End terrace, strange dampish smell everywhere, Dehumidifier needed?

[ScottishPies]

I'm just about to move into a rented end terrace house. When I first looked round the property I noticed a dampish smell in the kitchen and thought it was because the house had not been lived in for a few months. I got the keys on Friday and spent today (Saturday) day cleaning it. Moving stuff in on Monday. But all today the damp smell just seemed to get worse and spread throughout the house, I've had the heating on all day and all the windows open.

Its a lovely house but my heart sinks about the possibility of living in a
damp house with a strange smell.

The house has a cellar, but ironically the cellar is the only room where there is no damp smell (cellar is tanked).

Am I in my rights to ask the landlord for a Dehumidifier? How big a dehumidifier would I need to a small 2 bed terrace?

May be worth washing down the walls to get rid of mildew. I have a biggish dehumidifier (they're expensive) and although it supposedly does a whole house, in reality it only really does one room at a time.

Thank

Than

Sorry

S

My dodgy phone!

Thanks for your suggestion Drome, i'll defn wash the walls. What size is your dehumid'r?

I have a£100 Delonghi - I agree, it really only does one room at a time. Need to use with the windows shut. It does help but if the house smells that bad, I dunno, do you have to move in? It doesn't sound brilliant.

Assuming that nobody has been draping wet washing inside the house, or throwing buckets of water at the walls which is equally bad for causing damp, there might be a plumbing or guttering leak.

Go outside on a rainy day and see if water is getting on the walls from gutters or downpipes.

Is there a water meter?

If the landlord agrees to a dehumidifier then he's admitting there's a problem - you may be able to ask them to allow a concession towards your electric bill too - as it will need to be on 24/7 for a good while !

p.s.

If it got worse when you put the heating on, it might be a leaking radiator or pipe, or even a boiler fault. What is the date on the landlord's gas safety certificate?

Thanks for all your comments. Went to the hse today & smell still there but much fainter. Have decided to only partly move in and see how it goes over the next few weeks. Am moving my stuff out of storage but will only unpack essentials and leaving as much as possiblr in parents garage/loft e. My parents are aware of my uncertainty about moving to another city so have said give it a go and see what happens if it doesn't work out i can come back to their's & tell landlord i'm moving out due to damp which should hopefully get me out of the initial 6mths contract. Left all upstairs windows slightly open today so will see what it is like tmrw.

Thanks again for everyones comments and advice. After a sleepless night worrying about it and actually thinking i could smell the damp on me - decided it was not worth moving in! If i'm worrying about it this much beforehand i'd dread to think what state i'd be in after a week living there. Kept thinking what it would be like to wake up in a bed which smells of damp.

Unfortubately i've already signed contract & paid deposit & paid first month. Going to tackle estate agent today & see what they say. Suspect i may loose the lot - but better that than risking my health!