Living in council house that's making me & my family ill

PeterZ_2

Is your dehumidifier powerfull enough? According to this website you need a dehumidifier that is capable of at least 10litres a day. Turn the heating on and run the dehumidifier at the same time, this should help. Also try to avoid drying clothes in the house.

Ultimately, it sounds like there is something with the house that needs to be fixed. Have you checked the outside guttering for leaks that may be allowing water to run onto the walls? Hope you can get it sorted out, sounds dreadfull, especially if you have children in the house.

Norman_Castle

You should not use bleach to remove mould. As proven by you, it does not work. Bleach fumes can cause respitory problems.

C_Mababejive

Lots of people live in damp houses but cant afford to remedy them or re-mortgage to finance such works.

MamaMoo_2

PeterZ wrote: »

Is your dehumidifier powerfull enough? According to this website you need a dehumidifier that is capable of at least 10litres a day. Turn the heating on and run the dehumidifier at the same time, this should help. Also try to avoid drying clothes in the house.

Ultimately, it sounds like there is something with the house that needs to be fixed. Have you checked the outside guttering for leaks that may be allowing water to run onto the walls? Hope you can get it sorted out, sounds dreadfull, especially if you have children in the house.

We've borrowed a 12L one from a friend. I was shocked at how much water it was drawing in! It could be full in about 6 hours sometimes!
I don't really have the easiest of access to the outside of the house on the side where the damp is worst, although I can't see any guttering etc out there.

MamaMoo_2

Norman_Castle wrote: »

You should not use bleach to remove mould. As proven by you, it does not work. Bleach fumes can cause respitory problems.

Was following the advice of the council. More fool me. Can you recommend any good products to clean with? Thanks

MamaMoo_2

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Lots of people live in damp houses but cant afford to remedy them or re-mortgage to finance such works.

Sorry, but that's rather unhelpful.
I've got a letter from the GP saying that the damp and mould is making my family ill.
I can't remortgage the house as its not mine, it's the council's, and they have a duty, as a landlord, to sort the issue out.

iamcornholio

The council as landlord, have an obligation to make sure that the property is free from structural dampness - ie dampness via a defect in the property such as a leaking floor/wall/roof etc. However if the dampness is caused by condensation ie your use of the property, then there may be no obligation on the landlord to do anything - but this can change in certain circumstances

The councils own environmental health dept can't get involved with the councils own housing issues

What you need to do is consult a local Solicitor (free legal aid if you qualify) for action under Statutory Nuisance (Section 79 and 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990). Then a notice will be served on the council to abate the nuisance within 21 days or face action in the magistrates court. Normally the council will act very quickly to investigate and sort out any work within 21 days of receiving this notice

Another option, but takes a bit longer is to take legal action under other landlord and tenant legislation "The Housing Disrepair Protocol" - see a legal advisor. This option may get you compensation

stebiz

MamaMoo wrote: »

Sorry, but that's rather unhelpful.
I've got a letter from the GP saying that the damp and mould is making my family ill.
I can't remortgage the house as its not mine, it's the council's, and they have a duty, as a landlord, to sort the issue out.

Every house would have mould/damp if it wasn't 'aired' correctly. As said it is not rising damp. That won't go above a metre or so. Chances are that you haven't got enough ventilation. Not opening the windows enough. It happened to us when we didn't. Then we needed to clean it off with bleach, and use anti fungal paint. But there again we couldn't use an excuse of blaming the council.

MamaMoo_2

Apologies for not mentioning this earlier (thought I had, but it must've been the post I lost) but the council's damp inspector has deemed that the damp is due to issues with the windows. The seals need replacing (if there's a strong wind outside, even with the windows and vents closed, our curtains blow about as if the windows are open. Water also leaks theough the seals heavily when it rains) as does the silicone around the windows (there's actually mould growing from under the silicone.
We were told that there wasn't really much we can do, because even though we can stop most of the condensation, we can't stop the leaks, and the more it leaks, the more the seals rot, and the more the mould grows.
The inspector said we were already doing everything we should be.
Basically, it's up to the council to sort out.

paddedjohn

OP, the use of bleach to clean the affected areas will not be a danger to your health, just make sure you use it in a well ventilated room.