Landlady wants £350 from me and GF - with PICTURES

meeps

our letting agents send a reminder out every autumn with tips about how to manage condensation etc and to test the heating.
we get a little mould growth in the corners of the bathroom and bedroom, which i usually hop on a ladder and wipe with bleach and that lasts a couple of months. it is looking a little worse at the mo as i have a bad back and haven't been up to do it.

we have recently bought a dehumidifier from argos for £99, and the difference is amazing. it fills up within about 6 hours- we are leaving it on most of the day but off at night, but the windows are so much less wet in the morning I don't have to do my tucking a teacloth along the bottom to soak it up trick, and the mould doesn't seem to have got any worse recently.

we have 6 monthly inspections and it has come up and it is our responsibility to keep on top of it.

poppysarah

meeps wrote: »

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we have recently bought a dehumidifier from argos for £99, and the difference is amazing. it fills up within about 6 hours- we are leaving it on most of the day but off at night, but the windows are so much less wet in the morning.

How much does it cost to run? What kw is it?

neas

any update on this?

redrabbit29

No update yet. I'm sending/delivering the letter this weekend so will have an update for you sometime next week. I'll post here as soon as I hear anything.

jazabelle

Have you heard anything yet?

I think they're totally out of order asking for money either way. Unless it states in your contract you are responsible for redecoration. It sounds like you've done all you can to keep the room ventilated etc.

ABUSE

I feel very cheated :mad:

I was speed reading your thread title: GF .... £350 ... PICS

puddy

im sorry, i dont know a huge amount about mould and damp, but in my flat, purpose build, top floor, lots of outside walls, i have never had a problem with damp or mould, i am a fresh air freak so plenty of windows are always open in winter but i dry all my clothes indoors because i dont have a garden, i put them on the radiator to dry. in my opinion, the landlady is probably renting out a substandard property, if the property is prone to mould, then yes, the tenant should be wiping things up, but he cant be held responsible for the type of property it is

NoDebtForMe_2

ABUSE wrote: »

I feel very cheated :mad:

I was speed reading your thread title: GF .... £350 ... PICS

LMAO I did the exact same thing

caela_2

I'm glad to see you have had so many replies. I had a similar problem with my estate agent, although we did not incur any costs. Our estate agent conducts quarterly checks and we report any problems immediately (they also manage our property).
Soon after moving in, I noticed a layer of black dots appearing above the window in the bedroom, on the ceiling. I reported this immediately, saying we have had mould growing in the bedroom and I suspect there is a problem with damp (the air was heavy and wet washing never seemed to dry).
The estate agent didn't sound surprised and said it was mould from condensation and we should keep the windows open (in winter) and put the heating on (we're made of money!) They said we could clean the mould off and spray something on it to help. I told them this was not our responsibility and as property managers, they were liable to send someone round to check the problem and fix it. Approximately six months later, they sent someone round to look at the windows. This repair man had one look and said the window seals have gone in the double glazing and this is why there is mould and condensation (creates a weird, black mould). He said the windows needed replacing.
Finally, almost a year after we first reported the problem, the windows have been replaced. We are still waiting for the estate agent to remove the mould and paint over the stains. The problem is still not fixed.
I had environmental health assess the situation and they have the power to enforce repairs (make the estate agent fix it!). They confirmed that the mould was a result of condensation.
I believe it was the duty of our estate agent to recognise the first signs of this problem during their quarterly checks. It is their responsibility to take action and inform the landlord, which they failed to do.
I would say, in your situation, that on a routine estate agent property check, they should have noticed early signs of condensation or damp. These might have appeared prior to you noticing any mould. In addition, they should have routinely scheduled maintenance of windows, which require sealing every 5 or so years and wooden frames also require regular treatment. They should have noticed the seals were due to be replaced since condensation or steaming will occur between the window panes of double glazing. Wooden frames may also look worn and eventually swell and break from rain and weathering.
Your mould problem could have been due to such problems, however, it could also have been due to poor circulation. If the landlord or estate agent was aware that the property was poorly ventilated, for instance, not enough windows or vents, no bathroom fan (or broken fan) or the property required a dehumidifier which was not provided, then it is their responsibility to deal with the consequences, not yours.

caela_2

poppysarah wrote: »

How much does it cost to run? What kw is it?

Call environmental health and if there is poor circulation of air requiring a dehumidifier, they can make your estate agent or landlord pay for it, simply keep your receipts if you have already bought one or ask them in advance.