Condensation in flat - rights as a tennant

kmmr

tbs624 wrote: »

Note that "the thread" does not place the issue "solely at the door of the T" - the opinions of *some* posters may appear that way. Note my suggestion that the OP gets independent guidance via the local Council.

Apologies - I mean posters of course!

tbs624 wrote: »

Even if you didn't dry clothes off on racks/radiators etc you would still need to open the windows on a regular basis, as well as heating the property.

Agreed - you have to be reasonable, and condensation is clearlly contributed to by tenant behaviour - but not all the time, and there are some real structural issues in some cases. If someone suggested I always shower with the window open in zero degrees I would be looking for somewhere new to live quick smart!

(For the avoidance of doubt.. I know you are not suggesting that. It's just an extreme example!)

PaulF81

FTBFun wrote: »

I just bought a dehumidifier and put it next to me washing whilst it dries. Seems to sort it out.

Those of you saying "laundry shouldn't be dried indoors" obviously don't live in the real world where not everyone has the ability or space to do so.

They do, they just use a tumble drier/Condenser dryer to do it.

ilovecheese

During the winter months we do our clothes washing once a week, then take it straight to the laundret to dry it, normally costs £2.00, it is better than having damp clothes hanging around for a couple of days.

puddy

out of interest what sort of properties are 'prone' to condensation?

as i said, when i lived in my flat, despite having to dry washing inside i NEVER had any condensation problems. i think it was built in the 60s and was concrete.

however, i recall that when i shared a flat many years ago, this flat had water running down the inside of the windows every flaming morning, there was a puddle on the window sill it was horrible. at a guess i would say the flats were built in the 70s or something and had brick on the outside, what they were built of i couldnt say. this was a ground floor and my own flat was a top floor flat - does this make any difference?

i am one for having open windows, even during winter i have the bedroom window open, i rarely shut it to be honest, i dont know if this makes a difference. we havent had condensation in this house until our boiler broke down after christmas the other year and we had no heating for 2 weeks, then i noticed condensation on the inside of some of the windows.

Maestro.

the fact that you rarely had your bedroom window closed will be the reason for lack of condensation, as you had good airflow. personally i quite like the mad notion of not freezing to death in my bed so i keep the window closed in winters and use a dehumidifier instead. same deal really.

breadlinebetty

For the OP...............

how many washloads do you do each week?

Tumble dryers are not as expensive to run as some people think they are. If you only do a couple of washloads a week, the dryer should get them dry in less than 1.5 hours and only costs about £2 in electricity.

Helsieboo

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Breadlinebetty - we probably do a couple of washloads a week. We do not have a tumble dryer and even if we had the cash to instal one, there is no where to put it. For everyone commenting that I shouldn't be drying my washing inside - I do take the point, but sadly in a block of flats, this is often the only option. There is no outside space to dry clothing, no tumble dryer and no laundrette nearby - even if there was, surely I can expect to be able to dry things where I live?

This is my fourth rental property and I have never had an issue like this before - I know my lifestyle hasn't changed. Like I said, there was probably a two week period where the window to my room was kept closed, but the trickle vents were left open and windows in other rooms were left open , e.g. bathroom after shower. The mould had already set in by this point anyway, so while I take the point that shutting my bedroom window for a couple of weeks probably didn't help matters, it had set in before I did this - I like having a bit of fresh air in the flat anyway, condensation issue aside and it takes a lot to get me to shut it.

Anyway, have just had this email from the landlady and it has me virtually in tears - I know I need to calm down and it can be resolved, but there's just too much other rubbish going on in my life at the moment and I don't need this to:

Please see below due to lack of heating and Ventilation to the above property

following my telephone conversation with Geoff on 7Th February


RE: inspection for possible Damp 03 february 2012


The finding are as follows:-

It was noted that black mould affecting the ceiling and top of the walls in Bedroom 2 around window revels.

Moisture meter reading take showed no evidence penetrating damp, indicating a purely condensation problem.

Bedroom 1 a considerable amount of black mould was noted on all walls no evidence of penetrating damp.
it was was felt due to not using the heating property and lack of ventilation. it was pointed out the tenants to Bedroom 1 that window should be slightly left open and heating to be used correctly to prevent condensation.

Passyfier Dehumidifier Vent.


Needs to be fitted to Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 2 this is both your responsibility please inform us when you this is going to be address. you also need to address the Black Mould as directed by the Damp Specialists.

We need this to happen ASAP, total cost to supplied & fitted is £865.00+VAT.

we need a respond from you both so we can book an appointment for the Passfier to be fitted.

Firstly, the guy who came over actually told us it was nothing to do with the way we were living our lives- he recommended we change our heater settings, but that was it. We used to have it on for a few hours in the morning and evening with a couple of hours midday, so it wasn't like the flat wasn't heated. It's not a very big flat and this was adequete for keeping it warm. We have now changed the settings to keep it on low all day, but to be honest, this is actually pretty uncomfortable to live in - I'm not too hot, but that's a seperate issue. Secondly, there is absolutely no way the mould is on every wall in my bedroom - it's on the external only, so this is incorrect. Thirdly, he told us how to clean it up, said we might need to paint it, but that should be it gone, although he recommended we might want to get a dehumidifier to stop it coming back. We're willing to do this, but I don't understand why we need to fork out for these vents she's put in the email?

The really frustrating thing is, I was genuinely trying to be a good tennant and keep her in the loop - now it feels like I should have kept quiet and just cleaned it up myself and no one would have ever known about it. The other thing is, I first reported this to her back in December and it took until last week for her to send someone round to check it - at this point, I didn't know if it was condensation or damp so it was probably sensible to check anyway - if this had been done straight away, surely we could have dealt with it before it got worse?

Sorry for the rant, I'm just really stressed out. I know I've always been a good tennant up to this point - rent always paid on time, flat in same condition it was when we got it, it's kept clean and tidy - this is the only thing in two and a half years I've ever brought up and I thought I was doing the right thing.

Maestro.

Helsieboo - you're getting yourself tied in knots about an issue that is clearly not your problem. Try not to distress - this is simply the landlord code; blame the problem on the tenant and pretend it doesn't exist.

Heating doesn't make a great deal of difference unless the damp problem is very, very slight. I have a room in my flat that isn't heated (all I do is store junk in it) and it is as dry as a bone.

If your problem was caused by condensation, you'd see mould spores and black patches on the walls. If it's structural damp, the appearance will be simply of wet or damp walls, and it WON'T go away when wiped off, unlike condensation marks. Rising damp will also leave a "tide mark", but it's unlikely you'll have that given you're in a block of flats. Sometimes there is a combination of both, but it sounds to me like you are simply being jerked off by your landlord, which I can't say I find surprising.

BitterAndTwisted

Please don't be stressed. Just reply to the landlady and suggest that in the first instance you think a dehumidifier might help to resolve the problem and that you are willing to split the cost with her. I would advise you not to comment on the supply of these Passyfier Dehumidifier Vents at all. In fact never mention them. Tell her that you will be taking steps to get rid of the mould yourselves.

Once again: SHE CANNOT compel you to pay for these vents: they are an improvement to the property and are not your responsibility to pay for.

She can, and possibly might seek to retain your deposits to pay for any damage made to the property when you leave. Do everything in your power to put right the damage now and take all steps necessary to prevent causing any more.

From now on do not communicate with your landlady by any means other than in writing. Emails are not an appropriate form of communication about things such s this. Do not acknowledge that your behaviour is the cause of this condensation.

Catherine_Johnson_2

Koicarp wrote: »

This is an important point, the biggest cause of condensation in bedrooms is breathing, people tend to be in there with the door shut (in shared flats) for around a third of their lives, and breathing creates lots of moisture!

But the easy answer to that (and which has already been given) is to simply open a window in said bedroom for a short while to 'air' the room.

All most rooms need now and again is a bit of fresh air.