B&P: Excess moisture on the wall - what to do? advice please!

Good evening All,
I currently have a property (low-set brick) under offer in Brisbane.
The Building and Pest inspection has been completed and the inspector said that the overall condition of the property is average to above average given its age (20 years), and that there's no structural issue.

However, some defects were identified. Whilst most of them are minor defects, one of them was about excess moisture on the wall and I am hoping to get some advice from the community.

So here's the issue:
Excess moisture readings were obtained on the wall linings adjacent bathroom/shower. I was told that it is possibly related to shower recess/plumbing in wall cavity leaking or failed waterproofing membrane to the wet area. Additionally, on the other side of the wall (in the shower), tile grout deterioration was identified.

At this stage, I have raised my concern to the seller and I've been told that the seller will repair damage to grout on shower walls before the settlement.

My question is whether this repair is going to resolve the excess moisture reading issue on the wall linings adjacent bathroom/shower or whether it could be some other issue (could it be a.
Moreover, I'd like to know whether it needs a waterproofing membrane work or a replacement of shower instead.

The seller at this stage is very firm on not doing any further repair other than the grout repair that was mentioned above. As said earlier, no other major defects have been found and I quite like the property. However, as it is my first IP, I am not sure how costly it would be (or what the worst case scenario would be) if this issue can't be resolved with the grout repair work.

I would really appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance.

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I know it can be a little bit scary when these type of things come up.

But if you really like the property, consider getting a second opinion from a plumber to identify what the issue is. The cost will probably be worth it, even just for peace of mind

 

You should be able to get a worse case/likely scenario quote to resolve the issue.
It’s unlikely the seller would do an extensive repair as this would take time. And then relook at your numbers and decide if it’s still a good investment.
Your first investment should not be because you “like it” - rather that it makes sense from a numbers perspective. Consider also in worse case if that means you have a loss of rent for a period of time. And depending on location can lead to mould.
We had a failed waterproofing issue in a 10 year old house. Took a number of months to resolve and required a complete rebuild of the bathroom. It can be very costly. We also had a damp wall reading on another house that required a minor roof repair - but not adjacent to bathroom.
You should at least be able to renegotiate the price.

 

Thanks for your advice RENI99. Unfortunately, the seller is not willing to negotiate further but instead move on When you say that 'it can be very costly', do you mind sharing the approximate that cost you?

 

Hi Do Androids Dream, thanks for your advice. Unfortunately, it took a while to get the B&P inspection and the shower repairer to inspect the grout so I don't think I'll have enough time left

 

Why should the seller negotiate?
No definite issue other than damaged grout has been discovered and the vendor has agreed to rectify that.
Your options are to withdraw (if you can) or proceed.

 

To re waterproof the shower all the tiles and cement bed needs to be removed...
Often matching tiles can't be sourced, so a full bathroom reno is done !
So as little as $5k for a repair to $25k+ for a full reno

The parts missing from your description don't help (ground floor/upstairs, brick/brick verneer/timber walls, slab or stumps, hob around shower/flat floor/ inserted base)
*I had 2 of these reports, one shower leaked into the sub floor from the outlet, so a $4 bucket fixed that, while the other was gutted ($1k) waterproofed ($750) tiled ($2,500) new shower screen ($1,200)

 

Ours was a part reno - so tiles replaced on floor, shower replaced, kept vanity and no other fittings - we actually had two bathrooms done - one had flooring of 7m2 and one 4.5m2. Total cost was around 20K. But there are lots of variables as @Stoffo has mentioned. Minimum 5K sounds about right. The works took 6 weeks but we had XMAS in the middle - it is not however unusual for works to be delayed and I would expect materials and labour are even more expensive (ours was end of 2020). The investigation/quotation process also took a few months. We decide to wait until end of lease and do both bathrooms together.
Also keep in mind it may be considered capital works and not a repair - and if done before you rent it may not be claimable as a direct expense. So if capital works can only be depreciated over time at 2.5%.
I guess as the house is 20 years old allowing that a bathroom has to be renovated or repaired would not be unusual. Its more about the additional costs as an investor - loss of rent etc. And keep in mind a repair might be just delaying the issue.

 

Here’s some handy information
The Grout Guy - Fix Leaking Showers Without Removing Tiles