Buying a bungalow. Would this put you off?

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I’m a first time buyer currently in the middle of buying a bungalow. I’ve just had my Level 2 survey done and this comment has worried me a bit. The roof space has mineral wool thermal insulation and there is also evidence that cavity wall insulation has been installed. I’m aware bungalows are more prone to damp and mould anyway but will all of this make it worse? Should I be worried?

I will speak to the surveyor too but I just wanted to get other peoples opinions. Thanks!

That looks absolutely fine

How long ago was it installed? Get the EA to ask. You can get roof ventilation lap vents that you can self install really cheaply, so it wouldn’t overly concern me if it hadn’t been up there 20 odd years causing condensation.

I forgot to say that the house is empty right now and has been for almost 2 years, so I can see why there wouldn’t be any signs of damp or mould at this stage. I'm worried that once I move in, it might start.

I’m not sure. I'll speak with the EA and my solicitor to see if they can find out. Just out of curiosity, what would the problem be if it had been up there for that long? I have a feeling it might have been there for a while since the last energy certificate was issued almost 10 years ago, and it was mentioned back then.

Purely because if there was a condensation issue, the longer water had been forming/dripping then the more potential damage there would be.

We had a new roof & liner fitted and noticed condensation dripping within a couple of months when we went up for the Christmas decs, we installed the vents and no issues since. If we hadn’t been up there for 20 years then there would have been 20 years of dripping that could have caused issues. If the loft insulation is excellent, there may not have even been much condensation.

Maybe ask a roofer to pop and have a look?

That doesn’t t make sense - you are more likely to have damp in an empty property than an occupied one. If there’s no industrial cation of it now I wouldn’t worry. You living there, with heating on in winter and windows open in summer will help prevent damp.

We too are buying a bungalow, from 1939. We went round with our builder last Saturday including in the loft and ours was dry, but insulation was fibre glass which will need to come out. We did the survey ourselves, using a template so I'm not expecting the actual surveyor to find any issues tomorrow that we've not already costed up. Do you have sufficient money to fix the roof? If not it's time to negotiate on price, 😕

if there's no sign of damp after two years of being empty, i'd be overjoyed.

I wouldn't worry

Surely the best time to see any damp or mould issues in a house is when it’s been empty. If it’s lived in it’s easy to hide or dry out with putting the heating on etc

@Coconutter24 the condensation on the roof felt happens because the cold fom the roof hits the warm air from a heated house. No heat, no condensation.

Surveyors have to find something to write about. They have commented on the construction and brought a future potential problem to your attention. That is all.

Ours obviously came on a wet day and told us that there was a slight dip and a small puddle in the middle of the (otherwise flat) lawn. They also pointed out that the kitchen units were rather dated.😂