Prior to carrying out a recent pre-purchase survey at a house in Durham I was informed by the potential purchasers that areas of mould were present in the living room and they wanted to get it checked out prior to exchanging on the property. I had a lengthy discussion with them over the phone before actually booking the appointment as their description (mould in living room) appeared to suggest that the property was suffering from black mould which is a symptom of condensation, this can usually be dealt with successfully by increasing ventilation.
They insisted that they wanted the peace of mind in carrying out a pre-purchase survey and we’re happy to press ahead. The property in question was a large detached stone built house under a slate roof, the estate agent informed me that the property was a deceased estate and hadn’t been lived in for over 18 months.
As soon as I opened the front door I was hit by a pungent mushroom type smell this arose my suspicions immediately. As soon as I walked into the living room I was met with one of the largest ‘Dry Rot’ outbreaks I have seen for some time, as you can see from the pictures the Dry Rot fruiting bodies have infected the wall, curtain pole and ruined a picture hanging on the wall, this Dry Rot outbreak had been happening for some time, the cause of the outbreak was from a pe leaking in the bathroom above.
The cost to rectify this damage would have been several thousand pounds, following my report the purchasers decided not to proceed with the purchase as the vendors wouldn’t move on price, whilst they were obviously disappointed, by having the survey carried out this saved them thousands of pounds in the long run on what they initially thought was just a bit of mould.