Damp and mould problems in rented house... what to do/ not do?

whosthatgirl1989

curious_badger wrote: »

Your first and second picture (of the white walls with mould/moisture) is definitely a ventilation issue - I just dealt with the exact same thing 3 days ago in my own room, and blasting radiators/heat doesn't help, "clean air" from an open window definitely will.

The problem was that I hadn't opened the window for a matter of days (due to the cold weather) and the build up of humidity in the air causes the condensation on the wall. (I spend a lot of time in the room as I work at home, and you mentioned you used to put wet clothes near the wall - humidity, as we breathe the air takes on moisture and eventually it appears on the wall if poor/no ventilation is in place).

I wiped down the walls and left the window open for an hour that same evening and the wall had significantly dried (it was wet to the touch an hour before hand, and before wiping down it had the same water droplets as seen in your pictures). I haven't had an issue ever since, and opening the window once/twice during the day/evening has fully remedied the problem.

Do not underestimate the power of "clean air" by having an open window/external door! I know that it's cold! But you don't need the window/door wide open by any means but do make sure enough fresh air is getting in, a couple of times during the day/evening for up to an hour at a time will help significantly.

The roof above the area where the white walls have gone mouldy has broken roof tiles and leaky guttering so it could be both ventilation and guttering. I will try leaving the window or door open for most of the day at the weekend. We can't leave the window open in the day during the week as we're not there but could open for a short while in the morning and in evening.

curious_badger

whosthatgirl1989 wrote: »

The roof above the area where the white walls have gone mouldy has broken roof tiles and leaky guttering so it could be both ventilation and guttering. I will try leaving the window or door open for most of the day at the weekend. We can't leave the window open in the day during the week as we're not there but could open for a short while in the morning and in evening.

Definitely give it a go - leaving the nearest window open until you leave for work, and having it open for half-hour when you return home (or an hour if possible) will help in terms of preventing "sweat droplets" from appearing again. I understand the problem could be more severe (those broken tiles you mentioned), but the droplets of water on the wall is 100% condensation related, leaks from the roof wouldn't leave water settled in the "droplets" fashion.

Also - you have the pictures of the mould, which should suffice as evidence to show any inspectors/landlord. Get it wiped away and ventilate! This problem is very common during the cold winter time and it looks so daunting that what I suggest doesn't seem a "strong" enough solution - but I was legitimately shocked myself when it resolved me exact same issue the other day (btw, the two problem areas I had have been bone-dry and free from mould ever since I introduced proper ventilation once/twice a day).

As for the red walls (your images), admittedly that looks very different to what I'm talking about - My suggestions are purely for the white walls/kitchen back door area in your first 2 images.

squeakerton

I second the recommendation for the HG mould killer. Does actually kill the mould and is excellent for shower sealant which has discoloured. Have managed to get it for under £5 from local hardware shop.

AlexMac

There are 3 main causes of damp;

a) -condensation;
moisture in the air condensing, especially on cold surfaces; cured by reducing atmospheric damp (from cooking, drying clothes or even breathing- not that you can avoid the latter!), better ventilation plus heating (and insulation) to reduce cold surfaces. Mould often forms on cold, damp surfaces; on or near windows, in corners where there is less air movement, especially on colder exterior walls, or behind furniture.

b) - rising;
natural groundwater seeping up through broken or absent 'damp proof courses', earth piled up against outside walls so as to 'bridge' the DPC or if the 'tanking' (waterproof barriers of cement, plastic or the bitumin historically used to protect basements) has deteriorated. Blocked or absent air bricks at low level can interfere with the ventilation of sub-floors (the air-space below floorboards used in traditional construction) and contact with damp brickwork can eventually lead to rot in structural timbers such as joists or even roof timbers.

c) - penetrating;
whether from rain (including rain down unventilated or uncapped chimneys), gutters, roof, or from plumbing leaks.

They often combine; plaster walls (including those exposed to rising damp) can absorb mineral salts from soil or bricks which then make then more liable to attract atmospheric damp, and contrary-wise, some older houses without DPCs are OK if kept warm and ventilated so that the walls can 'breathe'.

Your photos look like a mix of all three, and while it's worth
-generating less atmospheric damp, upping heating and improving ventilation (which can be difficult with modern lifestyles)
-using a fungicide (or domestic bleach) to kill the mould, or even stripping affected wallpaper before redecorating,
a more permanent solution would be to hack off and re-render (with a waterproofed cement mix) and re-plaster affected walls. I'm less confident that the traditional solution of also injecting a chemical DPC does any good and suspect this is a dodge to up the cost.

I've had this (re-rendering) done in several homes, and it's messy and disruptive, albeit effective . It's in your landlord's long-term interests to do this to avoid more expense later (e.g from wood rot) , and a local builder will only charge hundreds unless they want a 25 year guarantee from a specialist contractor who could charge a few thou'. Its daft if they don't fix leaky gutters and downpipes; a less expensive and intrusive job.

But they may be reluctant - so short of finding another home, you might have to live with bleaching, redecorating, heating and ventilating. The danger to you from the cleaning process is less than that from living with mould spores.

Good luck

rosie383

whosthatgirl1989 wrote: »

Thanks. I'd wondered what would be good to use as I'd read online that bleach doesn't work. I'm guessing I would need to use it quite regularly if the water doesn't stop dripping?

I would think that once you kill off the mould that is there, and try to keep the damp under control by ventilation, dehumidifiers etc and wipe down the walls every day or so then the black mould shouldn't reappear too much. So a simple wipe over should deal with it. Obviously it won't deal with the underlying problems.
And surely if you have pics or video of the mould before you clean, then that should be evidence enough that it was there. It's obvious that there is damp from the tide marks. You don't need to live among the mould while you are waiting on it being sorted out. It will spread so quickly if you don't clean it up.

dirty_magic

How long have you signed for? That definitely looks like a structural issue, your landlord should sort it! If they don't I'd move when your fixed term is up.

Some landlords want to have their cake and eat it, they're getting rent from you and you're paying for a substandard property. They'd soon find the money if they had to live in it!

lucystardust87

I recently got a dehumidifier and was really surprised at the difference it's made. We used to wipe down the windows every day and have to wipe mould off the outside walls once a week. But since we got it there's been no mould and little condensation on the windows!

EM1

Bleach does work. Neat on thick black mould and diluted (say 30:70 with water) in a spray bottle. It's removed black mould on bathroom grouting and walls even in student lets. One landlord was delighted at the transformation of the bathroom.
It had to be used quite often though, but it is still cheaper than HG.

Won't work on structural damp, obviously, other than to treat the symptoms.

Errata

This makes some important points about mould.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2851908/Drying-WASHING-indoors-harm-health-Damp-environment-creates-ideal-breeding-ground-mould-spores-trigger-infections.html

jaylee3

YUK! That's disgusting! And I agree that this looks like a structural issue! It's very unlikely that it's down to you. I am guessing the house is pre-1960s? Very few properties 70s and onwards have such severe damp. It's usually the older ones.

I think you should be allowed to live there for free with such awful conditions! I would tell the council, and ask environmental health to come in, as there is no WAY this is safe or healthy.