Getting rid of Condensation & mould - who to call?

[Stickystickstick]

We were very fortunate to have had our house (1960s John Lawrence semi detached) bought for us when we (DP & I) were both students. We always knew it would need work but are only now in a position to do anything about it. We have two kids

The previous elderly owner had cavity wall insulation when he probably shouldn’t (inappropriate for this type of house) and whoever installed it was not part of the official govt sanctioned scheme so any problems with it are not covered by the regulatory body. Our poor wee house can not breathe :(

Added to that the double glazing is almost 40 yr old and aluminium framed so the condensation we get inside is horrific. Even with the dehumidifier & heating on it still gets condensation & this is causing horrible black mould or mildew over the windows, sills and roller blinds.

We are planning to renew the double glazing which should help a little bit with condensation but it won’t get rid of it completely as our house has no air circulating, even happens when leaving windows open.

We have condensation and mould /mildew in everyroom.

How do we get air to circulate?

What type of tradesman or surveyor would I need to call in to try and fix the condensation problem? Would adding more air bricks help? Does anyone know the kind of budget we’d need to pay for this (not the DG)?

Agree definitely get one of those thermometer hygrometers to check the humidity in various rooms. Get 4 of them if you can afford and check them regularly.
In winter unless you're having a shower it shouldn't be above 60%. Then at least you know what you're dealing with.
If it doesn't drop quick enough after a shower then more heating and ventilation.

I think piglet John could be onto something with the leak theory. I have a 1960s ex council flat which is rented out. Has had an ongoing problems with condensation and damp and after about 6 years I just about have it sorted. There wasn’t one single cause, but a combination.
It included: shoddy workmansip putting in a new shower, and the pipes under the shower unit leaking ( required new shower base and piping work). Leaking radiator pipes releasing water under the carpets. So all radiator pipes replaced. Tenants draping their washing on radiators. Said they didn’t, but guess where the clothes were when I had to go in to sort a problem. So I got a vented tumble dryer. And a dehumidifier. The next thing I should do is get a better, more powerful bathroom air extractor, but the problem is now better and the current tenants are quite sensible. Touch wood.....

We have rental property with older style double glazed windows without trickle vents, long story but a combination of Polish tenants, extra "visitors", lots of cooking on the hob without using saucepan lids and too much washing draped all over the radiators resulted in a very mouldy damp house. Dampco quoted £750 plus vat to install the Envirovent type extractor mentioned above. I bought a new one from eBay £250ish and an electrician invoiced me £100 to fit it. It basically introduces fresh air into the house. the house is very dry now.