp before or after the Home Report?: Before, where you can. A recorded damp issue usually costs more in negotiation than the repair does to complete.
Does old stone property always have rising damp?: No. Much diagnosed rising damp in Scottish stone buildings is condensation or the result of a defect such as blocked rainwater goods or raised ground levels.

Lothian Property is a property information and professional-introduction service operated by Maybury Scotland Limited. Lothian Property is not an estate agency. Where requested, we may connect homeowners with independent estate agents and other property professionals. How we work.

Preparing for the Home Report
What the surveyor looks at, and the work worth doing before they visit.
Roof and gutter check
The external check that prevents the most expensive Home Report comment.
Decorating before selling
Where fresh paint pays for itself, and where it does not.

Last reviewed 4 September 2026.