Damp in are home landlord wont help!!

ben.worsley

Hi guys really need some help i live with my fiance she has 2 kids and we have 1 on the way the house we live in is riddled with damp!!!!

its upstairs around the windows its in the back bed room (sons room) all down the wall round the window its black mould very bad....

its in are room around the resses next to the window and down the bottom by the skirting board, the bathroom window black mould over the walls in the bathroom. its running down the wall in the bathroom, along the ceiling line in the froot room.

its in the back room downstairs around the window its in the the front room near the vesibule its not mouldy in there its acutaly soaking wet the paper is falling off the wall.....

as ive said my fiance has 2 children they both suffer from constant coughs very chesty i personaly have blocked nose every morning my fiance is pregnant. she has been told that it can harm the baby!!!! that all said i have spoken to the landlord sevral times with the normal responce of hes not realy botherd he came and put a damp proof paint on the bricks outside the house but that hasnt done anything in the property.. its now come the point that we have held back the rent and the landlord has pritty much said he wants us to leave the property. we cant afford a bond for a new home and we need to know what are rights are as tennets also we do not have a tennancy agreement. and we have not been provided with gas afe or electric safe certs... can any one please shed light on this for us please.

thanks
Ben

phill99

Unfortunately a lot of the problems you are encountering are down to you as occupants.

The main issue is that there is simply too much moisture in the atmosphere. This is generated from bathing, showering, dry clothes and cooking.

Additionally, it is because that moist air can't escape. It will simply condense in the coldest parts of the house - typically the bedroom and bathroom.

To minimise this you need to do basic things.

When bathing or showering keep a window open and keep it open for an hour or so after. Additionally you must keep the bathroom door shut so that the moist air goes out the window and not into the rest of the house.

When cooking, keep lids on pans, a window open and again, the door shut. Try and dry clothes on a washing line and not in the house.

Keep some background heating on in the bedroom to keep the walls a a warmer temperature. Additionally open the windows in the bedrooms open as much as possible.

keystone

First of all It sounds as though you have a serious condensation problem rather than damp. Largely this is caused by lifetyle issues rather than anything else together with a lack of ventilation. Edit: Cross posted with Phil and what he says is exactly what I'm talking about.

ben.worsley wrote: »

he came and put a damp proof paint on the bricks outside the house but that hasnt done anything in the property

LoL thats brilliant so any water that might be in the brickwork has only one way out and thats inwards. That will not be helping.

.. its now come the point that we have held back the rent

that was probably a mistake.

and the landlord has pritty much said he wants us to leave the property.

Oh dear then that seems to be the best course of action - whatever it costs you just leave as soon as is practicable.

we need to know what are rights are as tennets also we do not have a tennancy agreement. and we have not been provided with gas afe or electric safe certs...

You do have a tenancy agreement albeit verbal rather than written. Your landlord cannot harass you into leaving and if he did that would be an illegal eviction under the Protection From Eviction Act. You have, however, weakened your position by witholding rent.

This is obviously quite a complex situation because its a verbal agreement and therefoire very difficult to enforce and this is the wrong part of the board anyway. Get over to THIS part of the board and repost there. Lots of experts to help you there.

Also have a good read HERE.

Was your deposit placed in a proper scheme within 14 days of the tenancy starting? If not he has acted illegally and you could get back up to three times that amount by pursuing him through the courts.

Cheers

ben.worsley

Thanks for your advice guys. Holding the rent was the last thing we wanted to do but i dont no any other way to get there attention... Ill explaine abit further me n my fiance have only just moved in together shes lived here 4 3 years so her houseing bennifit has changed they stoped it just before christmas and because he hasent sorted anything we are refuseing to sort it out we was goin abit of leverage.