Damp in New Build Property

becky8260732

We bought and moved into a brand new build property 7months ago.

After 2months we noticed mould/spores growing on the walls in all of the rooms. We cleaned down with bleach as instructed and kept the flat well ventilated - following all tips to reduce condensation - were told it was the natural drying out process.

By October - we noticed the walls in the 2 bedrooms and lounge were covered in spores. Furniture including bed and mattress was also covered in the mould - we contacted the Customer Care of the company we purchased from (a well known big building company).

Over the past months we have had de-humdifiers in twice - with no change. The humidity levels in the flat are at 97% - not the recommended 40-60% they should be. The carpet in the main bedroom has rotted and partially ripped up by the company who assessed the damage on builders behalf back in October.

Since October we have been left to sleep on a mouldy bed and mattress with all damaged furniture still in the property including clothes and shoes. We have recently made progress with the company who have agreed to move us out of the flat on temporary basis whilst issue is investigated - advised could be 3months or more.

1. Is this normal in the new build flats?
2. Are we entitled to claim the money for replacing the items damaged (all brand new when moved in as our 1st home)
3. Can we claim compensation for damages, stress and inconvenience - if so how much ( as I don't want to push the boundaries at the meeting later this week)?

N.B we have pictures, medical records and reports etc. The NHBC are also involved - they have the relevant pictures.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Mistral001

Looks like you need to contact a solicitor.

avgroup

What colour is the Mould ?

ed110220

I think we need some more details of the characteristics of the damp problem in order to tell what it is, but certainly it isn't normal.

There are two types of damp problem. First there is condensation. Water vapour in the air condenses on cold surfaces. It's especially a problem where the walls are unusually cold, but a new property should be fairly well insulated and the walls not too cold - it is more of a problem in buildings built before about 1930. Condensation is also encouraged by unusually moist air in the home, say from drying clothes indoors, cooking with gas etc.
Secondly there is damp caused by a water leak, say from the guttering, plumbing etc.

In my last home, a flat in a Victorian house, there were bad condensation problems due to cold walls, cooking with gas and drying clothes indoors as there was no garden. We did not though have damage to furniture or bedding, which makes me think there is something especially wrong in your case.

becky8260732

The mould is green/black on the walls - more green on the furniture as it has embedded into the wood.

We cook with electric and have kitchen and bathroom extractor fans on whilst cooking and showering etc. We have previously dried clothes in the home but since de-humidifiers were taken out first time we have followed advice and used tumble-dryer (hasn't stopped problem returning).

The humidity levels in the flat are at 97% which may be causing high moisture levels in the property. We really aren't sure what could be causing this.

The company are saying this is the natural drying out process and is completely normal.

jkpd

your problem is most likely to be condensation,mould etc is not part of the drying out process,hairline cracks and a few sticky doors maybe but not mould,if it is as bad as you describe then from my 25 years in the trade i would say it is a very serious problem.Their are a number of potential defaults that could cause this problem some quick to fix like extractor fans venting into the voids behind plasterboard,can you or somebody with basic diy skills remove the cover from the vents,in the bathroom their should be a switch normaly above the door which isolates the power to the fan,check by pulling light switch and fan does not run remove cover look inside fan and see if you can see a pipe or a duct,if your fan is on a outside wall you should see daylight,either way you would normaly feel a draught.I am saying this because we have to acheive air tightness now in newbuilds so if your fans were not vented they would be blowing the condensation around your flat and being airtight it cant escape,or you could hold a sheet of a4 paper agaisnt the fan when it is running it should be sucked flat to the fan and stay their.

Have other flats the same problem? NHBC should be acting on this very quickly,Has anybody tryed to investigate,it is obvious you have a serious problem and it needs to be sorted asap,you should be able to claim for everything including complete redec,have your considered having your own surveyor or maybe call one for some advice?who do NHBC answer to? hope this has been some help all the best.

gmgmgm

97% humidity sounds rather high... how are you measuring this???

How often do you open the windows? Regularly opening the windows should reduce the humidity to a more normal level.

smcqis

Our humidity in the bedroom ranges from 60-65% ish and humidity downstairs is about 65-70% (though this reduces to about 40-50% when the fire is on)

fiddiwebb

97% is very high

I assume this is a ground floor flat?

What is the sub floor like under the floorboards?