Damp & Mould in Rented Property

li41lh

Hello All,

I moved into a rented property in July of this year. The windows would always have condensation on them, but only a little bit, as we generally had the windows open. Since the beginning of October we have now got black mould covering every external wall in the house, and on the windows. Our heating was faulty, and with the cold weather we weren't able to air the flat over night as we had been doing.

We contacted the landlord, who had a builder put foil backed plasterboard over the mouldy walls (without cleaning them first) and he said that would 'solve' the problem. It hasn't, as now the mould has spread onto the ceilings, and the plaster board itself is dripping wet.

We have repeatedly asked our landlord to resolve the issues with the flat, but he carefully chooses to ignore the main points. He has had a plumber in to fix the heating, which now works - but then the boiler started leaking, and the hot water stopped. After 2 weeks today we are having our boiler replaced, so we should hopefully have hot water AND heating - a first in the 6 months we've been there.

We have repeatedly written to the landlord to complain, and to list the issues we have - our clothes and bedding are constantly damp, the mattresses (which are the landlords) are damp, as are the curtains and the carpets. The whole place smells, and to make things worse I am also asthmatic.

We have also contacted the environmental health officer, to ask their advice, but they sent us a leaflet on condensation, which was not overly helpful, as we know why there is condensation, and we know how to fix it, the landlord just isn't doing so!

We have now cancelled our rent, having written to them letting them know what issues we wish to have addressed, but this letter was ignored. We are looking for alternative accomodation, but our hunt so far has been unsuccessful.

Any help or advice in how to resolve this would be much appreciated!!

moneysavinmonkey

There are plenty of things I can suggest you do... follow up with the environmental health officer, e-mail them some digital photos and keeping badgering them to help you...

Keep writing to the landlord, send letters recorded delivery and keep any replies. Log workmen who visit + make of note of what, works they carry out.

You could also try getting your local MP and/or local newspaper involved.

It will be a fine balance to keep a good relationshiph with your landlord whilst forcing them to carry out what could be major (expensive) works that they either don't want to or can't afford. Does sound like you are fighting a losing battle.

Ultimately for your health it's best to find somewhere else and move out. For anybody, but especially an asthmatic, the conditions you describe could be extremely hazardous to your health.

Your landlord sounds like a lost cause, so just move on!! Your deposit should be protected and if you keep those digital photos you can defend any claim the landlord may try if you have left your contract early.

The damp problems you have described sound structurally to me and not something that can be solved by using the keeping lids on pans and not drying your washing indoors. Thankfully you are renting and it's not your problem!

li'l_p

We have a very similar problem, and have rented our house for the past 3 years. Obviously the longer we have stayed in it, the worse thinsg have got. Basically we tend to get damp in corners of both bay windows at the front of the house and in the gable wall. Our landlord has been pretty good over it, but I get the feeling they are not doing as much as they probably could. They have been out and sealed around the UPVc windows and filled a crack across the bay window wall, but the problem is still there. I am sick of replacing curtains because they have gone mouldy and my bed is often cold/damp to the touch.

We try our best to 'air' the room when we are not in, however it is not ideal to have windows open in winter, moreso at the moment when you are trying to conserve energy.

At the moment I am waiting for the landlord's builder to come out and treat the external wall. He is going to put some sort of waterproofing coat on it, which will hopefully provide a bit of a seal... however his builder is just a friend of his who does odd jobs, which is a bit annoying as we tend to just have to wait. I don;t think this is fair and if his builder has too much on, then the landlord should be liasing with the letting agents to sort out alternative arrangements. I am going to up the pressure in the new year as I am now pregnant with my first child and I am reluctant to stay here with a baby in a damp house.

I would suggest that you pursue with it, at the end of the day, you are not living there for free!

logie28

Stop paying rent until your landlord sorts it out!! put the money to one side and pay when its sorted,, the worst that will happen is you get your notice and have to move to a better home!!!

Mould is alive, it spreads and gives off nasty particles which can damage your health, it needs to be treated professionally!!

olly300

logie28 wrote: »

Stop paying rent until your landlord sorts it out!! put the money to one side and pay when its sorted,, the worst that will happen is you get your notice and have to move to a better home!!!

Not good advice to give.

OP harass your the EHO and landlord like moneysavinmonkey said. Also see if your council has a private tenancy officer and contact them. Inform them that your landlord has covered the mould up. Then when your contract is up move out. Do not stay in the place any longer than you legally have to.

The EHO would have sent you the leaflets as lots of tenants complain about mould issues making them sound more serious than than they are.

logie28 wrote: »

Mould is alive, it spreads and gives off nasty particles which can damage your health, it needs to be treated professionally!!

If the mould is that bad particularly as the landlord has tried to cover it up the only way they can get rid of it now is by basically stripping the walls which means you have to move out due to the mess it makes.

LoopsYorkshire

Be very careful witholding your rent, I can understand why you want to do this but sometimes this can mean that a landlord may decide to evict you. Unfortunately even if he landlord isnt doing repairs it doesnt give you a reason to withold rent (Im talking legally here and not personally).

Condensation is a difficult one - this isnt always a structural issue in a property and may just be due to changes in temperature etc. If it is something the landlord needs to repair then you can argue he has a repairing obgliation under Section 11 of the landlord and tenant act. If he isnt doing the repairs, take pics and get advice from CAB or Shelter to possibly look at taking action against the landlord for damages due to inconvenience/negligence etc

There was a case that was took to court that clarified the correct procedure for witholding rent when there is disrepair, this is when the works have been completed you can withold future rent - I cant rememner the case but it may come to me!! But basically due to lack of security in private rented sector very often people dont see the repairs completed or get to withold future rent.

I hope this makes sense.

good luck

tubster

I would rent somewhere else as soon as you can and avoid all the hassle.

To prevent mould you should keep rooms constantly heated above 12 degrees C. to stop condensation and they should have a relative humidity of less than 68 per cent - weather monitors often record RH (use a dehumidifier). The mould should have been removed before covering, that is just common sense.

li41lh

Thanks for all of your advice.

We have cancelled our rent, and gave them 1 months notice that we would be cancelling it. Its due today, and now the landlord is coming round to talk with us, and try and resolve the issues. Fun! Hopefully once we have spoken to him, he will do something to sort the issue, rather than just trying to hide it.

We have spoken with the Environmental Health officer, who has advised us that there needs to be a ventilator in the bathroom and kitchen, and he has said this can be the subject of an enforcement order if the landlord does not do anything.

We are trying to move out, but can't find anywhere suitable at the moment, lots of very disappointing viewings, which makes the mood much lower in our house! We were hopeful to be out this side of Xmas, but looking less likely now. Our contract doesn't end until July, but as the house isn't fit for human habitation, we've taken that as a breach of the contract by the landlord, and so we're not fussed about ending the contract early!!

Thanks again!