Mouldy wall - who do I need to look at it?

[Lemonysherbet]

I've got mould on the outer internal wall of the house. It's rising, it was black mould, now it's going white! Not sure if the house has a damp course, it's 1950s and solidly built. I've got a 6 month old baby and need to get it sorted before he's on the move but have no idea who I would contact for help/ quotes? Would it be a general builder?

It's worth noting we've been in the house for nearly 2 years and I don't remember it being like this last year.

Looks like water is getting in from somewhere, the skirting board looks rotten. 1950s houses would have a damp course, but this could have been breached.
Have a look at the outside wall. Has the ground been built up over the damp course by paving or something similar?
You could get a builder to have a look. Avoid companies selling damp solutions, they will just want to sell their products.

don't invite anybody who sells chemical injections into your home. He will tell you to buy chemical injections.

Please stand back and take a wide pic showing the whole wall.

I expect it's a leak. Is it in or near a kitchen or bathroom that contains a sink, drain and water pipes? Or a radiator?

Please alsp photograph the outside. Stand back and show the whole wall all the way up to the roof and including the gutter and downpipes. And any drains near the wall.

If there is a boiler or bathroom nearby, show the pipes that come out of the wall.

If there is a garden tap, show that. Or a shed or outbuilding, and its gutters.

Then focus on the wall near the ground. Can you see the damp course? Probably a black line in a mortar bed two bricks above where ground level used to be when the house was built.

Thanks both, I'll take pics in the daylight tomorrow. I've since wiped some of the mould away. It's near the kitchen but on the external wall so not next to it. The bathroom is above it. I'll have a look for damp course tomorrow but I have looked before and not seen signs of one

is the shower above the wet corner?

@PigletJohn so sorry I never replied. Yes it is. It was newly built last year.

Since clearing the mould and getting a dehumidifier it's kept it at bay.

As the shower is above the wet corner, I expect the water is coming from a leak above.

@pigletjohn would you not expect it to come through the ceiling first if that was the case? There was already a shower there before, it was just replaced ( with a bath/shower) so the pipe work wasn't touched. Maybe I'll take the bath panel off and see if I can spot anything glaringly obvious

@Lemonysherbet no sometimes water just works it way along a joist and then down a wall. We had a leak and could see where the water had originally started and where is finally leaked through and it was eye opening.

Definitely take the bath panel off and shine a torch in, or the light on your phone to see if anything looks wet. Just because pipework wasn't touched doesn't mean it can't leak.

My leak was a screw through the floorboard that just touched the side of a copper pipe and after 4 years of walking on that floorboard and it flexing slightly it wore down the copper and we had a pin prick hole. I should add it wasn't us that had screwed the floorboard down, previous owner had work done.

Could be poor ventilation. Open any vents on the Windows when possible.

@thatwindowneedsaclean that's really helpful advice thanks, will get on it tomorrow

And check the sealant around your new shower, we are getting water through a ceiling with very small gap in sealant.

@PigletJohn

don't invite anybody who sells chemical injections into your home. He will tell you to buy chemical injections.

Please stand back and take a wide pic showing the whole wall.

I expect it's a leak. Is it in or near a kitchen or bathroom that contains a sink, drain and water pipes? Or a radiator?

Please alsp photograph the outside. Stand back and show the whole wall all the way up to the roof and including the gutter and downpipes. And any drains near the wall.

If there is a boiler or bathroom nearby, show the pipes that come out of the wall.

If there is a garden tap, show that. Or a shed or outbuilding, and its gutters.

Then focus on the wall near the ground. Can you see the damp course? Probably a black line in a mortar bed two bricks above where ground level used to be when the house was built.

this, please.