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

I have bought a lot of older property in my time. Only got one survey done, ever, and it was useless as didn't find some major problems yet pointed out some stupid issues. Anyway, your damp and mould problem needs looking into. Start with dehumidifiers and observe fluid in the tank, and make sure all double glazed windows have vents...some do not. Mould can be condensation hanging around a building with poor air flow. Check all pipework and roofing as a minor leak can cause these sorts of problems. Be careful about damp proof contractors, as lots of cowboys out there. Do detective work, and get someone to clean mould with mask on and high concentration bleach (not you).

I don't know how to say this, but ...

Not sure that the house is Edwardian but bought it anyway
Has enough money to buy house without needing a mortgage but has no idea that people have surveys
Is pregnant - could the mould cause problems for the baby
Scared to look in the attic

I know what I think

Have a look at Damp Sam youtube channel he gives great advice

m.youtube.com/channel/UCDh4nXWTEAPxsG5JIX3VdIg/videos?view=0&sort=p&shelf_id=0

I just meant it’s another thing a mortgage company would’ve insisted on so could’ve been missed.

it may not be the end of the world OP. My house was mouldy when I bought it. Mouldkiller then Ventilating it 24/7 have completely solved the issue

Surveys are useless. We paid for a full property evaluation (several steps up on a homebuyer survey) and there are a ton of major, visibly obvious issues that the surveyor missed. Instead he harped on about irrelevant generalities like knotweed (there wasn’t any) and the need for a building certificate for something there was a building certificate for. We are looking into legal action but it doesn’t sound easy to claim against them. £1000 down the drain.

The vast majority get morgage surveys because the mortgage requires it, they're not particularly useful for a cash buyer. Even an advanced survey, as some PPs have suggested, is pretty worthless.

FWIW, I had a really positive experience with a full structural survey (not a mortgage/homebuyers survey or an evaluation). I did shop around for someone who was really knowledgeable about old houses, and it did cost more (though not a ridiculous amount). But I found it really useful. The report is pages long, and has really detailed advice about what we ought to do first and how we ought to tackle problems. So far I've done what he's said and it's cleared up several of the things we thought might be major issues, and saved us a lot of money we expected to have to spend. I'm sure it's not perfect, and there must be things that a surveyor can't investigate, but I found it really helpful.

Have to laugh at some of these spiteful and morally superior comments in light of the many previous posts I have seen on MN when someone has gone and got a survey and is trying to negotiate with the vendor. “CFs!” “surveys always say stuff is wrong” “sold as seen” etc etc

OP all old houses have these issues. Go and get a survey now and fix the issues. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Get someone in to do a survey now so you know what the issues are.

I have a friend whose daughter and boyfriend bought a house without a survey a year ago (housing market is beyond frenzied here). They have a mortgage. no idea why the mortgage company didn't insist on a survey. Anyway they have mould, arsenic in the basement, infestation of ants etc etc. Have been living with my friend for the past year and tensions are high.

never ever buy a house without a survey. even if you go ahead with the sale at least you know what you are getting into.

Get a survey now and then you can make a list of what needs to be done. It mightn't be as daunting as you think.

Probably the same as I am thinking.

Sweet smell could be dry rot.

I'd never buy without a survey report..especially when paying cash.

Plasterboard could be causing your issue. It isn't breathable like lime plaster.

Not helpful, but echoing why did you not get a survey?! You have no idea if this is an expensive or easily fixable problem. I hope your renovation budget is also cash and unlimited...

At the age it probably does have some issues. I would check the guttering, that no slates have shifted causing leak into the roof, also air the property properly

Also it will have solid walls so the bricks themselves may be porous due to age and it's seeping through. We sealed with pva glue, then added insulating plasterboard to cure

It’s probably more common than you think (not getting a survey) my old house is Victorian and my buyer insists he doesn't need one.

OP, I’ve already recommended what you need to do in my original post upthread.

Do not listen to what other posters have done to their homes to ‘cure’ problems. There is a lot of advice here which will make the problems worse, and/or damage fabric.

I’m a specialist in historic building conservation. You need to get to the bottom of the issue with an independent surveyor, then make appropriate changes if needed. There’s lots of information on the Historic England website - they are the government’s adviser and have decades of research behind their recommendations. Please look there and don’t fall for the ‘advice’ of someone selling a service.

I have to agree, assuming that you’re moderately property savvy, that most surveys don’t tell you anything you couldn’t have seen with your own eyes, and generally have so many caveats that they’re not really worth the paper they’re written on. We bought 2 old houses (one Edwardian, one Regency period) without a survey - they’d been standing for more than 100 or 200 years and it was easy enough to assess any risk areas. But we also knew what we planned changing, and that wiring/plumbing would be overhauled as part of the renovations. I bought my current Victorian property without a survey either, though in this I bought a property that had already been renovated, and had the building regs and electrical certificates to check.

But, if you don’t understand how old buildings were built or work then a survey is the best £2k you’ll spend :)

My friend & her DH bought. House without a survey, came to selling & will struggle because of something weird with the roof so are having to stay put! So foolish

Congrats.

I hope you have got lots more cash lying around as no one in the right mind should buy a period property, just at the start of a crunch on energy prices when they are pregnant without a survey.

You have just bought a money pit with no thought to its cost to run and maintain and no idea how expensive kids are.

Well done!

Get the survey done now. At least you can start planning and budgeting how you need to maintain the property and know what you need to keep an eye on going forward.

Utter lunacy!

What's done is done.

First off is to check for obvious problems that can cause dampness that are easily fixed.

• Look for signs of damp on the outside walls.
• Check the gutters and downpipes.
• Check the cold water storage tank in the loft - I remember viewing a house with horrendous 'damp' that was clearly a blocked ballcock in the CWST as you could see the water running down the outside of the wall from the overflow.
• Check the roof for holes/leaks.

All the above could be checked by a trusted builder.

I did have a level 3 RCIS survey, and he still didn't find the mould. I only found out nine months later because I had new curtains made, and the curtain woman nearly went through the floor. I've had to have all of the bungalow floors replaced, unfortunately I couldn't afford to go concrete. Even with the new floors I've still got slugs coming in, it's damp clay here.

Have you ever seen this article?

www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

I'd recommend getting an independent damp specialist in, hopefully one that understands heritage houses. Hopefully it's only a blocked gutter. We had two large hopper gutters on our 1847 house, they were blocked when the crows posted sticks to nest.

Good luck. And don't watch House of Dragons! TW!

All very good advice, and definitely would be my first point of call. Mould is more often than not a consequence of inadequate ventilation and/or too much moisture inside house, The excess moisture is often as a consequence of lifestyle - drying washing inside, not opening windows or using extractor fans etc. I’d address all of that, if appropriate, and the fabric points above, before assuming the worst and calling in ‘experts’. Did any ‘damp expert’ ever not sell you a solution…?

Though concealing with plasterboard doesn’t sound good, and surely something you saw when looking round, it could just be a case of the previous owner treating the symptom not the cause.

Whatever it is you need to pay experts to come in and assess for you so you know what you are dealing with.