Advice please on our rights and combatting damp

samtheman1k

It sounds like to me the damp is coming from inside. Not having ventilation, not full central heating, cooking, showers and drying washing is a recipe for disaster. It didn't happen in the summer as the water vapour doesn't condensate on the walls as it is too warm. Now they are colder, it does, and without good consistent heating and ventilation, it doesn't go away and thus moulds. Try turning your e7 heaters on for a week and I bet the problem goes away!

psychopathbabble

samtheman1k wrote: »

It sounds like to me the damp is coming from inside. Not having ventilation, not full central heating, cooking, showers and drying washing is a recipe for disaster. It didn't happen in the summer as the water vapour doesn't condensate on the walls as it is too warm. Now they are colder, it does, and without good consistent heating and ventilation, it doesn't go away and thus moulds. Try turning your e7 heaters on for a week and I bet the problem goes away!

We have been using plug in radiators, opening the window during and after a shower and while drying washing, also had the windows open most days when we get up to clear the air out a bit. All of which I have already explained.

If the problem was coming from the inside, why is it only the external walls that now have damp patches?

Cardew

psychopathbabble wrote: »

If the problem was coming from the inside, why is it only the external walls that now have damp patches?

Because condensation(damp) forms on cold surfaces, and the external walls will be colder.

samtheman1k

If it is as bad as you say, then surely this would of happened every single year beforehand, and thus, unless it is a brand new flat, it would of been fixed. I can't believe that the previous tenants wouldn't of raised a complaint and got the landlord to fix it? It would be very economically stupid for a landlord not to fix damp problems, but just to keep redecorating!

If your washing is taking a week to dry, then you must have the windows open all week, thus preventing the flat from truly drying out as it will never get warm!

I only say this because we have had similar problems, I only turn the heating on in the rooms that we are in, and only when we are home (and not over night), but dry our washing in our spare room (I have no extractor in the bathroom). There is always condensation on the windows, and around the window frames some black mould has appeared. Also in the upper corners of rooms on the ceilings (far from the radiators, and only in rooms where the heating isn't on much) and only on external walls. Leaving the heating on in these rooms has stopped it getting any worse, and buying a tumble dryer!

Cardew

The point that doesn't seem to be getting across on this thread is that heating a room or house does not solve the underlying problem of damp caused by inadequate ventilation and/or ingress of moisture from dampcourse/leak etc.

Warm air carries more moisture so masks the problem, but without adequate ventilation to get rid of that moisture laden air eventually you will get mould forming.

psychopathbabble

My friend had central heating in her flat and she still had damp.... I do agree with Cardew in that heating does not solve the problem, I have plug in radiators on in my room and flatmates room and there is still mould/damp.

Yes, it may partly be our cooking and showering but I do not believe that it would have got this bad this quickly if it was entirely down to us. I have actually found huge patches of damp wall along the skirting board in my room and in the kitchen so I'm pretty sure it's in the walls which is the underlying cause.

Sam, until yesterday we hadn't done any washing in the flat for about 3 weeks so the kitchen windows wouldn't have been kept open all that time.

Anyway, the point of this thread was not to start an argument. I was just asking peoples thoughts about what we could do and what rights we had if we did end up going to environmental health.

As it is, the landlord is supposedly getting extractor fans put in the kitchen and bathroom, sending a dehumudifier over and getting quotes for replacing some of the windows. Which is all good if he actually does it.