Renting a basement flat with no ventilation - I'm melting!!

mqandy

Hi there,

Flats go very, very quickly round here, and after viewing dozens of pretty nasty properties, I snapped up the first attractive one I saw just before my previous tenancy expired.

Only now that I've moved in and the weathers changed have I noticed that the main living area has no ventilation whatsoever, and the large skylights do not open.

I'm starting to melt - it reaches 35 or so in the day, and never cools bellow the low 20s.

Anything I can do to stop melting!?

Silly of me to not notice it, I know, but it's a new build and I would have thought adequate ventilation was a bit of a building regs essential?

CloudCuckooLand

Don't worry August is close at hand, it'll soon cool right down...

Jolaaled

mqandy wrote: »

Hi there,

Flats go very, very quickly round here, and after viewing dozens of pretty nasty properties, I snapped up the first attractive one I saw just before my previous tenancy expired.

Only now that I've moved in and the weathers changed have I noticed that the main living area has no ventilation whatsoever, and the large skylights do not open.

I'm starting to melt - it reaches 35 or so in the day, and never cools bellow the low 20s.

Anything I can do to stop melting!?

Silly of me to not notice it, I know, but it's a new build and I would have thought adequate ventilation was a bit of a building regs essential?

If it's getting warm and there really is no ventilation, then increasing humidity may be your problem, making 25 degrees feel like 35!
You could try renting a dehumidifier...if you can reduce the humid, then it should feel a lot cooler.

poppysarah

You could have a chat to building control
(Plans might be online for the property when they did the work that you could compare)

princeofpounds

Take some evidence (temps for a couple of days).

Speak to landlord and as for the skylights to be converted into proper ventilating ones, using your evidence as backup.

If no result, Environmental health inspection might be your only remedy. Extreme heat is one of the hazards in the HHSRS.

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/workspace/assets/publications/HHSRS-hazards-1245323314.pdf

maninthestreet

Jolaaled wrote: »

If it's getting warm and there really is no ventilation, then increasing humidity may be your problem, making 25 degrees feel like 35!
You could try renting a dehumidifier...if you can reduce the humid, then it should feel a lot cooler.

A dehumidifier will RAISE the temperature!

ILW

A basement flat with skylights?

csnann

There could be an extension at the back with skylights.

Jolaaled

maninthestreet wrote: »

A dehumidifier will RAISE the temperature!

yes, running the dehumid may raise the temp a bit, but it will feel much cooler!

tyllwyd

It does seem strange that they would have built a flat with no ventilation in the living space - it makes me wonder if there was originally something on the plans, maybe an extractor fan, and it hasn't been included when the flat was actually built? I'd do a bit of digging and see if you can find any paperwork - maybe it would be worth phoning the building regs team at the council to ask for more information. In the short term, would hiring a portable air conditioning unit be an option?

namratasnv

tyllwyd wrote: »

It does seem strange that they would have built a flat with no ventilation in the living space - it makes me wonder if there was originally something on the plans, maybe an extractor fan, and it hasn't been included when the flat was actually built? I'd do a bit of digging and see if you can find any paperwork - maybe it would be worth phoning the building regs team at the council to ask for more information. In the short term, would hiring a portable air conditioning unit be an option?

I just want to know the period of short term like, if you can arrange to have ventilation in that short period of time then there is no problem at all.

Otherwise, portable air conditioner can be arranged. You can also take some better suggestions.