Purchased house without survey. Mould found.

[JMC91]

We’ve completed on an Edwardian (I think) house and moved in yesterday. No survey done as we’re cash buyers
I never noticed the damp/ sweet mould smells but it’s something I can’t stop smelling now. I should add that I’m pregnant and a bit afraid of any works we need to undertake and the effect of mould or damp on a baby.

there are some plasterboard walls put in around bay windows and against other walls randomly. I don’t know what this suggests but it doesn’t look too good.

we haven’t looked in the attic yet but I’m a bit afraid.
can anyone offer any advice

100 year old house without a survey? No-one’s that gormless surely?

We also didn't get a survey on a house in a mining area 🤷‍♀️ if your a cash buyer I take it you have the ability to either mortgage the work or fund it another way.

I would start by looking for the source it could be something as simple as a leaking pipe, we took an old shed down a week ago and I can still smell the mould in the garden.

If you can't find it get a damp specialist in to locate and treat

Everyone is saying it's damp , you need to do XYZ .

No one knows the extent of this mould apart from the OP , the random plasterboarding over walls sounds a bit dodgy though . Very odd it wasn't even noticed on the viewing

We live in a 1930’ s property, had a survey, and yes we have experienced mould too, not mentioned on the survey, hope that makes you feel better, very common in houses of this age, ventilation is key.

i would get a survey done so you know what you’re up against. Honestly there’s so much to consider with old houses (that have had various work done over 100 years including
lead pipes / paint
asbestos
mold
damp
thats not to scare you but I bought an old house and I’ve had friends buy old houses and 1 of the above issues is always flagged up
if you get it done then you know what you need to get sone work wise :)

I'm actually going to disagree with people here, it's not always necessary to get a survey, most of the time they don't tell you anything you can't see with your own eyes. I've bought 4 houses without surveys and just call in a structural engineer to have a look if there is anything that I'm concerned about.

Meanwhile pretty much everyone I know who has had a survey done on an older house has had "damp" flagged up and remedial work put as a mortgage condition when it was actually condensation.

Before calling in damp treatment firms who will obviously want to sell you something, I'd recommend reading this book www.amazon.co.uk/Damp-House-Causes-Treatment-Dampness-ebook/dp/B0080K3P04, it's saved me a fortune over the years.

Do NOT get ‘specialist damp people’ - they will tell you anything at all to sell you their services. They are mostly wrong about what is wrong with historic buildings and what needs to be done to put it right.

Get a RICS accredited independent surveyor to look at the house. You will have to pay them properly but they are working only for you and have nothing to sell you but their survey. Ask for one who is used to working with historic buildings. Then find a contractor also experienced in working on historic buildings.

A survey advises specialist contractors to do additional survey.
Surveyors generally don't poke round more than viewers.
Generally:
You can tell the age of electrics by looking at meter and cabling and the number of sockets. Damp caused by external issues can usually be spotted by looking outside for the cause.
General condition is just that and will depend on the level of home improvement and quality of work. I'd rather have a house with a 70s bathroom rather than a poorly fitted scallop edge cheap one.

I've bought 4 houses without surveys and just call in a structural engineer to have a look if there is anything that I'm concerned about.

I'm laughing at the amount of heavy lifting 'just' is doing here!

I agree the OP should've got a survey, and am also unsure about what it has to do with being a cash buyer. That said, I recently bought the house I was renting, and the landlords would not have allowed anyone else to get a structural survey (because I wasn't about to allow access to my house for it). So, I know there are situations where you can't get a survey and you have to decide whether it's a risk you're willing to take.

OP, I'd get a survey now (they're not expensive in comparison to building work). But also - houses very rarely literally fall down, right? There may be an issue, but it probably isn't a catastrophe. And old houses often are just a bit damp. People act as if it's terrible and the end of the world, but sometimes it's just a thing you have to live with. Or something easily fixed, like someone put in an inappropriate damp course, or there's a leak somewhere.

You can also buy the device surveyors use to find damp in walls (or ask on your local facebook if anyone can lend you one). You just point it at the wall and it'll tell you if it's damp. Not useful for telling you what to do, but could set your mind at rest if you're thinking it might just be pregnancy-induced over-sensitive smell?

Are you perhaps thinking of a homebuyers survey? That would be like what you describe. But if you pay a bit more, you'll get someone who will definitely look more closely than you would during a viewing, and with more specialist tools.

dont panic about not getting a survey. I’m on my third house without a survey and all is fine.
a very sweet mould smell can be dead animals. If you’ve smelt it before you’ll know it.
the house could just be fusty smelling. Once it’s aired out it will probably be fine.
Air it out well. Check the loft
if you’re on a water meter it’s easy to check for water leaks by turning everything off and checking the meter isn’t running
Overall don’t panic

We bought a Victorian terrace. We had damp/mould issues due to:

Poorly fitted windows/doors with gaps all around under the plasterboard

Non existent loft insulation

Water ingress from damaged external paint/render

Party wall leak hidden from us by the buyers and denied by the neighbour

(None of these issues were detected on survey and all became apparent after we moved in!!)

We have had the insulation done and replaced the windows so far and now don’t really have any major problems. We use a dehumidifier when it rains heavily. We had a damp specialist out and had a damp proof course injected into the walls. The party wall leak was fixed when we got new neighbours.

The dettol mould cleaner is amazing.

I would get a damp specialist or surveyor to review the property.

Air thoroughly with windows and doors open.
Get some mould killer a d use it.
Investigate all areas thoroughly and clean it up.

Some strategies in order of common sense:

Put the heating on full blast for at least 24 hours.

get the survey you should have had done before purchase done now

Get a builder in to look at it.

Surveys are very basic and won't do any invasive investigation so you will end up paying a lot of money for a form which says "this COULD be wrong, we can't see". We paid for the expensive survey (can't remember what it was called) but it's not been much use, and they are especially bad at picking up damp problems. We discovered dry rot in our living room and had to replace the whole floor - bugger all about that in the survey.

OP. The first thing to do is check if it's mould caused by poor air circulation. Can you see mould anywhere? It's most likely to be on the interior of an exterior wall.

If there's old carpets then these could be harbouring the smell.

If the downstairs floor is wooden (a suspended floor), get DP to go around the outside of the house and check the vents are not blocked.

The plaster board around the window could have been retrofitting insulation.

Get a damp specialist in for a survey. Crucially, find one who doesn't sell damp treatments. Damp is always caused by water is getting in and treatment is to fix the cause of that. Damp does not need ££££ of silicone, but the twat selling the silicone won't tell you that

Let's stop labouring the point about a survey. I imagine the OP gets it now.

Who buys a house without a survey 🤯

OK, OP has been silly & naive. No point in reinforcing it.

How best to help her ?

I'd suggest a full survey to identify all problems.

There will probably be zero help from insurance company, but could be worth asking for help from her solicitor. Are they honour-bound to ask about a survey ?

Most houses of that age don’t have damp proof courses like modern houses, and when you look under the floorboards you quite often see bare earth. It’s the way they were built. There can also be damp because of poor plumbing ( you probably have lead pipes) , problems with the chimney stack, the roof, guttering, poorly maintained brickwork , window frames and drainage. Enjoy your new home, next time pay for a survey.

We had a damp specialist in the last house - they told us all the places we had damp - turned out - it was condensation and resolved quickly when people were living in the house

Locate the mould'/damp - work out - what is causing it (ventilation - water ingress) ..

good luck

I have purchased many properties without a survey, so not the end of the world. If the house as been closed up for a while then open windows and get some air flow, you say mould, where ? If around windows, then wipe down with bleach. If on a plaster wall, again clean and if exterior then check for air bricks blocked or garden bridging the damp course. (Dampcourse normally slightly thicker mortar, in the brick course)

you can purchase a damp meter for a few pounds, simple to use, push the two prongs into the suspected area, if there’s damp it will buzz. If used on a wall by starting at the skirting board and testing for damp vertically you can tell Where the damp stops. Google damp rods easy to use and effective.

Friends found everything in their attic was wet. Local builder said they needed a new roof. I said check loft insulation isn't blocking the vents in the soffits. It was, they pulled it back, attic became dry. Damp isn't always an expensive problem.

You'll be ok, just find a company in your area to do a proper survey and testing, the BWPDA are the association. Speak to your neighbours and ask for advice - if they own similar aged and type of property you should be able to get an idea. The oldest couple in the road are the best people to talk to!

I used Timkon for my work. Don't panic. It's not worth upsetting yourself and your baby. Good luck!