Check for Condensation before renting

Doozergirl

GwylimT wrote: »

All of our windows are open 24/7, our home isn't cold or suffering condensation. I should think most bathrooms would be mouldy if the window was only open for fifteen minutes a day.

Just not true!

csgohan4

I had to get a dehumidifier at my own cost at my last rental as the flat was quite bad with mould despite opening all the window vents.


Solved the problem and the amount of water it drained is insane.

GwylimT

Doozergirl wrote: »

Condensation is absolutely a build problem.

It is not a lifestyle issue when most people can go about their daily business without problems, yet some people are as careful as they can be and suffer terribly.

Condensation is caused by a lack of insulation, ventilation or a mix of the two and is completely solvable with the right building solution. We are absolutely capable of building houses without problems and equally capable of fixing the problems in existing houses. It just happens to cost money.

It will never be 'solved' by trying not to generate humidity in the house. It might alleviate symptoms, but the cause is a building problem.

This is the only home I have lived in that had any form of insulation, all others have been old homes without cavity wall insulation or loft insulation. Never had any condensation problems. I find opening windows is usually free.

Doozergirl

GwylimT wrote: »

This is the only home I have lived in that had any form of insulation, all others have been old homes without cavity wall insulation or loft insulation. Never had any condensation problems. I find opening windows is usually free.

You have quoted me saying it can be insulation, ventilation or a mix of the two!

Opening windows is not free when a house has to be heated, nor is having no insulation to speak of.

Innys1

Doozergirl wrote: »

Condensation is absolutely a build problem.

It is not a lifestyle issue when most people can go about their daily business without problems, yet some people are as careful as they can be and suffer terribly.

Condensation is caused by a lack of insulation, ventilation or a mix of the two and is completely solvable with the right building solution. We are absolutely capable of building houses without problems and equally capable of fixing the problems in existing houses. It just happens to cost money.

It will never be 'solved' by trying not to generate humidity in the house. It might alleviate symptoms, but the cause is a building problem.

But what do you mean by the above? If you mean never using an extractor fan, constantly boiling kettles, having regular steaming hot baths, having the room thermostat on low and lots of people in one's house, it doesn't matter how well the house is built/insulated, problems with condensation are inevitable.

I can't help feeling your post above is an example not taking at least some responsibility for one's own actions.

oystercatcher

It must be a mixture of problems. I'm in my fifties and never had a problem with mould. I have always dried washing indoors and am very lazy about opening windows. I've lived in various types of houses mostly with a family and must have been lucky .

On Christmas Day we were all at a relatives house and at one point noticed a VERY wet wall upstairs and we started to wonder if the roof was leaking :eek: opened a few windows and it was gone in a couple of hours, obviously it was the effects of lots of cooking and lots of people and I could see this house having a problem if care wasn't taken.

One thing with mould is once spores have grown it is difficult to kill them so it will then reappear with the slightest amount of moisture. I wonder if some families transport the spores on their furniture etc and restart the problem in new accomodation.

Doozergirl

Innys1 wrote: »

But what do you mean by the above? If you mean never using an extractor fan, constantly boiling kettles, having regular steaming hot baths, having the room thermostat on low and lots of people in one's house, it doesn't matter how well the house is built/insulated, problems with condensation are inevitable.

I can't help feeling your post above is an example not taking at least some responsibility for one's own actions.

I own an award winning building firm specialising in older buildings. Of course there are some situations where people cause the problem. If you run a regular dryer in a room without an extraction pipe then any building will struggle to cope but in the vast majority of cases there is something inadequate in the fabric of the building. There is always something practical - not symptom based - that can be done to help, yet the ongoing 'advice' on these boards is that it is lifestyle based and the occupier's fault.

In the vast majority of cases, it is absolutely reasonable to expect your house to be able to perform to modern lifestyle expectations - because the majority of us can do all of that list of things without problems. That should be an entitlement for all - tenants in particular.

It's very easy for landlords to blame tenants and avoid spending money. Older houses, in particular, were built for one way of life, are now expected to cope with another and then we make alterations/modernisations on top that send things further awry. The key is maintaining the balance when considering renovations, upgrading appropriately and treating building fabric senstively.

Tygermoth

We have rented several houses old and new over the years with no issues.

Our current rental is driving me crazy - yesterday evening with a spanking great dehumidifier on all day the living room temp was 18.5 humidity was 71 and the water was streaming off the windows.

2ppl - no indoor tumble dryer, dont dry stuff on radiators. The bathroom window is left open after and during showers. We shut the kitchen door and open all the windows when cooking....

try our hardest we cant get the humidity under 68% (that is empty all day and dehumidifier on)

I have given up and decided its the house. its airless (even with windows open) dark and has several massive trees very close (huge leylandii) which i think have got roots in the drains.

Add to that the landlord knows the gutters a broken in several places and doesn't do anything but adding mastic to the joins...

But swears blind its a 'lifestyle issue'

I cant wait to move, everything smelling of damp and feeling tacky and dank really upsets me. opening drawers, as i did yesterday, to find that the blankets inside smelt of mould is just nasty.

mumps

oystercatcher wrote: »

It must be a mixture of problems. I'm in my fifties and never had a problem with mould. I have always dried washing indoors and am very lazy about opening windows. I've lived in various types of houses mostly with a family and must have been lucky .

On Christmas Day we were all at a relatives house and at one point noticed a VERY wet wall upstairs and we started to wonder if the roof was leaking :eek: opened a few windows and it was gone in a couple of hours, obviously it was the effects of lots of cooking and lots of people and I could see this house having a problem if care wasn't taken.

One thing with mould is once spores have grown it is difficult to kill them so it will then reappear with the slightest amount of moisture. I wonder if some families transport the spores on their furniture etc and restart the problem in new accomodation.

That is an interesting point. My DIL moved into my sons flat, they got condensation and mold problems, he never had them before. They bought a house, condensation and mold problems. Moved twice more and had mold and condensation problems. I have never had any problems with mold or condensation and just don't understand it but you might have given me the answer.

HappyMJ

Tygermoth wrote: »

We have rented several houses old and new over the years with no issues.

Our current rental is driving me crazy - yesterday evening with a spanking great dehumidifier on all day the living room temp was 18.5 humidity was 71 and the water was streaming off the windows.

2ppl - no indoor tumble dryer, dont dry stuff on radiators. The bathroom window is left open after and during showers. We shut the kitchen door and open all the windows when cooking....

try our hardest we cant get the humidity under 68% (that is empty all day and dehumidifier on)

I have given up and decided its the house. its airless (even with windows open) dark and has several massive trees very close (huge leylandii) which i think have got roots in the drains.

Add to that the landlord knows the gutters a broken in several places and doesn't do anything but adding mastic to the joins...

I cant wait to move, everything smelling of damp and feeling tacky and dank really upsets me. opening drawers, as i did yesterday, to find that the blankets inside smelt of mould is just nasty.

Why only 18.5°C in your living space? You should increase the temperature to 21°C. By increasing the temperature the Relative Humidity levels fall and you avoid condensation issues. You should get RH down to a more comfortable 60% at 21°.

If the property is airless with all the windows open then use a fan to move air around.

If you've got rain water overflowing the guttering and down the brick work you need to get the landlord to fix that otherwise you'll never get your indoor humidity levels down.