Mould (condensation) Rented home - Advice please

skattykatty

Since we moved into our 2 bed rental property back in March, we were aware of possible mould/damp problems, especially in the bedroom. We heated up the place (which had been empty for nearly a year) and have been conscientious about airing it, opening windows etc. There is no gas in the flat. Heating is electric and it is double glazed.

Anyway, since summer has passed we have been wiping down mould spots from around and below the windows in the bedroom several times a week and again, been mindful of opening windows to air the room. Today, my husband noticed grey streaks on on the bottom of the wardrobe doors, he emptied the wardrobe and pulled it back from the wall (it was against exterior walls) and it was covered with mould on the side agains the exterior wall. There was mould inside, on the base, as well. He wiped it all down with disinfectant and the windows are wipe open and we're airing it out.

We both have persistent coughs (been going over 8 weeks now) and my asthma has been noticeably worse, and it could well be the mould.

What else can we do? Called the agents today, who are going to tell the landlord BUT she is only a leaseholder, so is there anything we could reasonable expect? I so don't want to move again anytime soon, but if we're both going to be sick over and over then we have to.

I looked at an old thread where people recommended dehumidifiers, but they are VERY expensive. Could we expect the landlord to cough up for that? Obviously we wouldn't take it with us when we left.

Any advise on what we could expect, how we can manage this situation gratefully received!

tired_dad

are you drying washed clothing indoors? I mean on radiators or airing rack (not in a tumble dryer)

skattykatty

Good question. Yes, we do dry clothes indoors now the weather has turned. NOT over radiators because there are none! We do try to keep rooms aired. I know drying clothes indoors can be a problem. We don't do that in the bedroom though.

Also, there is no extractor fan in the bathroom OR the kitchen, which does get a bit steamy Again, we open windows as much as possible.

tired_dad

My bet is the ill health is related to excessive humidity in your flat. The mould is evidence of high humidity. The cause is more than likely caused by indoor clothes drying. Use a tumble dryer. Not to mention double glazing vents being closed and generally air recirculation

diable

You can move or ventilate the property properly.

bluelass

tired_dad wrote: »

My bet is the ill health is related to excessive humidity in your flat. The mould is evidence of high humidity. The cause is more than likely caused by indoor clothes drying. Use a tumble dryer. Not to mention double glazing vents being closed and generally air recirculation

Not all clothes can be tumble dried especially delicates or anything with acrylic.

bluelass

Your landlord has a duty morally and legally to help with this. Clas Ohlson sell well priced dehumidifiers I have one from there. But I don't think you should have to pay for one from your own purse.

Smiley_Dan

Agree with bluelass. Landlords should be liable for ensuring the performance of their buildings.

We use a dessicant dehumidifier with a laundry setting. Choose a small, air tight room, let the dehumidifier run, your clothes are dry in eight hours or so (still faster than having them on racks).

Tumble driers are a bad solution imo. Energy intensive and won't help with the rest of your condensation problem.

The condensation is caused by two things: high humidity and low surface temperatures. You need to attack the causes of them. Your landlord should do it by properly insulating and ventilating, but don't expect that to happen!

darrensurrey

I agree with the above. Get a desiccant dehumidifier. Call it an investment in your health. They're pennies to run daily. With the wet weather here, the humidity won't really drop much if you open the windows. If money is tight, try Gumtree or Freecycle - you might get lucky with a cheap or free one.

It'd be nice to think the landlord could and would do something but you know it'd take months which will result in worsening health.

tired_dad

Personally, I don't see what it has to do with a landlord.

Lots of advice states one should not dry clothes indoors esp in uk flats which tend to be small.

These dehumidifiers are not expensive.

I personally prefer a good condensing dryer. Most flats have washer dryers. Does yours not?

dirty_magic

Everyone always says don't dry washing indoors and keep windows open in midwinter but it's so impractical.

We had mould problems in our old flat, which also had no extractors and no room for a tumble dryer. We bought a dehumidifier which definitely helped to dry washing, but nothing solved the problem in the bedroom.

The dehumidifier was too noisy to have on in the bedroom and any room where two people spend 8-9 hours sleeping is going to get condensation if there is no ventilation. I don't think electric storage heaters that only come on at night help because it's far too cold to open windows all the time in winter when it lets all the heat out.

We moved, and the windows in our bedroom do still get some condensation on very cold nights but we haven't noticed any mould. In the old flat I was repainting the walls every couple of months because it didn't even wash off with bleach.