Look out for infestations before you buy! Dr Dennis Coote
One problem which can sometime cost a great deal of cash to put right is Infestation, that is other creatures wanting to share your home with you uninvited.
Infestation covers a number of problems that can seriously affect the property and at the same time SERIOUSLY affect the profit you will make.
Recognising Infestation
It is most important is to be able to identify any of the problems that infestation cause, BEFORE YOU BUY A PROPERTY.
Wood Worm
| Definition | Woodworm, also known as the Common Furniture Beetle (anobium punctatum) attacks wood. The result of a woodworm infestation seriously undermines the strength of the timber and in a staircase for instance can cause its collapse. |
| Symptoms | The tell tale signs are a series of small holes about the size of a pinhead, and often a small pile of sawdust. |
| Causes | Often woodworm is imported from infected second hand furniture. |
| Treatment | There are many proprietary fluids for painting on or spraying and these are generally very effective. |
| Prevention | Take care when buying second hand furniture such as bookcases wardrobes etc. Look at the back of these units where they are unvarnished, and inside drawers. The tell tale pinholes will indicate active woodworm.
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| Further details: | The places where you might find woodworm are under the treads of a wooden staircase, in the unvarnished back of any bookshelves or furniture and under linoleum, which has been undisturbed for some time. If the infestation is severe, floorboards will need to be replaced, and the old ones burned. Furniture, if badly affected, will also need to be disposed of by burning. |
Wet Rot
| Definition | Wet rot is a fungus (Coniophora cerebellum) also called cellar rot |
| Symptoms | The symptoms are in the first instance, very moist timber, and later typical orange coloured dots of fungus on the wood. The presence of insects will also confirm the present of wet rot. |
| Causes | Long immersion in water will start wet rot. |
| Treatment | The cure is not expensive usually, and obviously involves finding the source of the moisture. It could be any one of a number of things such as a small leak under a waste pipe to a bath or sink, or as previously mentioned, it could be caused by rising damp. Once the source is found, the old decayed timber should be cut out and replaced with new treated timber. |
| Prevention | Make sure there are no leaks that could saturate the timber. |
| Further Details | Wet Rot to timber is usually caused by long immersion in water. Skirting boards suffer from this when rising dampness is a problem. The visible effects are moisture around the affected timber and the presence of insects, usually woodlice and silverfish.
These creatures live on decaying timber and are a sure sign of dampness associated with wet rot. The cure is not expensive usually, and involves finding the source of the moisture. It could be a number of things such as a small leak under a waste pipe to a bath or sink. Or it could be caused by rising damp. Once the source is found, the old decayed timber should be cut out and replaced with new treated timber. |
Black Mould Stachybotrys chartarum
This is a most unpleasant condition and makes a property look much worse than it is.
Black Mould
It is quite easy to remove but do not breathe in the spores as they are quite poisonous.. A scrubbing brush, hot water and some bleach are all that is required. You will also need to find the cause of the dampness.
Dry Rot
| Definition | Dry Rot, Serpula lacrymans, is a fungus which lives on the cellulose in softwood timber, destroying the timber as it spreads. It is probably the most serious and pernicious fungus to attack a building. |
| Symptoms | Dry Rot has a very distinctive smell of fungi (mushrooms) and is unmistakeable. This is initially a very good guide to identifying if a property has dry rot. In the part of the house where the smell is most prevalent, look for tell-tale signs of creasing and cuboiding (see photo) on the skirting boards or architraves around doors. |
| Causes | Usually the infection starts from airborne spores taking hold on softwood timbers in poorly ventilated spaces, such as under floors. |
| Treatment | Dry Rot is unfortunately not something that can be treated inexpensively. Dry Rot is a very expensive problem and I will explain here why you should avoid buying a property with dry rot.  Dry Rot affected timber showing 'cuboiding'  This Dry Rot is well advanced
 The dry rot 'fruiting body' This is usually found under floorboards or somewhere where there is little or no ventilation. From this fruiting body, strands or strings of the fungus travel to distant parts of the property (and in a row of terraced houses to the adjoining properties as well), travelling through spaces in brickwork and eventually spreading to the whole house, feeding on the timber. Treatment is very expensive since every particle of timber that has been in contact with the spores of the fruiting body and the strands must be taken out and burned. I remember on several occasions when we destroyed a fruiting body with a blow-lamp (there are better ways now) that it screamed and withered slowly to nothing, reminiscent of something from Quatermass!! Dry Rot is however no joke and if it is not properly eradicated will return very soon afterwards. If you have already bought a property and subsequently discovered Dry Rot, it will probably be best to get a specialist Contractor in to deal with it and to provide a guarantee. It will cost you a lot of money, so avoid it!! |
| Prevention |
Make sure that all under floor vents are unobstructed. There should be a free passage of air between air bricks on opposite sides of the building. Make sure roof voids are ventilated. Dry rot does not occur in well-ventilated areas.
Often garden soil can get banked up against an air vent, stopping the flow of air. |
Death Watch Beetle
Death Watch Beetle
| Definition | A beetle Xestobium rufovillosum, which attacks timber in certain parts of the country. Its preferred location is on old timber, nearly always oak in roof voids. |
| Symptoms | The name death-watch beetle comes from the tapping sound, which can be heard in warm weather between March and June, made by beetles banging their heads against the walls of the tunnels to attract mates. This insect is often found in churches hence the association with death reflected in its name.
Death watch beetle is fairly common in certain parts of the country (I have experienced it in several houses in Somerset and Devon) and is usually confined to roof timbers. The holes in the timber are larger than those of woodworm, anything up to 5mm in diameter |
| Treatment | There are proprietary fluids for spraying on the affected timber and these appear to be effective. |
Vermin
| Definition |
Mice and rat infestation can be a problem. Most people have some deep-seated objection to rats, while their droppings can spread Weils disease, which can be a killer to humans. |
| Symptoms |
Symptoms of an infestation by rats or mice are the scattering of droppings (excreta) in places where the vermin have gathered. Often found in roof voids, they make pattering sounds when the house is quiet. |
| Causes |
The usual cause is poor hygiene. Rats are attracted to decaying food, accessible rubbish bags and other food remains. |
| Treatment |
There are a number of poisons, which can be laid for these vermin, usually Warfarin, which is effective at first, but there is anecdotal evidence that rats can become immune to this poison.
Most local authorities have rat catchers (which are now in these enlightened days called rodent operatives) who will take steps to spread poison and get rid of the problem. |
Common Rat (rattus norvegicus)
BUYING A CAT MAY ALSO BE ONE ANSWER!
Bats
In country areas and even in some suburbs you may come across bats. Although they are classified as rodents, they are NOT vermin, and are a protected species. The fines for damaging bats or their habitat are extremely severe. Bats generally do not cause any problems.
Bats and their habitats are protected by law
Birds
Likewise, birds will often build their nests in the springtime in the eaves of a property. If you really must remove the nests, wait until the young have fled the nest in summer. Most (but not all) wild birds are also protected under various acts of Parliament and the penalties for destroying the nesting birds are severe.
Squirrels
Squirrels can also create quite a lot of damage and should be discouraged . Grey squirrels are not protected animals, although red squirrels are.
Damage done to outside swing seat upholstery by grey squirrels.
So in conclusion it pays to be extremely vigilant when first inspecting a house, some infestations can be cured fairly easily others are very difficult.
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