Rising damp is a serious defect: always get a professional RICS home buyers survey when purchasing a property
Rising damp is one of the worst defects a property can suffer from. Typically an inadequate - or absent - damp proof course can lead to water rising up through the walls and as time progresses, the damp can ruin building materials. Rising damp can also lead to unhygienic conditions inside a house.
Unsightly mould on walls and nasty rotten smells are one thing, but the moisture can also provide ideal conditions for bacteria to breed and other pathogens to thrive which can, for example, lead to you suffering serious respiratory conditions.
When you're looking at buying a property it's always worth getting a RICS surveyor to carry out a home buyers survey on the place: they are trained in spotting a multitude of signs which might indicate suspicion of rising damp. They will bring these to your attention and their findings can give you critical information about whether you wish to negotiate with your vendor about paying for or sharing the costs of remedy or even whether you wish to pull out of the purchase.