Mould in Rented Flat Causes Furniture Damage- Compensation?

Claire212

Jrawle - this is exactly what I was told. It's not all it's cracked up to be.


Our house has 9 inch thick walls, no insulation. It wasn't designed for double glazing, just single glazing.

Kynthia

Pixie5740 wrote: »

This query is off topic but out of curiousity where are tenants supposed to dry their clothes? I live in Scotland, it rains a lot so I can't always dry my clothes outside, it's a fully furnished flat with no tumble dryer and no space for one if I were to purchsed it myself, so I dry my clothes inside. I've never had a problem with mould (except for one student flat many moons ago but that was due to a burst pipe in the flat upstrairs) but then again I like to open windows and get the air circulating.

If you've never had a problem with mould then you don't need to modify your behaviour. The advice is more for people who are experiencing trouble. They should use outside space wherever possible to dry laundry, and when not possible I would suggest drying clothes in the bathroom with the door shut and the window open (or extractor on if no window). Then compensate slightly by having the heating on for a bit. Same for cooking, if the property has moisture issues then it's best to have the window open or extractor on and keep lids on pans. This is in addition to heating and ventilating and may be getting a dehumidifier. Different properties and different lifestyles mean people have to act differently accordingly.

Twiggy_34

Pixie5740 wrote: »

This query is off topic but out of curiousity where are tenants supposed to dry their clothes? I live in Scotland, it rains a lot so I can't always dry my clothes outside, it's a fully furnished flat with no tumble dryer and no space for one if I were to purchsed it myself, so I dry my clothes inside. I've never had a problem with mould (except for one student flat many moons ago but that was due to a burst pipe in the flat upstrairs) but then again I like to open windows and get the air circulating.

There's no easy answer to that but, unless you're in the tiniest of bedsits or flats, there's almost always somewhere to put a tumble dryer, albeit not the most desirable places. You could put one in any room provided you have somewhere to let the hose out or it's roomy enough to accommodate a very good condenser dryer. The other thing is about using the right places to air dry laundry. E.g. kitchens and bathrooms which have the right type of surfaces to cope with additional moisture (e.g. tiles and bathroom/kitchen paint) again provided there is sufficient ventilation and it doesn't breech the tenancy agreement and not using hallways or living/dining/bedrooms just because they have the most space. As another person commented, if the facilities aren't available in the flat/house you choose to rent, they tenant has to consider using launderette services. Asking the landlord to consider upgrading to washer/dryer is also another option, but of course we're back to the position where the LL isn't obliged to do this.

We did protect ourselves by putting a clause in the agreement for our property saying that they shouldn't air dry laundry. But they do have a backyard with washing lines. I did say it shouldn't be a problem though to air dry in the bathroom as it's a huge room, with heating, and with a window to allow appropriate ventilation if required. I also trust them to discontinue this if problems were to arise.

I guess it's a question of moderation too, provided you are drying washing outside some of the time that will be quite different to always drying it inside.