Help - renting problems, can I lower rent?

00ec25

Heliflyguy wrote: »

what are you supposed to do stop breathing in the night.

some owner occupiers will wipe down the windows each day, some may not. Leaving them wet will just result in pooling or run off which may cause damage - my mother quite happily dried the windows every day in every room all her life, do you? I don't and I continue to breathe and not heat the house at night, so ... condensation.
The bathroom ceiling in my let property is mouldy because the tenants will not use the fitted extractor fan when showering because it costs them electricity - that's a lifestyle decision. They could open a window, but I agree , in winter, why should they, nevertheless the solution remains within their control.

obviously in your case the lack of heat inside the wardrobe allows condensation to form: lifestyle issue - turn heating up . MSE issue get LL to change layout :cool:

Heliflyguy

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

I was the house owner. I can never understand why some landlords don't do simple things like putting in extractor fans to reduce damp? It's meant to be their asset after all.

:T

Ours is too tight to repair the one in our bathroom or fit one in the kitchen, this doesnt help our situation but is not the main cause of the damp problem in the our bedroom.

Heliflyguy

00ec25 wrote: »

some owner occupiers will wipe down the windows each day, some may not. Leaving them wet will just result in pooling or run off which may cause damage - my mother quite happily dried the windows every day in every room all her life, do you? I don't and I continue to breathe and not heat the house at night, so ... condensation.
The bathroom ceiling in my let property is mouldy because the tenants will not use the fitted extractor fan when showering because it costs them electricity - that's a lifestyle decision. They could open a window, but I agree , in winter, why should they, nevertheless the solution remains within their control.

obviously in your case the lack of heat inside the wardrobe allows condensation to form: lifestyle issue - turn heating up . MSE issue get LL to change layout :cool:

Every bl**dy winter morning I wipe them down so not a drop is left, I even put condensation traps in the cupboards (that no longer have clothes in) at my cost.
The problem in the cupboard is that its on a cold wall and not correctly insulated, I dread to think what is happening between the back of the cupboard and the inside of the wall.

blckbrd

Perhaps one of the main issues is terminology.

Condensation may be wet but it's not 'damp' in the construction sense of the term.

Condensation is superficial and damp in the form of rising damp or water penetration/ingress is structural. By the latter I mean that the structure is affected not necessarily that the structure has failed in some way - i.e. fixing a plumbing leak or a faulty down pipe would stop saturation.

As a large numer of people resolve their 'damp' problems by addressing the causes of condensation there is definitely good cause to ask people to look at their lifestyles. However, that certainly that should not absolve a LL from investigating reports of 'damp' where lifestyle changes have not brought about improvement.

Logically, the water for condensation has to come from somewhere and in quantities large enough to saturate the air in a property/room before it starts running down the walls or encouraging mould.

Opening a window isn't the whole story either. It's better to have a flow of air by opening several windows, just a crack, on different elevations if possible, so that the air moves.

And for that wardrobe - leaving the doors open or asking the LL to put some holes in it top and bottom and ensuring it's not crammed full may help.

Heliflyguy

blckbrd wrote: »

Perhaps one of the main issues is terminology.

Condensation may be wet but it's not 'damp' in the construction sense of the term.

Condensation is superficial and damp in the form of rising damp or water penetration/ingress is structural. By the latter I mean that the structure is affected not necessarily that the structure has failed in some way - i.e. fixing a plumbing leak or a faulty down pipe would stop saturation.

As a large numer of people resolve their 'damp' problems by addressing the causes of condensation there is definitely good cause to ask people to look at their lifestyles. However, that certainly that should not absolve a LL from investigating reports of 'damp' where lifestyle changes have not brought about improvement.

Logically, the water for condensation has to come from somewhere and in quantities large enough to saturate the air in a property/room before it starts running down the walls or encouraging mould.

Opening a window isn't the whole story either. It's better to have a flow of air by opening several windows, just a crack, on different elevations if possible, so that the air moves.

And for that wardrobe - leaving the doors open or asking the LL to put some holes in it top and bottom and ensuring it's not crammed full may help.

All the above good adivce has been covered to no avail, except for the holes in the cupboard.
I am afraid its just one of those rooms.
Lets face it we live in a cold and damp country however my original point stands that it is not an issue caused by the majority of lifestyes, there can be many contributing factors.
Apologies to the OP for not helping with their problem tho...

blckbrd

Thermal lining (from B&Q) might help then.
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9196938&ecamp=trf-005&CAWELAID=266888264

Fire_Fox

Heliflyguy wrote: »

I keep seeing this as well and I am begining to think theres a few landlords that refuse to acknowlege were some damp problems really lie and are happy to blame "peoples lifestyle"??
We live in a top/third floor flat with a north facing wall with an east facing front.
If the temperature drops to being a little cold the large windows in our bedroom with secondry double glazing (for noise rather than insulation) will be covered in condensation in the morning without any heating being on and with small widows open in other rooms during the day when no one is home, what are you supposed to do stop breathing in the night.
We live on a main road theres no way I could sleep with the windows open and why should I leave windows open and the heating on in winter, not very MSE or planet saving is it.
On the north wall the idiot pre owner put built in wardrobes, every winter all the clothes have to be removed and hung on a rail in the bedroom due to the damp (literally running down the inside of the cupboard and pooling on the base in the corner cupboard)
People cannot be expected in the depths of winter to keep windows open all day and night at some point windows will need to be closed and the heating put on, the rooms full of cold air (and moisture) will heat up, result condensation, result damp.
Some buildings are just that way inclined, stop blaming the majority of it on the tenants.

Every bl**dy winter morning I wipe them down so not a drop is left, I even put condensation traps in the cupboards (that no longer have clothes in) at my cost.
The problem in the cupboard is that its on a cold wall and not correctly insulated, I dread to think what is happening between the back of the cupboard and the inside of the wall.

If the water isn't coming from your lifestyle where is it coming from? You live in a top floor flat, it's unlikely to be rising damp, is it penetrating? It's all very well saying you can't stop breathing and don't want to open windows but what exactly do you expect the landlord to do?

I live in my own flat, and it has terrible condensation in winter. I wipe the worst affected windows every morning (kitchen roll not cloth) and open them for an hour or so daily year round. My energy DD is £34 a month and I have far less mould around my windows than the two neighbouring flats I have been in. Some of the advice on how to limit condensation is money saving in other ways - always have a lid on pans whilst cooking and turning the shower off whilst you are shampooing for example.

If the wall was better insulated you might not have condensation in the wardrobe but you'd still have high humidity and water settling elsewhere. Ask your landlord to provide a dehumidifier and use it daily - not as expensive as tumble dryers/ heating/ losing money from your deposit for mould damage. Those little condensation traps are not designed to absorb the level of water we are talking about.

Trollfever

Local authorities (District Councils and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in Northern Ireland) have a duty to take action against private landlords, housing association landlords, or, in England and Wales, registered social landlords (including housing associations) if:-

• the condition of the property affects the health of the occupier, for example, if it is damp, infested with insects or has a leaking roof; or
• the property causes a ‘nuisance’ to people living nearby, for example, if damp is coming into a person’s property from next door, or if rotten windows may fall into the street and injure others.

This duty covers disrepair in common parts of blocks of flats, such as unhygienic rubbish chutes and noisy central heating.
If you think that the condition of the property is either affecting health or causing a nuisance, you should complain to the Environmental Health Department of the local authority (District Council in Northern Ireland). They must investigate and, if appropriate, give your landlord a notice instructing them to carry out the necessary repairs. If your landlord does not comply with the notice, they could be prosecuted and the local authority (District Council in Northern Ireland) can carry out the repair work itself.
These authorities also have a duty to take action against a private landlord, housing association landlord or, in England and Wales, a registered social landlord (including a housing association) if they consider that housing conditions are not acceptable for people to live in. This could be, for example, because your home is not structurally stable, doesn't have adequate heating or lighting, or doesn't have a suitable sewer and drainage system.
The local authority will order your landlord to do the necessary repairs. If your property cannot be repaired, the local authority may order that it is not to be occupied or that it must be demolished. In this case, it will rehouse you.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_family/housing/disrepair_in_rented_accommodation.htm

freddie_2

Thanks for all advice. I think I will put this all into writing for EA and the LL. I dont have an address for LL so have to go through EA.

We are in NI so I am not sure if that makes a difference with council involvment but will check with them. I ahve phone the housing execuative for advice (even though we rent private) but got answers.

The hassle and cost of moving is one I wanted to avoid, even if it only round the couner we still need to pack and as my H works away mon-fri and I have a toddler and am pg I would have to do it myself.

Fire_Fox

Not sure how it works for you in NI, but in England and Wales if you write to your letting agent you must be supplied with the landlord's name and address. If the letting agent is useless this is the angle I would take.