Problems with mould

MortgageMamma

Hi all,

Just after a bit of advice as I have a dilemma

I currently rent my home. I've lived here nearly 3 years and we have an issue with mould.

To date we have had to:

Redecorate the front room with anti mould paint
Same with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom (which was hard work, as we had to strip off the peeling cheapo paint the landlord put on initially).

So far we've just managed by using cillit bang anto mould spray and cleaning the walls. We've mentioned it to the LL a couple of times and he keeps just telling us to move furniture away from the walls and saying that is the problem but the property is TINY and there isn't actually anywhere else for the furniture to go - if I move furniture even 3-4 inches away from the walls it would be in the middle of the room with no floorspace :eek:

Last week I was moving furniture out of my bedroom and I moved two wardrobes that I'd only bought 5 months earlier - the back of it was covered in green mould and the wall to the side of it too. I took some photos for evidence. When we move the corner sofa away from the wall the wall was black behind it. There is now mould growing on my daughters bedroom wall right next to where she sleeps despite the anti mould paint. I do open windows but I can't have them open all day every day in winter.

Sorry if this is a long rant, but I really am fed up with it. I would like to move but can't afford to until August - when we spoke to our neighbours a few months back they told us the previous 2 tenants moved out for the same reason. Obviously the LL knew and painted over it rather than sorting the cause of the problem.

Do I have grounds to terminate my tenancy? its a 3 year one that was signed Feb 2015.

Grenage

What's your ventilation like?
Does the bathroom have an extractor fan?
Are the windows ever opened?
Do you dry clothes indoors?
What temperature is your home kept at?
What's the insulation like?

MortgageMamma

Hi Grenage - thanks for your reply

Ventilation - we have air blocks in some of the rooms but not others

Bathroom - yes but was only installed last year and is rubbish - we still have to open the window when bathing and showering even when its freezing

Windows - Yes - daily but only for half an hour in the mornings or the house gets too cold. They are open all day in summer and we have a dog so the back door is also always open in summer.

Clothes - no we have one of those driers where you don't have to empty the water out of it, it just drains out through a pipe. I can't remember what they are called. The room where the drier is (Kitchen) does not have visible mould

Temp - in winter between 18-22 however, the radiators are really tiny and do not provide sufficient heat for the room size so we have to whack the heating up to 35 and put extra electric heaters on. We got a plumber to look at the size of the rads in the front room and mouldy bedrooms and he said they were way too small for room size.

Insulation - apart from the loft where there is a small amount there is none. We have double glazed windows that let draughts through and often do not "seal" when closed properly.

It might be useful to add that the property is at the bottom of a hill which is basically moorland - we have awful issues with the rain running down the hill and rising up at the back of the property (which faces the hill) in winter.

pmlindyloo

There is a procedure to follow when the landlord is refusing to do repairs.

You need to follow the steps in this link so that you have evidence for possible future 'problems' (e.g. landlord deducting money from deposit because of mould problems)

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_lets/landlord_refusing_to_do_repairs

You can also negotiate with your landlord for surrendering your tenancy early if this is their preferred option, including release of deposit so you can secure another tenancy.

You can 'skip' any steps in the link if you already have evidence that they have been done.

In your situation I would go straight to the 'threat' of informing the council.

Grenage

It sounds like you're doing everything right, and it would seem to be a poorly designed property; I would certainly want to move in your situation. Hopefully those with more experience will comment on grounds for escaping the tenancy term, be that through forcing the LL to undergo expensive alterations, or other means.

In the meantime, I'd certainly be vocal about the issue.

MortgageMamma

thanks

Its a really horrible situation to be in, we actually like our LL's They were very kind to us when we needed to relocate and neither me or my husband had a job. Even though we were on benefits at the time they were happy to trust us, they accepted our pets without question, they didn't even charge us an admin fee or take references just a deposit and rent in advance.

I know I need to sort it as our personal possessions are getting damaged and it is a health risk. The LL offered to buy some dehumidifiers but never followed through with it.

I guess I'm going to have to be a little tougher whilst I'm saving to move out later this year. I know I'm going to struggle to find another LL that will accept a dog and cats and I can't afford to buy outright for another few years

Not a nice situation to be in.

Clutterfree

Don't know if you live in an old house but rather than the LL buying dehumidifiers which just deals with the problem AFTER it has happened the LL would be better off having a PIV installed.

http://www.doyourdream.co.uk/2013/01/installing-a-drimaster-heat-piv-system/

We live in an old property and despite having extractor fans in the bathrooms and kitchen and a dehumidifier we still had mould in the corner of rooms caused by condensation.

Had a PIV fitted last year and it was the best £300 ish we've spent!
This winter, no condensation on windows and the humidity in our house went from 80% :eek: to between 40 and 50%.

Tell your LL it will be worth the money because they won't have to decorate after every tenant leaves so will be more cost effective in the long term.

EDiT: I was also paranoid about the "fusty" smell our home sometimes had - not had that smell since. The PIV is fitted in our loft and the panel on our landing ceiling. We bought ours on Ebay because it was a little cheaper and still came with a guarantee.

MortgageMamma

Hi Clutterfree

Thanks for that, I will look into it! I've no idea what the humidity is in here but every morning I have to go around all the upstairs windows with a towel and dry them off! If I don't do it weekly and spray with vinegar we get black mould growing in the corners of frame. how do you find out what your humidity level is?

Our house was built in 1910. I don't particularly want dehumidifiers as we literally don't have room for them. I would accept them as an interim measure but they cost a lot to run and they are not suitable long term.

Clutterfree

MortgageMamma wrote: »

Hi Clutterfree

Thanks for that, I will look into it! I've no idea what the humidity is in here but every morning I have to go around all the upstairs windows with a towel and dry them off! If I don't do it weekly and spray with vinegar we get black mould growing in the corners of frame. how do you find out what your humidity level is?

Our house was built in 1910. I don't particularly want dehumidifiers as we literally don't have room for them. I would accept them as an interim measure but they cost a lot to run and they are not suitable long term.

I bought a little gadget from Amazom, think it was a fiver.
Will look it up for you and post a link in a mo.

I only bought it the day we had the PIV fitted because I was a tad sceptical but regardless if the percentage is accurate it has decreased by 30-40%.

Old houses are not geared up for modern life - central heating, double glazing, etc - whereas newer houses are.
Period properties need to "breathe" so I see the PIV as oxygen mask for my home!

We also had to dry windows every morning, black behind wardrobes it was awful and embarrassing.

Honestly try to convince your LL to invest in one. It will cost you a few pence in electricity every day to run but it is worth every penny.

I am astounded at the difference it has made to our home.
Another bonus is our home heats up much quicker now - I'm guessing it is because it doesn't have to warm up damp air.

Clutterfree

Humidity meter:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/DTY-Trading-LCD-Temperature-Thermometer/dp/B004GN9EH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458653042&sr=8-1&keywords=Humidity+meter

pmlindyloo

MortgageMamma wrote: »

thanks

Its a really horrible situation to be in, we actually like our LL's They were very kind to us when we needed to relocate and neither me or my husband had a job. Even though we were on benefits at the time they were happy to trust us, they accepted our pets without question, they didn't even charge us an admin fee or take references just a deposit and rent in advance.

I know I need to sort it as our personal possessions are getting damaged and it is a health risk. The LL offered to buy some dehumidifiers but never followed through with it.

I guess I'm going to have to be a little tougher whilst I'm saving to move out later this year. I know I'm going to struggle to find another LL that will accept a dog and cats and I can't afford to buy outright for another few years

Not a nice situation to be in.

Mmmmm - didn't take references or anything - sounds like they were desperate to rent. Suspect that they know all about the damp problem (as your neighbours report) and now you are tied into a 3 year contract (that in itself is unusual) are not bothered.

You need to be tough. If you do nothing you are going to be stuck there for 3 years.

Yes, the above posts' suggestions may solve the problem but don't rely on it. If the LLs promised humidifiers and they didn't provide them then, I am sorry, they just aren't concerned. You pay the rent and because you feel grateful to them, you improve their house each time the damp gets bad and they are loving it.

So, follow the Shelter link. If environmental health do not find a structural fault that is responsible for the damp then you may have to get the landlord to do more to help with the problem.

If environmental health do find a structural problem and the landlord does nothing then this gives you a way out of your contract.

Please make sure you take photos, keep records of conversations, letters, proof of posting etc as evidence.