dampness coming through external wall

[Crackers]

We have recently purchased the ground floor section of a 2 story period property. After a short time of occupancy we noticed dark localised patches showing through wall paper on the inside of external wall. We have looked at the outside of the wall in the same area and con not find any obvious signs of deterioation. There is also no external dranage to mention. We have since stripped the wall paper to reveal the full extent of the dampness. It is clearly wet and there is no mould. We also note that there is localised patch work of plastering or skimming indicating that this was a pre-existing problem. We will visit upstairs to see if they have water source in the area. Apart from this can you recommend some suitable action? Do you also know if home insurance policies normally cover this type of issue. As a leaseholder we will need to consult our free holder for this information later.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[dcmoore]

Take a look at any one of our damp projects and ring the phone number for Property Repair Systems. They give free, no obligation advice and we recommend them. They will tell you what you need to do (if anything) and will also be able to supply you with anything you need to do it with but will certainly not try to sell you anything you don't need