No extractor fan in bathroom - advice

timberflake

My gf and I moved into a rented terrace house just over two years ago.

When we viewed we noticed that the paint work above the shower was bubbling and realised it was because there was no extractor fan in the bathroom (it's a seperate shower cubicle at the opposite end of the bathroom to where the window is).

Over the past 2 years we've opened the window when we can, but it's not an ideal solution in Winter. However, today, my gf was taking a shower and a load of paint work fell on her head!

I'm going to report it to the agent and send a pic, but what is a reasonable expectation? Painting over it again isn't really a viable option as the rest of the paint work will just flake off and it doesn't really solve the problem. Obviously, damp could also be a problem which will be expensive for the LL to fix.

The only real solution I see is having an axtractor fan fitted, but realise the the LL doesn't HAVE to do this.

So, am I best to just report it and if she chooses to do nothing carry on with exposed plaster on the ceiling until we vacate (no plans on doing that for a while!!)?

abankerbutnotafatcat

Is there an air vent? This could be blocked and removing it and cleaning it will help. You say the shower is at the other end of the bathroom from the window - how long is the bathroom?

princeofpounds

report it. If the situation degrades further from when you noticed the problem you will carry some responsibility.

You can force a repair if you like and are insensitive to what the landlord wants. You can't force a fan.

timberflake

abankerbutnotafatcat wrote: »

Is there an air vent? This could be blocked and removing it and cleaning it will help. You say the shower is at the other end of the bathroom from the window - how long is the bathroom?

No, theres no vent in the bathroom at all.

I would say the bathroom is 10-12 ft long.

timberflake

princeofpounds wrote: »

report it. If the situation degrades further from when you noticed the problem you will carry some responsibility.

You can force a repair if you like and are insensitive to what the landlord wants. You can't force a fan.

Not quite sure what you mean? If I report it now that the paint has fallen down and it gets worse, how do we carry some of the responsibility?

missile

I have a fan in my bathroom, but it is much more efective to wipe down the shower after use and leave the window open.

How hard can it be to paint the ceiling?

pinkteapot

Also, after showering, leave the shower cubicle door open. The cubicle dries out much better this way. If the door opens outwards, just make sure there's a bathmat/towel on the floor underneath it.

LandyAndy

We don't have an extractor in our bathroom. I leave the door and window open to create a through draft. No problem. Having the window open in winter won't kill you.

princeofpounds

Not quite sure what you mean? If I report it now that the paint has fallen down and it gets worse, how do we carry some of the responsibility?

I mean you will carry some responsibility if you DON'T report it and it degrades further. Hope that makes more sense.

tbs624

LandyAndy wrote: »

We don't have an extractor in our bathroom. I leave the door and window open to create a through draft. No problem. Having the window open in winter won't kill you.

The usual advice is to open the bathroom window but keep the bathroom door shut or there is the risk of moisture accumulation in the adjacent areas of the property.

OP - if you really want to limit the window opening sessions then you may want to consider buying/running a dehumidifier once showering/bathing is done.

Make sure that you notify the issue of the paintwork etc to the LL *in writing*, keeping a copy.

timberflake

LandyAndy wrote: »

We don't have an extractor in our bathroom. I leave the door and window open to create a through draft. No problem. Having the window open in winter won't kill you.

I never said it would, I'm simply saying it's not ideal to have the bathroom window open and is it really going to make much of a difference when the window is 12 ft away from the shower, the steam is still going to hit the cailing long before it reaches the window.

Re-paining the ceiling will cover the problem up, but it will only fall down again after time. Plus, as im painting it the rest of the paint is just going to flake off making the job much bigger.

I'm not buying a dehumidifier if the LL can't be ars*d to fix the problem, why should I!

I'm going to report it in writing with pictures and see what she says, if she decides not to do anything then so be it, I'll just keep reporting it as and when the problem gets worse.