Help!! Estate agents falsely represented property & mold problem!

QTPie

Paley71 wrote: »

Sorry, the point I was trying to make is that I know the cause is condensation and not damp (which would have shown up in an empty
property unless the owner was touching the paint up every month)
And I realise that some houses will develop this problem regardless of the measures taken and some don't in spite of not ventilating properly.
I've been forcing myself to open the window more but it's a downstairs bathroom which makes me feel quite vulnerable it's also soooo cold!

Ah!

Well opening a window in a downstairs bathroom can be one way to endear yourself to your new neighbours...

Do you own the house? Any possibility of getting some sort of extraction system put in (to avoid freezing AND thrilling the passers-by )?

QT

poppysarah

And never ever leave a window open when you go out and if you believe your insurance company then you shouldn't leave windows "open" when you're not in the room.

Most burglaries happen through insecurities. Someone on my street was robbed on Tuesday - they got in by putting their arm through the open kitchen window.

QTPie

poppysarah wrote: »

And never ever leave a window open when you go out and if you believe your insurance company then you shouldn't leave windows "open" when you're not in the room.

Most burglaries happen through insecurities. Someone on my street was robbed on Tuesday - they got in by putting their arm through the open kitchen window.

I so agree with this...

YEARS ago (well 15 years at least) my Grandma was burgled because she left her bedroom window open (ground floor flat). It was one of those TINY top hung little "horizontal slot" type windows. It was open just a jar, my Grandma was in bed asleep in that room! The Burglar got into the room, riffled through her dirty laundry basket (apparently it is a common place for old ladies to keep their valuables), he found her valuables, climbed back out of the window and AMAZINGLY FORTUNATELY my Grandma NEVER woke up! Probably VERY fortunate that she didn't (and very amazing because she was a VERY light sleeper)... Frightening the nerve that some criminals have... :eek:

QT

poppysarah

I lived in Whalley Range many years ago - grd floor flat - woke up on a Sunday thinking it was a bit cold but went and got the paper from the shop and went back to bed to read the paper and drink coffee all morning and when I finally got up and opened the curtains I noticed one of the windows had been forced - I like to think they did it whilst I was getting the paper rather than whilst I was asleep. I moved not long after (second break in there - the first time they nicked virtually nothing cos the tv i had weighed about 10 tonnes so they couldn't move it... )
I did then live in two more ground floor flats though... so it didn't put me off completely.

QTPie

I bet that thieves LOVE the new lightweight LCD/Plasma TVs... :rolleyes:

My Grandma lived in a "Warden Controlled" retirement complex - apparently they had a run on these burglaries... I don't think that anyone was hurt (hope not!).

All very scarey...

QT

caela_2

Hey guys,

Thought I'd update this thread with the latest information which some people might find helpful. Basically, we seriously considered moving and it is still a possibility, however, after looking at a few places, we realised nowhere can really replace where we are now and I'm not sure if I can face the stress of moving (let alone the expenses!).
So, angered at the fact that we might have to move just because the situation was not being dealt with appropriately, I made one last desperate bid. I called a private housing advice line who told me that if my ea/ll was refusing to deal with a problem I had reported which I believed was due to no fault of my own and which was becoming a health/safety hazard, we did have an option. We were told to write to our ea and ll explaining the situation once again (considering it has already been reported many times previously) and to give them one week, or another reasonable period of time, to take action to deal with the problem. We mentioned that if nothing was done within the week's notice, that we would then take matters into our own hands and call three companies for three quotes to deal with the mold, employing the cheapest company and invoicing the ll for the works.
And guess what? We've had the most communication we've probably ever had from our estate agent and a great response. At first, they did attempt to wriggle out of it, saying vaguely that they would take pictures and notify the ll, but I maintained that whatever they chose to do, they had a week to get it done. A day or two later, we had our first professional property manager contracted to look at our property and write a report, which will be forwarded to the ll and ea. He suggested works to be done that will be going ahead early next week (they had been scheduled for this week, but I was too unwell, so would have been done even quicker!).
Hopefully, this will turn out well and we won't have a problem any longer. The contractor said he could not place blame for the cause of the mold and that he'd rather get it resolved than point fingers, which is great.
Of course, we have yet to see how it goes, but we've had a good response already and hopefully they will take us more seriously in the future. We have not done this out of spite, we just want our flat fixed and hopefully there will be a long term benefit for the landlord as we are planning to stay a while.
My advice to anyone having problems getting their ll/ea to take action about a matter is to definitely put something in writing and give a reasonable time frame to have the problem dealt with. Always make sure to be clear and do not take this course of action if you believe you have caused the problem yourself (get this clarified first with an advice line). Be careful not to write anything incriminating though, just keep it short and precise. I only advise you take this course of action once you have reported a problem more than once over a period of time where no action has been put in place by your ll/ea to resolve the matter. Our situation was quite severe, the problem had been reported over many years and we had fulfilled our duty as tenants. We mentioned the problem was in need of repair since it had become a health threat and the room most affected was now uninhabitable, so immediate action was needed to resolve the situation.
Hope you have found my experience helpful and thanks to all for their support.

backtomum

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

Condensation - and the mould that often follows - is generally a "lifestyle" issue which is entirely under the occupants' control.

You say you moved in and all was hunky-dory ...... then the mould began, which kinda confirms that you (or the way you live) are the cause of it.

For this reason, I can't see how you can insist that the LL pays to have the flat cleaned.

With the weather milder I would have the windows open all weekend, clean the mould and hire a dehumidifier for a week or so. Improve the ventilation and reduce the moisture in the air and see how you go.

I can't see that insisting that the LL deals with it is going to get you anywhere - sorry

What a load of cobblers - we moved into a rented house which had obviously had a paint job before it was rented out to us - the mould started up after a couple of weeks, we cleaned it constantly, had windows open continuously got dehumidifiers the lot - nothing brought it under control. We then got in a friend who is a surveyor with a damp gun - the problem was due to the damp course. Condensation and mould are two entirely different problems! The environmental health department has strict guidelines on this - a landlord can get in serous trouble for renting out a house unfit for human habitation. Honestly some people on this forum are complete clowns! sorry but this person asked for advice not condescending gits offering their knowlege (or lack of it!).