black mould in rented house

sarahevie

Black mould patches under a window and along the skirting board in my rented house.

This has occurred before four years ago in a different bedroom. It is being caused by condensation as it is a north facing wall in a Victorian terraced house, the tenants have admitted that they are only having the heating on for two hours a day, never opening the window etc.

I want to sort it out for them. Last time I bought industrial strength mould cleaner, and re painted in mould resistant paint, and it hasn't re occurred in the same place.

However, the bedroom is next to a bathroom with a shower which is being used at least four times a day. If the tenants don't have the heating on more (they can't afford to apparently), and won't have the windows open (it's too cold) is there anything else I can do to stop it reoccuring

BitterAndTwisted

Yes, buy them a dehumidifier and ask them to run it 24/7. WRITE to them and tell them that you believe the condensation is caused by inadequate ventilation and heating and if there is any subsequent damage you will consider making a deduction from their deposit to put it right.

Is there an extractor-fan in the bathroom? If not, please consider having one fitted and impress on them that after every use of the shower it is necessary to open the window with the bathroom door shut.

poppysarah

Get a hard wired extractor fan they can't switch off. Heat exchange one might be best.

jojo_2012_2

Maybe do the same thing on this bedroom window as you did on the last one?
Also what kind of heating do you have is it one that's only has 2 settings, on all the way and boiling hot, or off and freezing? That might explain why they "only" have it on for 2hrs a day. Get a newer one with a thermostat if you haven't.

Getting them to run a dehumidifier 24/7 isn't likely to work unless you plan on lowering the rent to cover the electric bill I know I wouldn't be up for that.

blightygal

Deffo dehumidifier, my partner made stained glass windows for some rooms, meaning they cant open. In the winter a dehumidifier ends the problem of condensation and any risk of the black mould growing. They work brilliantly - and added bonus of drying out our clothes in 50% less time too, ha ha!

BitterAndTwisted

Do they dry laundry indoors? This is the most common cause of moist air migrating round a property and condensing on the nearest cold surface.

sarahevie

I suspect so, there was a large laundry airer near the offending window.

There is a condenser dryer in the cellar which has been converted into a utility room, washroom area. However, they will be loathe to use it I'm sure, as they cost money to run. It was on last night though when I visited.

I've got a hardwired extractor in the bathroom. It works but isn't very effective. Seems to just circulate the air round rather than expelling it.

BigAunty

To be honest, the tenants are legally obliged to live in a tenant like manner, and this includes adequately heating/ventilating the property, and therefore taking responsibility for any damage they cause through negligent behaviour....

The steps suggested by previous posters are sound but if you've got tenants whose lifestyle is causing damp and mould, but won't modify their behaviour and think it's your issue to resolve, that's going to be a tough one to deal with.

Do they dry wet clothes inside or is there a tumble drier?

Many local council and housing association websites have good information published for their tenants, telling them how to reduce condensation which leads to damp and mould. Probably worth finding a good advice leaflet and issuing it to them, too? Quite basic things like opening a window when cooking, putting lids on saucepans, etc.

Building design, tenant behaviour and building defects can cause mould issues. There's a good info sheet on this on the Landlordzone website about its causes and treatment.

http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/pdf/Mould.pdf

tbs624

sara - great that you're a responsible LL who deals promptly with such issues.

As a decent dehumidifier will cost you over £100 quid, plus the potential running costs for the T ( if they are already struggling with utility costs it's not going to be a huge hit with them) I'd look at getting a quote for a more efficient extractor fan for the bathroom, linked in with the light and with sufficient run-on time afterwards. As someone else has suggested , you need to tell the Ts to ensure that the bathroom door is kept shut after bathing/showering so that the fan can adequately do its work.

Have you given them general written guidance on mould/condensation etc? Haringey Council have a good section as does Bath Council IIRC.

They need to be aware that they have to work with you or they run the risk of potential health issues plus a call against their tenancy deposit.

BitterAndTwisted

Actually, I've heard that running a dehumidifier isn't all that expensive (it's been discussed at length on the Old-Style forum many times) plus one of the other benefits is that cool dry air feels a whole world warmer than cool moist air

chickywiggle

we had the same problem - in our front room then in our bedroom (so nowhere near the shower/not in a room we dry laundry and both have radiators that get used and/ or open windows.

The LL basically got us a dehumidifier which we only used a couple of times a day for mayb an hour (due to cost). we scrubbed the walls down etc.

so just a friendly warning it could just be the walls in old house.