Buying a house with significant black moulds on walls

[peacefulworld]

We’ve been looking to buy a bigger home for sometime. We are a family of four living in a small 3-bed end of terrace house. The total sq footage of the current house is 65m2.

Here it’s the house we have our eyes on and we are viewing it this weekend. First thing I noticed was the extensive moulds on the walls. Particularly the wall with blue paints upstairs and the green wall in the downstairs living room.

Similar properties on the same estate are selling for £500000-£540000. Does anyone have experience purchasing a house with significant damp issue and how much would it cost to rectify the issue roughly? We intend to make a very low offer. The property has been empty for a few years I think.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/154367360

Wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole

Is there a drain outside that corner?

If you like the house, its worth looking at remedies

if that down pipe is blocked that could explain the damp, plus the heating not having been on for a few years. So could be easily fixed so worth it if you get a bargain

Could you afford to spend £75000 to get it fixed? (The price difference). Then do it - it might cost less. No different to an old 'doer upper'. Just get a very good survey so that you know what the cause might be/ is.

Do those walls face NORTH?

Or North East?

If so they will never be warm rooms

This. There’s a chance you won’t be able to get rid of it completely and it keeps coming back…and then you’ve spent £££ and are stuck with a mouldy house that can’t sell.

Get a full survey, look at the guttering and downpipes, how much are you offering. Do the walls feel wet

Don't buy it. I mean look at the state of it. It's also horrible.

You will spend a fortune trying to sort that out, and then when it mysteriously returns despite fixing the drain and paying for damp coursing and replastering the whole lot. You will be forced to either continue to live with mould which is absolutely awful for your health or sell it with the same ongoing issue. It will be a massive headache.

Mould is a symptom. That issue is deep. It's in the foundations of the building now too. You will need to rip out everything that is contaminated now, it isn't just a case of drying it out. That stuff gives off spores and the whole house will be filled with spores. Meaning any damp anywhere eg windowsill or near the sink or in the grout and silicone in the bathroom will turn black almost immediately because even the air is full of it.

Please Google the health issues that black mould can cause, it's not a joke or something to be ignored. You don't need this in your life.

Same.

Yes the back of the house faces north east

I wouldn't consider buying it without a specialist damp survey. By a chartered surveyor, NOT a company that just sells "solutions".

We have a budget of £50000 to refurbish it. But worry if it’s to do with a leaky roof then roof replacement might cost a fortune.

It looks like the room is damp all down the gable wall, not just near the drain pipe.

I wouldn't touch it personally unless you have personal contacts with a decent builder who will tell you just how hard and expensive it really will be to fix.

I'm really surprised they've put it on the market in that condition, without even giving the walls a washdown with vinegar to minimise the visual look of mould. You really need to get a damp specialist in to give you a quote on fixing the problem, or if it is fixable at all.

It also looks as if the carpets have experienced some damp problems. So you'd need to factor in replacing them or getting floorboards done. I wonder how bad it smells on entry...

What is worrying is that the mould is popping up in lots of different places. I’d want to know if it has had retrofitted insulation at some point (done badly if so). Is it a cavity wall? Agree you need to get a proper survey done. I don’t think 50k will go far on this house.. also will you be able to live elsewhere while renovating?

The vast majority of damp issues are easily fixed. Fix leaks, run a dehumidifier, install bathroom and kitchen fans, and only in extremis renew damp proof course.

If in doubt an independent damp survey will cost about £400..

We bought a house with mould problems but then completely gutted it, including a new roof.
We installed new windows with air vents and a mechanical ventilation system, insulation, etc. There has been no more mould and damp since.

Don't be ripped off by companies trying to sell you quick fix rising damp treatments which may not be necessary. Check that the outside drains aren't damaged and there isn't water coming in from outside.

Basically go for it if the house is right but be prepared to spend some money.

I would be concerned as the mould is upstairs and downstairs. When we bought our house the damp problem was disguised. We moved in November and soon found it was all upstairs. We have overcome it by fitting a piv system upstairs, getting the rooms replastered, and ensuring every room has a radiator in and it has completely gone now. I would say though that was after we had bought and I was fuming. We had a surveyor come out and assess where the damp was coming from and it was mainly condensation. I'd think very carefully about buying a place with an obvious damp problem.

No way

I wouldn’t touch it

I dont think your being unreasonable as such, but perhaps overly optimistic? My friend is stuck with a house with damp that he can’t get sold. He had a survey which said it was not serious and could be easily fixed. Fast forward two years later and it’s riddled with damp everywhere, in the walls, under the floors. Every time he tries to have it fixed they uncover more damage. It never dries out. He’s looking at a large bill to get it fixed (again) that he can’t afford and living in a damp and cold home that is unsellable. I’d be extremely cautious with this, you could end up losing a lot of money and terrible living conditions in the long run. It’s a risk that I wouldn’t be willing to take myself.

Condensation is due to rooms being too cold and poorly ventilated.

I discovered black mould grew in a flat I bought, suffered through two winters with it coming back even in the wardrobe , was a nightmare. Then found out about environments and got those and they sorted it completely. They are much better than vents in walls as you do not get cold in winter. They normally used for kitchen but I had them put in spare rm and bedroom as there was no insulation so vents made the rooms really cold. They were expensive but worth it. But it’s hard to say if that mild is down to condensation, I would get a structural surveyor to look at it. Then put in a really low offer.