Mould in Private Rental

amy104

My sister has recently signed a six month AST on a property. Since moving in the building has developed a mould problem in every room, to the point even her clothes in the wardrobe are getting ruined. We are 100% certain that it is a building problem, not her lifestyle, and were advised the most likely cause was that the property was done up as quick as possible and that the plaster wasn't allowed to dry out properly before painting.

What course of action should she take? How long is acceptable for a LL to rectify this sort of thing as we are concerned about the health implications. Thanks.

[Deleted User]

My property can have a mould problem. I don't know if your sister's property is a terraced.., but victorian terraced houses do seem to have an airflow problem.

I leave the windows open while the kids are at school to let the place breath. I also have a Ebac2850e dehumidifier (supposed to be the best make) that I bought on ebay.

These things seem to be keeping mould at bay.

N79

She should write to the LL, outlining the problem and asking them to take action. In fact, she should already have written once the problem appeared. (If there has been a significant delay in informing the LL which means that the LL will now have to take far more drastic action than if the problem was dealt with at the start then you sister may be liable for some of the costs.)

I'm afraid I don't buy your explanation. I suspect that what has actually happened is that the air bricks or other ventilation points have been plastered or painted over so there is no air circulation.

amy104

As far as I am aware she has informed the landlord who is sending someone round to look at it.

I was wondering what sort of action should be taken by them and how long is reasonable repair time?

If its too long are there other options like speaking to enviromental health or could she negotiate out of her fixed term?

N79

You don't know how long is reasonable for repairs until the problem is identified. If it is structural then the LL should provide dehumidifiers fairly quickly but actual structural repairs could easily take weeks to organise and carry out. Provided the LL is acting as fast as possible to affect repairs then environmental health are unlikely to get involved - after all, all they would do is instruct the LL to carry on with repairs.

Once the initial inspection takes place it would be a good idea to discuss her wishes and options with the LL. After all, if major repairs are needed the LL may well be happy to agree early surrender if that is what you sister wants.

If the property is truely uninhabitable, even with a dehumidifier, then the LL will need to provide alternative accommodation or agree a surrender - but the initial inspection needs to happen first!