some sort of mould in rented accomodation what should be done?

lynne1985 · 23 August 2008 at 8:16PM

I moved into a 3 bedroom detached cottage at the start of July i've been decorating the rooms and so far have finished two put all the stuff in them (that was supposed to be in them) and started organising the other bedroom, (this was only about two weeks ago) all was fine then a few days ago while cleaning my sons room i noticed blue mouldy growth stuff on everything wooden in his room i cleaned it off thinking it was maybe due to the window being opened in the rainy weather. day later it was back again i contacted the landlord he came out had a look said he would get a slater out on monday as he thinks it may be the chimneys, since then i've had a look through the rooms and all the rooms have mould in them mostly on wooden things and fabric things this has ruined quite a few bits of my belongings i've salvaged what i can but there is quite a few things that are unsavable, i've not even had a proper look through all the rooms as it is heartbreaking coming across yet another unsavable item, what i really need to know is what can be done about the mould? and would insurance cover the damaged items or should the landlord pay to replace them? my mums also suggested a dehumidifier should i ask the landlord to get one? also can mould have serious health problems? im 8 months pregnant and live with my 5 year old and 2 year old and its quite worrying not knowing exactly what the mould/growth is i feel like just packing up and moving out until its sorted as the stress of it is really getting to me.

ceebeeby · 23 August 2008 at 8:20PM

I don't know about health concerns relating to mould, but you definitely need to let the landlord know of the extensive mould throughout the house, as opposed to just the original location.

How much stuff is unsavable?? I can't imagine that loads of your furniture and fabrics could be ruined without you noticing it happening.

If you're that unhappy, then suggest you do pack up and move out. At 8 months pregnant, you don't want to be putting yourself through stress. Plus, sounds as though the place will need a lot of work done on it to get it fixed??

Also, you don't want to be bringing a newborn home to a damp house.

guppy · 23 August 2008 at 8:22PM

Might be worth speaking to Environmental Health? Do they cover this sort of thing?

lynne1985 · 23 August 2008 at 8:30PM

i've only looked through my daughters room and its mostly her toys that are damaged dolls house, dolls, hifi, shoes, ive shoved the washable things in the washing machine and cleaned down the other things, its not thousands of pounds worth of stuff a few hundred pound but my daughter will be gutted when she finds out what has been ruined, moneys tight just now with the decorating and the new baby on the way so i can't afford to replace the stuff myself right now and Im also worried incase it damages more stuff i've no idea how to deal with things like this so i don't know how to prevent it or reduce it from spreading

fiodyl · 23 August 2008 at 8:33PM

We had really bad mould in the bedroom of the 1st flat we had of the council. When we complained the council told us that we should leave the windows open all day- even though it was the middle of winter and we had a newborn baby.

After we moved out the council sent in someone to paint over the mould then moved the next people in- which is what I guess they did with us.

Microstar_2 · 23 August 2008 at 9:15PM

Frankly, I think you may be better off moving out.

Mould is extremely difficult to eradicate. Its basically down to the internal environment (dampness, lack of proper heating and/or ventilation). There a fungicidal washes and paints, but these usually only provide a temporary solution. The mould will soon return if the air conditions in the building are not addressed.
Sounds to me like you have a severe case. Get your good stuff out of the house ASAP and then move out.

The mould itself is not dangerous, but about 20% of the population have some allergy to the mould spores (can cause wheezing etc). There is also the psychological impact as well, which is obviously what you are suffering.
Under the circumstances I would expect the LL to tear up the tenancy agreement and refund any deposit. He has some basic issues to deal with to make this house habitable.

lynne1985 · 24 August 2008 at 12:21AM

the landlord just got central heating put in a few weeks back, at first i thought this was the problem maybe a leak or something somewhere but that all got checked over and appears to be fine. with a new baby due in 3 weeks moving out seems like the only advisable option i dont want to bring a newborn baby into this i don't even want to be here myself right now but i have nowhere else to go no one that could even take me in temporary, it took the best part of a year to find this place god knows how long it would take to find something else. how easy is it to locate the problem? ill try get some pictures put on of the mould/growth as im not even sure if thats what it is. my landlord just bought the house would any dampness have been shown on the survey? sorry for waffling im in over my head right now

house184 · 24 August 2008 at 12:34AM

Ask environmental health to come over as they are often good at pinpointing where the mould is coming from. Trouble with mould is that it can often be either the LL's fault, the tenants fault or a combination of the two.

milliebear00001 · 24 August 2008 at 12:49AM

Hi there

Mold is usually the result of poor ventilation, and this is likely to be due to a fault with the building itself. Is it an old building? Is it double glazed? You can help by not drying washing on radiators, using a kitchen extractor and leaving windows open, but none of these offers you a permanent solution. Yes, mold can be hazardous to health and it's your landloard's responsibility to ensure his property is habitable, but that's a long-term problem - you need to look for somewhere else NOW.

Debt_Free_Chick · 24 August 2008 at 8:30AM

Mould in every room suggests condensation - as milliebear explains.

You need good ventilation throughout the house to prevent this. If the problem is poor ventilation, then unfortunately, this is as much the tenant's problem for not keeping windows open and reducing the build up of condensation - sorry

lynne1985 · 24 August 2008 at 11:34AM

how would i go about contacting environmental health? its an old house with no double glazing. windows only open a tiny crack at the top and one of the bedrooms has patio doors so i open that a bit when im in the house and all the other windows. i hang my washing up to dry in the backgarden or tumble dry it in the porch leaving the back door open (as theres no windows it is a condensor dryer) dont have a kitchen extractor either. I have signed a 6 months tenancy so that isnt up until Jan if i have to move out before then will i lose my deposit? thanks for everyones advice.

some sort of mould in rented accomodation what should be done?

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