tenant in my flat - condensation issues

michele-p

Hi all,

I'm after a bit of impartial advice if anyone has any experience.

I rent out a 1 bed flat with electric heaters. New tenant moved in a year past Dec. We gave her printed info on condensation, and instructions to keep trickle vents open etc, as previous tenant never opened the windows!

In Feb this year (14 months in) she called to say there is a terrible mould problem, and she has been dignosed as allergic to mould. We agreed to go to visit to see the issue, she said carpets (new at start of tenancy) was ruined and all walls black.

We offered £100 towards the cost of an dehumidifier. She asked permission to replace the carpet at her expense with hard flooring. We agreed.

We paid for a damp survey to put all our minds at rest. The report came back to say nothing harmful is in the flat and it is a condensation issue.

I'm about to post her the report, along with various articles about beating condensation. She has emailed to say the flooring will be more than she had hoped, obviously after a donation.

So, as a landlord have I done all I should here? I don't think I should have to pay out more, the carpet does not look ruined, but she seems to think that it's full of mould and dangerous.

Any advice appreciated.

Werdnal

Sounds like you have done more than enough to satisfy your obligations here. One poster here has mentioned that you can actually remove the sliders on the trickle vents, meaning they cannot be closed - or tenant "forget" to open them!

I would send the information and damp report, and advise her that nothing harmful was noted in the specialist's findings.

Obviously, if she still has issues, she always has the option to move!

anselld

I would offer to buy the dehumidifier if she gives you back the £100. At least then it belongs to you and the next tenant can use it when she leaves.

rentergirl

The place should not be able to get so humid. Landlords always misunderstand this. Would you want to keep the windows open in a flat with no background heating? You should pay for the dehumidifier, as it's best for your home's state of repair.

Yorkie1

Ignore rentergirl as she always refuses as a matter of principle to accept that Ts can cause condensation problems in a property.

Of course the place can get humid if the T doesn't open windows and has a lifestyle which doesn't minimise condensation / maximise ventilation through the trickle vents - hardly "keeping the windows open" and I note that the flat does indeed have heating.

I agre with Werndal and anselld.

anselld

rentergirl wrote: »

The place should not be able to get so humid. Landlords always misunderstand this.

Usual nonsense rentergirl! People expire/perspire about 500 ml per day plus cooking, showers and probably drying clothes. Where exactly do you think all that water goes if you never ventilate?

The L in this case has a survey to prove there are no defects; so the rest is down to T lifestyle.
.

Brallaqueen

Reported rentergirl for persistant and willful posting of misinformation to the detriment of the OPs she responds to.

theartfullodger

michele-p wrote: »

......

..... New tenant moved in a year past Dec. We gave her printed info on condensation, and instructions to keep trickle vents open etc, as previous tenant never opened the windows!

...

We offered £100 towards the cost of an dehumidifier. ...

...

....

So you knew there was a damp/condensation problem. You've now got condensation/damp: Quelle surprise....

I take it the tenancy had no clause stating tenant must take particular care on ventilation (over & above usual wording)?? - or not, please??

£100 towards a dehumidifier?? Why on earth not buy one - they're only £139:99, free delivery..

This tenant will probably not change it's spots. S21 recommended.

If you wish to avoid environmental health etc.. suggest next tenancy rent it with a dehumidifier & probably one of those gentle quiet extractor fans you cannae turn off.. About £1,200 I think.. e.g.
http://www.homeventilation.co.uk/

Summary: Own goal!

Cheers!

theartfullodger

Brallaqueen wrote: »

Reported rentergirl for persistant and willful posting of misinformation to the detriment of the OPs she responds to.

Shame: I quite like reading rentergirls posts... We do have free speech, together with the consequences of that, in our fair country.....

Idonex

rentergirl wrote: »

The place should not be able to get so humid. Landlords always misunderstand this. Would you want to keep the windows open in a flat with no background heating? You should pay for the dehumidifier, as it's best for your home's state of repair.

Rubbish. What tenants need to understand is what condensation ctually is, and what causes it.

We lived in our flat for 7 years with not so much as a single condensation issue. Rented it out 18 months ago and in January the tenants called to say the flat had a big damp patch in the bedroom (and had been there for 3 months but they only told us in Jan). Went round and they'd put tape over the passive air vents, turned off the bathroom extractor at the master switch, because it was "too noisy" (due to them not cleaning the air vent as instructed in the tenancy) and were drying all their sopping wet clothes on burning hot radiators under the windows (the ones that had the air vents taped over).

Had a surveyor round who said the damp was 100% condensation, the flat had perfect provisions for air circulation and all the tenants needed to have done was to keep the air vents open, the extractor on and open the windows once in a while.

All this despite the tenancy having very specific clauses about avoiding condesation and even after sending them information before it got cold about how to avoid condensation.

BitterAndTwisted

"The place should not be able to get so humid"? If you seal the place up as tight as a drum and never open a window you can make like a turkish bath in no time. I can almost guarantee that the OP's tenants are drying laundry indoors. If they're not doing that then they're not heating and ventilating the place adequately.

I'd get shot of them before they do any more damage and try to blame the wrong party.