Discoloured bricks in loft and strong smell of old All manner of questions and solutions to problems and issues surrounding the subject of brickwork, blockwork and stonework

[Hlao]

I've recently moved into an old, maybe victorian terrace rental, and have been bothered by a strong "old" smell upstairs. It's not an "earthy" mouldy smell, it's kind of more like.. "dirty laundry in a shed". I had a look in the loft to see if the smell was coming from up there. It IS coming from there, and I took this picture of the chimney breast:



I know there has been a leak in the past, now (supposedly) fixed, but is this black and white stuff on the bricks either the cause of the smell, or indicative of something that could be causing it? Thanks