Issues with letting agents/landlord regarding damp/mould

fredthefish

Hey, just looking for some advice here about a damp/mould issue we are currently facing with our rented property and the way our letting agency and landlord are dealing with it.

In a nutshell our landlord (despite previously being understanding and offering to provide us with a dehumidifier) is suddenly claiming that he has 'repeatedly' told us specifically not to dry clothes inside, and that until we can prove that we have purchased a vented tumble drier and stopped drying clothes inside, he will refuse to do any more remedial work on the house.

In practical terms we object to this because a) we really can't afford to run a tumble drier right now, b) we certainly can't afford to buy one, and c) there is zero space in our tiny house for a tumble drier - and the landlord knows this.

I also object to it because it flies in the face of everything which has been said on the matter previously. I honestly can't understand his sudden change in position because as mentioned he has been brilliant previously, and so understanding with these issues - in fact he has previously said that the previous tenant (who was here for 10 years) had continuous problems with damp and mould. He said he was always having to come in and scrub the walls down. He is now claiming that he never said that.

He may have previously acknowledged that we are drying clothes inside but certainly did not tell us to stop, and instead he suggested various more reasonable solutions like adding ventilation to the window frames (not really necessary as we keep the windows open) and providing us with a dehumidifier.

If it helps, we are already doing several things to hopefully prevent buildup of damp or mould:

- Buying a heated drying rack to reduce drying times and reduce chances of damp upstairs
- Heating the house a reasonable amount - I work from home most days so it is always going to be heated more than your typical occupants working office jobs
- Keeping bathroom/kitchen doors closed during and after showering/cooking, always using the extractor fans as appropriate
- Keeping the windows open when drying clothes
- Regularly wiping down mouldy walls with bleach solution

We firmly believe that this is a standard usage of the property and something we expect to be able to do, and in fact everyone we've spoken to about this (homeowners and renters alike) have said that it's a completely normal and reasonable thing to do. I have known people to receive similar suggestions (or even less helpful suggestions like "oh well just run your heating 24/7 and keep the windows wide open") from other less reputable (read: student) letting agencies but I don't expect to be fobbed off with that kind of nonsense from what is supposed to be a professional letting agency and an otherwise really reasonable landlord.

I feel like maybe our landlord has perhaps been told by our letting agents that they usually recommend not drying clothes inside, and maybe this has made him think this is a normal requirement and that he can get away with it.

Ideally he would realise that we are doing more than enough to try to prevent it, and with that combined with the fact that we really couldn't fit a tumble drier in anywhere, I had hoped he would be happy to compromise on providing a dehumidifier as promised and that being the end of it.

Either way, just looking for advice.

Alter_ego

Perhaps stop drying inside temporarily and see if problem goes away?

If there's nowhere for a tumble dryer, where would you put the dehumidifier?

marliepanda

Sadly you are causing this issue through drying clothes inside. No matter what steps you are taking to make it as little as possible it's still caused by you.

If I were you I'd buy my own dehumidifier or get a washer/dryer.

I also don't believe it's a normal thing to do. 9/10 I get my washing on the line on windy or sunny days. If that's impossible I dry on a radiator/clothes horse but that's very very rare, even in winter.

I understand you say you can't afford the tumble drier but you can't just carry on causing damage because you can't afford not to

Annabee

In the real world, drying clothes inside is a normal thing to do and shouldn't cause any problems. I have lived in about 10 different places, ranging in age from Victorian to 1990s and never had a problem. Central heating helps.


I do hang clothes outside when I can, but this is sometimes not practical, and in the winter I don't really try. This is England after all, with frequent and unpredictable rainy and cold weather.


I think your Landlord is trying to wriggle out of his obligations to maintain the place. To placate him you may have to buy the tumble dryer though, wouldn't it come in handy occasionally?

Rollinghills

We have the same issue and the ll has blamed drying clothes inside despite the fact that we did not have it for 4 years prior and despite the fact that the house clearly has some penetrating damp.

If drying clothes inside was a no-no the landlord should have either provided a tumble drying or made it a condition of tenancy that you should purchase one. As he didn't I think he is just trying to wriggle out of it. Of course use outside if you can but I think there is no law anywhere that says tenants should not dry clothes inside.

We were going to move anyway so we asked the health and safety risk assessment team for an inspection. They said it is not our fault so this will help us get our deposit as due to the stand off with the ll he did serve us s.21 (talk about retaliatory eviction).

What kind of tenancy agreement have you got? Would you be happy to move if the ll issued s.21 in response to your refusal to get a drier?

anselld

Have you read your tenancy agreement? Most specify that clothes may not be dried indoors.

The only sensible solutions to indoor drying are tumble dryer ( condensing or outdoor vented) or dehumidifier. Probably not much in it for cost but dehumidifier is smaller and easier to take with you when you go.

Rollinghills

anselld wrote: »

Have you read your tenancy agreement? Most specify that clothes may not be dried indoors.

Good point. Ours didn't but definitely read it.

EmmyLou30

Even if it doesn't say 'no drying clothes indoors' specifically, I'm sure it says something along the lines of not causing damage to the property as a result of your lifestyle choices (which we can take to mean no drying washing indoors).
I'm not sure how that is possible though. Air is too damp outside in winter months to dry anything even if you left it out there for days on end. And most of us work during daylight hours so it's just not possible. I dry mine on the line in summer, but on a clothes airer in winter. Only towels and bedding will go in a tumble dryer anyway, and some socks and pants. Everything else shrinks regardless of whether the care label says it's tumble dryer safe. So expecting a person to use one for everything is unfair and totally unrealistic.
If you are opening windows, using extractor fans etc I think there's little else to do. I would say using a radiator is probably worse than air drying on a clothes airer though. A dehumidifyer in the room you are drying the clothes in would definitely be worth a shot though.

dirty_magic

Do you have a garden? Could you try not drying clothes indoors for a bit and see if it solves the problem? I only ask because we had a damp issue in our old rented flat and I hardly ever dried clothes indoors because of it. It didn't solve the problem. The flat had serious ventilation problems due to lack of kitchen and bathroom extraction, despite windows being open as often as possible.

I've read loads of threads about mould and they always say it's the occupiers fault, but in my opinion if you've done everything you can reasonably do there is obviously a ventilation issue in the house. You shouldn't have to open windows all the time in winter. I'm actually obsessed with opening windows now even in our new house, my OH thinks I'm crazy.

sofarbehind

I would try taking your clothes to a laundrette an drying them there for a few weeks. As your heating is up and you have the windows open I would be amazed if this stopped the problem, unless your work from home involves running a laundry service.


I think you need to get a dehumidifier and move asap, your landlord clearly doesn't give a carp. I was in the same position a few years ago and developed adult onset asthma. The consequences can be far reaching.

fairy_lights

Honestly what are people expected to do? If you don't have a garden or the space/money for a tumble dryer then you have no choice but to dry laundry indoors. I really don't see how it can cause damp though providing windows are opened for ventilation.