dampness problems...

D

doberden

Registered User
Messages
414
Hi,

I'm looking at house at the moment that's about 5 years old and is currently renting. It hasn't sold for months and this probably because of big dampness problems in a couple of the rooms. The house is rented, there are no vents in the rooms and there are showers in the rooms. There's mould on the walls and ceilings of 2 rooms so it puts people off immediately. Anyway, I am still considering the house and will get a surveyor to look at it. But if I was to buy it I assume I should get vents put in and replaster the walls and ceilings? Anybody any thoughts?
 
If you ring a Dampness specialist they will tell you this is usually caused by inadequate ventilation.People tend to shower in the morning , don't open windows and rush off to work.
Chances are the mould can be washed off with bleach or Cillet Bang.I had to do this on a rental property I have because the tenants would n't open the windows particularly in winter.
You probably won't have to re plaster unless its crumbling.
Its strange the house does n't have vents.
My property has vent's to the landing rather than an external wall but the tenants had these closed also.
Also check the attic for insulation .If its not insulated this could be causing cold spots on your ceiling.
This grottiness is to your advantage .It puts rival bidders off but with a little effort on your behalf you could pick up a bargain
 
this dampness could also be caused by an external problem...for a peace of mind you can do a few checks yourself.
1. check the water meter, If it is turning around constrantly a pipe could be broken underneath the house. This is very common in new houses. It maybe a small leak but over time it would turn into a big problem.
2. have a look at the ground level outside the house. Especially outside the walls that are damp. The ground level may be above the DPM (damp proof course). This level is usually 1 block higher than the top of the floor level. This often happens in gardens.....

The problem is probebly due to bad ventalition as the dampness has also occured on the ceilings of the shower rooms.
 
doberden -simular problem in our own house see this link for my post and answers, the home bond document is very good as there are a number of problems that combined will cause the problem. Just to note, bleach will not kill black mould - you will need to get a fungacidal spray from a DIY store to prevent the black mould from re appearing.
Or plan to tackle the problem is
1) New windows - even if you have double glazing if the windows are not of good qualtity this will still caiuse problems.
2) New radiators - more efficient that what is curretly there
3) Add ventilation

It certainly wouldn't put me off buying the house if there is no external problem.. certainly very fixable...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top