Mold in communal areas - question

[dampcounty]

I have posted this in Chat which has been helpful but I am reposting here for further traffic

I viewed a flat a couple of weeks ago. Roughly 1980s building, 3 floors and
around 30 flats in total

There was mold growing on the ceilings of every floor and walls towards one end of the building where the communal stairway was. The windows were open, which suggested the place was kept ventilated but there wasn't any heating there

Would this indicate any damp issues or problems with the building as a whole? The flat I viewed wasn't moldy, but it's difficult to ascertain as it could have been recently redecorated

There are enough apartments to generate enough heat to keep the communal areas damp free, at least above ground floor.
I wouldn’t touch it as it could indicate bigger issues.
Why buy someone else’s problem?

Yes, that's why I was puzzled. Even if this was at one end of the building, it was a considerable amount and noticeable. I wasn't able to inspect other communal areas which would have been surrounded by more flats, but what I saw was enough to make me nervous

It sounds as if the wall is wet, could be a broken gutter trickling down the wall, or from roof etc or maybe that the brickwork needs repointing or the render ont he outside it cracked.

So all in all it sounds as if there is a bigger problem there.
You could ask a surveryor to have a look if you really like the flat, but he/she won't be able to get up to the outside of the wall or the roof very easily.

Inclined to agree with above - likely some defect in the building that is allowing water to penetrate. There shouldn't be condensation in the communal areas, as no-one is doing anything 'moist' there (unless everyone dries their laundry in there something!?!)

But it means there will be mould spores in the air, so unhealthy anyway even if not in the actual flat itself.

Usually with this kind of problem. the leaseholders have to pay to have it fixed. But if it isn't something critical like a failing roof, they may be allowed a vote. If that's the case (this is only speculation on my part remember!) and lots of them are refusing, it might not ever get sorted. I would definitely want to know a lot more before going any further.

Hi OP. Is the flat freehold or leasehold?

There shouldn't be condensation in the communal areas, as no-one is doing anything 'moist' there (unless everyone dries their laundry in there something!?!)

Yes, this is what I thought, also the windows seemed to be kept open

Usually with this kind of problem. the leaseholders have to pay to have it fixed. But if it isn't something critical like a failing roof, they may be allowed a vote. If that's the case (this is only speculation on my part remember!) and lots of them are refusing, it might not ever get sorted

This also. The problem seems to impact one side of the building more than the other, so probably they haven't been able to agree to get it fixed

I was really gutted when I noticed this as there isn't a lot of decent stock on the market at the moment and, apart from this issue, the flat seemed largely fine

I've dealt with mold in the past and I really wouldn't want to have to go through it again

It's a leasehold flat

If I were you I would contact the management company for the building. They should have the details of this displayed by the front entrance. They may be able to shed some light on it. I used to be a property manager. My first thought was that it's been caused by communal heating being turned off to save money. If might be something and it might be nothing.

Thanks. That's a good idea. I may do that. I hope they don't mind me calling.

Not sure if it would put my mind at ease completely, but worth doing 😊