Severe damp problem in rented 2 bed flat...

larryuk

Hi all,

My Bro rents a 2 bed flat with his mate. I haven't been round to see him in a while and when I did a few weeks ago I found he was sleeping in the lounge, due to damp in his room.
It was quite shocking. I gave him a clip round the ear and told him he should have got into the landlord about it, and they said that they wrote to him about it in their 6 month renewal form. Nothing has been done about it.

So I did a spring clean for him and tried to sort it best that I could. Most of it could be cleaned away, and I then repainted the walls. All looks good now, but it is no doubt going to return.

What is the best way to take this forward? At the moment it looks better than when they moved in, but on closer inspection around the windows, it seems to have been patched over before, presuambly before the place was let to my bro. Therefore I do believe that the landlord has some knowledge of this.

What is the landlords requirement? If the damp comes throught like ot did before I would go as far as saying it was almost unliveable. My bro and his mate both came down with colds!

Just looking for some advice bfore taking this further.

poppysarah

Contact local council's private rented sector housing team. They'll have processes for this sort of thing.

larryuk

Thanks for the reply. Should I be trying the landlord first? Unfortunately my bro is not very good at making his point known so I said I woudl be happy to chase him up for him. Presumably the housing team would be the next step if he is un cooperative?

QTPie

Our first rented house (as a couple, straight out of university) turned out to have a SEVERE damp AND cold problem. Didn't notice it in the Summer, but when the Winter started (October, many years ago)... :eek:

Should have guessed when the house came with a couple of dehumidifiers... :rolleyes:

But we were young...

Husband got REALLY quite ill (severe, long-lasting cold with breathing problems) and I didn't feel good either. Our initial 6 month tenancy finished in mid-January, we moved out (and into the loveliest, coziest flat) in early January. The cost of paying double rent for 5 weeks was a very small price to pay for getting away from the cold and damp...

When does your brother's initial tenancy agreement expire? I would suggest finding somewhere else to live as soon as possible. Damp is very unhealthy for you

To be honest, I think it was pointless you painting over it - is better to present it back to the LL as was... But, as i have said, I think that they should move out.

Good luck
QT

border_collie

Is it them creating the damp? Showers, pans boiling, drying clothes etc and never opening a window?

Was the mould on the walls black? If so it is condensation and needs addressing by the tenants.

Barneysmom

We got some really good stuff called Virkon, it kills a lot of baddies, fungis, viruses etc, and washed the walls downwith it.
You have to wear gloves and overalls but so far nothing has come back.
You mix it with water and spray it on, leave it for te inutes then wipe it off. We've had good results with it.
It's more for labs and hospitals, but it's done the job in our spare room.
Here is a description on Wiki........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virkon

tbs624

larryuk wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Should I be trying the landlord first? Unfortunately my bro is not very good at making his point known so I said I woudl be happy to chase him up for him. Presumably the housing team would be the next step if he is un cooperative?

Yes, the LL *should* be the first port of call but do it in writing and keep a copy. A LL has what are called "repairing obligations" but obviously has to be notified of any problems. If he then phones or calls round in response you/your brother write confirming your understanding of what has been said and take it from there.

T's also have to make sure that they are doing what they can to limit problems with condensation see here for the usual guide offered by councils - they need to keep the property adequately heated and adequately ventilated. The things that are listed in here are probably the first things the LL will ask about.

You're obviously a fantastic brother/sister.