advice re aspergillus have this infection in my ears!!

Greener_Grass

Hi all, I am looking for some advice about what to do about my flat, it is a privately rented 2 bedroom flat and for the past 2 years we have been reporting a problem with mould to my landlord, so far they have done exactly nothing about this problem.

I have now had an ear infection for three weeks and found out today it as aspergillius niger, I'm assuming i have breathed this in from my house, i also have asthma so am assuming this is why i have been more likely to catch this.

I have phoned my letting agent today to ask what they are planning to do about the mould and made them aware of the fact this is now affecting my health, they do not seem particularly worried and said they would ask the landlord if he would deliver a de humidifier, wether or not that will happen remains to be seen. I also have a 2 year old child and do not want him to be ill from this. I live in a block of 8 flats and the letting agent is trying to fob me off saying only we have mould which i know for a fact to be a lie but do know apparently our flat is the worst.

I do not dry any wet washing in here and have not done so since last year as it was causing it really badly in my livingroom, our bedrooms are terrible and you can actually smell the mould smell. please help, at the end of my tether. Thank you in advance

BitterAndTwisted

What you can do is rather dependent on your particular circumstances. I would give notice and get the hell out of there.

Why haven't you contacted Environmental Health? Get them round to do an inspection.

Greener_Grass

We are in a lease until february, i just didn't know what to do, until today i had no idea the mould was so bad. I wasn't sure if environmental health would be too interested but i think you're right and i should phone them, if nothing but to scare my landlord into treating this properly. the last thing i want is for them to give me a dehumidifier and this to not actually solve the problems.

norbet

Firstly - I rent an old terraced property that suffers from condensation & mould, especially in colder weather when the heating’s on. It's in a really nice area and the landlord was very helpful in getting a "damp company" in last year, however it hasn't sorted the problem - merely moved it from one place to the next. We've had shoes & clothes in cupboards that have been ruined due to mould and dampness. So, we're looking to move (buy hopefully, but if all else fails rent).
So, on the basis of the symptoms, I sympathise with you.


What I can't understand is, why after being there for two years and knowing about (and reporting) the problems last year you have not done something about it sooner? You mention drying clothes inside caused problems last year so it's not like this should come as a surprise to you? Unless you entered into a very long lease it sounds like you must have renewed at some point? I'm confused to say the least.

You may find that the landlord, with the best will in the world, may well struggle to resolve the problem (it could involve extensive repair works and you may need to ask yourself, do you really want to live there while it’s sorted and put up with the dust & mess?)
We try, where we can, to clean up the mould/mildew using a bleach based spray, I appreciate it's not ideally something you as a tenant should be expected to do, but for us it was a "live with it until we can find somewhere else scenario" - may I suggest you, as soon as possible do the same?

BitterAndTwisted

Mould is caused by too much moisture in the air. Dehumidifiers remove it. The cause of the excess moisture really needs to be addressed perhaps by heating, adequate ventilation and the use of a dehumidifier. Unfortunately the agent is bound by the landlord's willingness or otherwise to address the problem. In your shoes I would garner all the evidence I could that the problem lies in the building rather than your own actions or lack thereof. Have you spoken to any of the other residents in the building? Would they be willing to supply you with any evidence if they're suffering similar problems?

Greener_Grass

We have renewed our lease twice both for 9 months as when our lease has ran out we simply could not find anywhere else suitable to live so i feel we are almost forced to stay here, I am beyond desperate to move but am just not sure of the likelyness of this, my partner works in sainsburys and im a stay at home mum so most letting agents aren't that keen to rent to us! i will need to speak to my neighbours and ask if they would be willing to do what you've suggested. I have now phoned environmental health and someone is going to call me back tomorrow to discuss this with me.

The flats are newbuild and extremely well insulated as a result the flat is always boiling, sometimes 28 degrees even with no heating on, there seems to be a lack of ventillation, the kitchen, bathroom and hall have no windows due to the design of the flats, the livingroom (which is joined to the kitchen) only has double doors that open onto a fake balcony so there is no small window i am able to leave open, its open a door or nothing. i am going to look outside the building tomorrow to see if there is any signs of the mould on the outside as the walls affected are all outside walls, both bedrooms the main mould is in a corner of two adjoining outside walls.

We have tried to stay on top of this problem as best we can with cleaning regularly with bleach etc but the mould always just seems to come back and the mould is mostly on the roof and in the corner so it is quite hard to reach.

I am really hoping we get this dehumidifier then this will help alot, I plan to scrub the whole house from top to bottom with bleach to rid all possible mould i can in a hope that this will along with the dehumidifier will eliminate the problem

BitterAndTwisted

Kitchen and bathroom, the rooms which have the most moisture going into the air from bathing and cooking, have no windows? Almost certainly this is the root of the problem. Moist air will migrate and condense on the nearest cold surfaces.

Keep that balcony door open as much as possible. Sounds like you can afford to if the temp is that high most of the time.

norbet

A de-humidifier may provide some temporary reprieve but as B&T suggests above, it's usually down to the construction & fabric of the building - in our case an aging Victorian property with sealed unit double glazing & central heating.

norbet

That's very unusual for a new build GG - do the kicthen & bathrooms not have extractor fans? How is the property heated? If it's as new build as you say then it's likely to be covered by NHBC gaurantee - parhaps you could get your LL to contact the builders, mention that you think it's causing damage to the decor and you worry that it may lead to further damage (that might encourage the LL to act).

good luck!

G_M

Greener_Grass wrote: »

Hi all, ......we have been reporting a problem with mould to my landlord, so far they have done exactly nothing about this problem.

....., I'm assuming i have breathed this in from my house, i also have asthma so am assuming this is why i have been more likely to catch this.

I have phoned my letting agent today to ask

The advice others have given is good but just to clarify:

Have you been reporting this for 2 years in writing to the address for Notices on your tenancy agreement? Or making informal phone calls?

Assumptions are all very well, but have you got evidence/proof? Analysis of the spores by Environmental Health? Letter from your GP?

Hillbilly1

Can your GP prove the aspers is from the flat?

It is passed easily from person to person and animals and so it may not be from the flat (you still need to sort out the other stuff. . . but the aspers may not be caused by it).