Help with Attic Vent Problems...Mold?

I was hoping I could post a few pictures here and get some opinions from some experts. I am currently renting a home and am in the process of buying it from the owner. We are a little under two weeks from closing. The only inspection that has been done is termite. I am pretty mechanically inclined and have looked over most of the house myself, and after living there for over a year haven’t seen any problems, therefore I haven’t orderd a full inspection. However, I found that the dryer and bathroom fan vents are both terminating in the attic. I understand that this is a big NO NO and that it must be fixed. The owner has agreed that the problems need repaired and a contractor is coming to look at them soon. Unfortuantely, the dryer/washer are in an interior room and the house is on a slab, so exterior wall venting is not possible. My biggest concern is that I know these problems can cause MOLD and I believe they have been vented this way for since the home was built in 1994. I took pictures of the vents in the attic and was hoping that maybe someone could look and tell me if they think there is a mold problem. I see that theres quite a bit of white dust in the attic, but I was thinking it may be from the dryer venting in there all these years. I have attached the pictures to this post. I’d appreciate any advice greatly!! Thank you!

You are taking a** BIG **chance ,A proper Home Inspection is needed NOW!!!

Your pictures aren’t showing.

Dont skip the inspection, a few hundred 's can save you several thousand 's. There are guys on this MB that would give you an opinion, but truthfully your best bet is an inspector actually there to put hands and eyes on your property. Best of luck to you.

As the others have stated, a full home inspection is a given.

“You don’t know, what you don’t know”.

If you still want to post your pic’s here for conversation only (non-members not allowed to post pics) and not to be taken as any definitive diagnoses (impossible from pic’s) sent them to me at: nspector.jeff@gmail.com with subject name: MB Pics, and I will post them for you, assuming they meet the MB posting criteria.

Jeff

Note: it would help if you included your location, city and state, as all regions of the country have differing methods to contruction, insulation, etc…

One thing you have going for you is that the house is newer and probably was built with more vents than an old home and allowed most of the moisture to escape. But without a proper inspection you don’t know. The white your seeing is most likely the dryer lint but that can be covering some organic growth. Getting the fans and dryer vent to the outside is a must. The dryer can vent through the roof. Just follow the manufactures instructions.

What Mike said… the price of an inspection can easily be offset by asking for concessions…if nothing else you gain peace of mind in knowing that your investment is in good condition.

Jeff