Mould in rented flat?

ktcoil

Hi Guys


We currently rent a flat in a building which has 16 flats, its newish as its coming up to 5 years old building and we have been there almost 4 years. Each year we get mould on walls and ceiling, each time we buy mould spray from b&q and wipe it down, we also use a Karcher window Hoover on our windows and each time we have a shower we use it on mirror and tiles, we try and dry clothes in the dryer and have the window open when doing so to help, we have windows, vents open in summer and winter we always use the heating. we are looking at buying a dehumidifier but is this something we should have to fork out for as well as pay for electric each month to run this when its not our flat, my partner has astma and its getting to him a little, also I had Christmas presents in a suitcase on top of wardrobe which I took down yesterday and the bags inside have got mould on.

HappyMJ

ktcoil wrote: »

Hi Guys


We currently rent a flat in a building which has 16 flats, its newish as its coming up to 5 years old building and we have been there almost 4 years. Each year we get mould on walls and ceiling, each time we buy mould spray from b&q and wipe it down, we also use a Karcher window Hoover on our windows and each time we have a shower we use it on mirror and tiles, we try and dry clothes in the dryer and have the window open when doing so to help, we have windows, vents open in summer and winter we always use the heating. we are looking at buying a dehumidifier but is this something we should have to fork out for as well as pay for electric each month to run this when its not our flat, my partner has astma and its getting to him a little, also I had Christmas presents in a suitcase on top of wardrobe which I took down yesterday and the bags inside have got mould on.

It is your flat though. You rent it...it's yours.

You are responsible for ventilating your flat to avoid condensation and mould development. Open the windows as much as possible even in winter. The vents needs to be open year round not just summer. I use the heating as little as possible, don't have windows in the bathroom and yes it gets a bit wet after a long hot shower but opening the bathroom door and the bedroom window being the nearest window soon clears out the condensation. You've get to get that condensation outside somehow. Heating the room won't clear it. When you're drying clothes indoors you've got to have the windows open. They don't need to wide open they just need to be a little open so the air is exchanged much more quickly and the humid air removed.

davidmcn

A dehumidifier sounds the simplest solution, if you can't sort it by other methods. Are you suggesting that there's something your landlord could do about it?

ognum

Do your neighbours flats have the same problem. Mould is frequently though not always down to lifestyle.

I guess you have choices
Do laundry in a lundrette
Buy dehumidifier
Ventilate property more
Move

I have a property where one tenant complained of mould, we bought a dehumidifier and discussed ways of reducing condensation. In the end I suggested she moved and I returned her full deposit. The flat has never since or before her had a problem it was purely her lifestyle.

[Deleted User]

One of the biggest benefits of renting is that ongoing problems like this can be easily fixed by moving.

Nobbie1967

Is your dryer a condensing one where you have to empty the water out? If so change it for one that you can vent to the outside and do all drying in it rather than 'trying' to. I've got a condensing dryer and it throws out a huge amount of moisture, but luckily it's in a drafty utility room. Are you doing a lot of washing?

HappyMJ

Nobbie1967 wrote: »

Is your dryer a condensing one where you have to empty the water out? If so change it for one that you can vent to the outside and do all drying in it rather than 'trying' to. I've got a condensing dryer and it throws out a huge amount of moisture, but luckily it's in a drafty utility room. Are you doing a lot of washing?

Wouldn't that require a big hole to be drilled into the wall for the vent?

Or...the window to be left wide open with the vent hanging out the window. May as well just keep the condensing dryer and open the window.

Kynthia

Everyone has to deal with moisture in the home, whether they own it or not. Unless there is a leak, design fault, or no extractor fan in the bathroom then it's a lifestyle issue and nothing the landlord can do.

Trickle vents should be open all year round. I would only close mine for a handful of nights at the coldest point of the year at most. They are needed as modern properties are too draught proof and we'll sealed compared to older buildings. Windows need to be opened regularly all year round, particularly when showering and boiling things on the cooker. Windows need wiping down on cold mornings and the cloth wrung out so the moisture doesn't evaporate into the air again. Tumble driers need to be vented outside or be a condensing one and a window needs to be opened when drying clothes indoors. Plus extractor fans should be used extensively when cooking and washing.

Heating is part of the solution but we breathe out water all day so it needs to be let out of the property. I do have less trouble in my new big 1930s property than I did in my new build flat, but I miss how warm and easy to heat my flat was in comparison as I find this house very cold.

danslenoir

I'd disagree with the posts above and say that if you are doing everything you are able to do to prevent the occurrence of mould (which can make your home an unpleasant place to live as well as be detrimental to your health), you should be asking your landlord to do something about it. That's assuming the problem is a significant one and not just a couple of small tiny spots that aren't anything more than a cosmetic problem for you.

I had mould problems in a rental a few years ago (awful musty/mouldy smell throughout the basement level my bedroom was on, small patches of black mould in multiple locations) and requested the landlord purchase a dehumidifier. After I pointed out the potential harm this envrionment was causing to my health, he ordered us a pretty expensive industrial dehumidifier on the understanding that we would be responsible for any additional costs associated with it i.e. electricity. This seemed to mostly solve the problem, though we had to leave it on for several hours a day. The volume of water it extracted from the air was quite incredible.

[Deleted User]

Woolly jumpers, fleece items and there are even heated fleece blankets you can use. I was always someone who liked to wear as little as possible, but due to rising heat costs, I rarely have the heating on now.

I must admit though, as its turning colder, I hate leaving windows open. I already have no insulation or heating in the kitchen/bathroom area, opening a window makes the downstairs like an igloo (and it seems cold doesn't stop mould in the odd places I've got it - there's a roof leak as well in this wonderful house).

I am hating the eviction process but hoping wherever we end up will be better than this place. It won't be a hard goal to acheive.

HappyMJ

danslenoir wrote: »

I'd disagree with the posts above and say that if you are doing everything you are able to do to prevent the occurrence of mould (which can make your home an unpleasant place to live as well as be detrimental to your health), you should be asking your landlord to do something about it. That's assuming the problem is a significant one and not just a couple of small tiny spots that aren't anything more than a cosmetic problem for you.

I had mould problems in a rental a few years ago (awful musty/mouldy smell throughout the basement level my bedroom was on, small patches of black mould in multiple locations) and requested the landlord purchase a dehumidifier. After I pointed out the potential harm this envrionment was causing to my health, he ordered us a pretty expensive industrial dehumidifier on the understanding that we would be responsible for any additional costs associated with it i.e. electricity. This seemed to mostly solve the problem, though we had to leave it on for several hours a day. The volume of water it extracted from the air was quite incredible.

The OP did ask if it's the LL's responsibility to pay the running costs of the dehumidifier.

I would if my property was being damaged by the tenants inability to open a window and ventilate the property properly would very seriously consider buying a dehumidifier for them and upping the rent by £5-£10 a month to pay for it.