Tenants Rights

breynolds_2

Hi there, I need some advice regarding landlords insurance. I've been renting a flat for the past year and i've had a issue with damp. The landlord hasn't insulated the concrete floor sufficiently and layed wood lament directly on top, Due to the cold weather thoughout the winter we've had condensation building up under all my furniture which has turned 90% of my furniture mouldy. This is my first time renting a flat and i spent £1300 furnishing it (sofas, bed, bedside table, chest of draws wardrobe). Its not even a year old and its now ruined. Would the landlord's insurance cover this? I would appriciate any feedback,

Many thanks.

Sammy85_2

Why has it got to the stage where your furniture has been damaged? Mouldy furniture doesnt appear overnight and get ruined immediately.

Have you spoken to the LL or made any attempt to protect your furniture?

I doubt the landlords insurance will cover your possessions, you should have your own contents insurance. The LL is only required to have insurance on the building.

breynolds_2

I spoke with the landlord as soon as i noticed the damp. He said that it was because there was no circulation of air (keeping the windows closed) in the flat. But i make sure i leave the small bedroom and livingroom windows open to allow for this. I then noticed that paint was pealing away above one of the door frames. He said this was due to a leaky flat roof above. He sent in a decorator and all he did was decorate over the wet area and thats it. the damp has now come back in the same place again. He has known about this issue for the past 6 months. Why should i have to claim on my insurance and put my insurance rate up. even tho this is down to his (or his builders) cost cutting shoddy workmanship.

Chris_Michael

It is tricky but to prevent this issue from happening again I would recommend that you buy a dehumidifier because flats almost always become damp because of the moisture that is created within them every single day, bathing, washing, drying clothes, cooking etc and in the winter you do not open windows to ventilate because all that does is allow the cold in and the heat out!

Mould grows when the relative humidity is above 68%rh and the damp air comes into contact with a cold organic surface, this could be a wall, but it could also be your bed or some clothes.

Avoid having furniture touching outside walls and try to make sure that your clothes are not touching an outside wall in any built in wardrobes.

Hope this helps.

Chris

tbs624

Have a look at these 2 links - here and here

If you think that there are specific maintenance/buildings issues making damp and condensation harder for you to deal with then talk to the local Council - Tenancy Relations Officer (private sector rentals) and Env Health. Ask for them to assess the property under HHSRS - Housing Health and Safety Rating System, which covers 24 "hazards", damp being one of them.

breynolds_2

thank you for all your advise and the links. I do feel we did everything in our power to try and protect our furniture. We did leave the windows open throughout daytime to allow the circulation of air, but there was times when we had to shut the windows because it was so cold over the winter. We would take our wet laurdry to the lawndrette, so not to create moisture in the air. We layed plastic under the matress and sofas. but it would still create this condention. I did suggest to the landlord about the dehumidifier and said he would supply one, but never did. Its now come to my attension that the previous tenant also had issues with damp and thats why he left. I feel i've been more then flexible with the landlord to rectify the problem but all he seems to do is paint over any evidence of damp. I don't think i will be living here for much longer.

thanks again for all your feedback.