Landlord's obligations

Gen_Y_Saver

Hi all,

Just quick question about landlord’s obligations if anyone is around to assist.

I’ll keep it quick.

I brought a house back in 2015. However, I recently moved out as I got a good job offer in another city. I therefore decided to rent my property.

The current tenant is quite difficult. The property was fully damped proof when I first purchased it. However, a few small patches of damp keep re-appearing up in a couple of places. I’ve sent a contractor out to try and damp-seal the patches with specialist paint but they keep coming back. These aren’t massive areas of damp btw.

The tenant is demanding that I pay for a specialist to come and re-damp proof the property. Do you think such a request is reasonable? It’s an old house, so I think it might just be the way it was built.

I’d appreciate any views/advice.

Thanks

Gen_Y.

Victor_the_Gink

Damp proofing is (mostly) a con. Damp comes from moisture, and it is that that needs to be treated. If, say, loose guttering is causing water to run down a particular wall, then that can cause damp. Moisture indoors is another possible cause. It is the cause that needs to be investigated, and a damp proof course is not always the solution.

Cakeguts

This is an example of a house where you would be quite happy to live if you had bought it but which doesn't make a good rental property.

You have got to find out the source of the damp and get it repaired. Then what I would suggest is that you sell the house. This is never going to be a good rental property because of its age. If you want to let a house buy one that is suitable as a rental property.

martindow

Damp can often be the fault of people living in the house not ventilating it properly by opening windows, using extractor fans, etc. rather than a fault in the building.

Gen_Y_Saver

Cakeguts.

I agree. However, I did not purchase the property with the intention to rent it out. I have basically moved to another city temporarily. I will move back to my house in a couple of years.

G_M

Painting over the damp, irrespective of the paint type, is ignoring the issue. You need to determine what is causing the damp.

Either is is tenant life-style, in which case
a) tenant is responsible snd
b) tenant needs educating

Or it is a structural problem eg
c) blocked/leaking gutters/downpipes
d) blocked drain
e) raised external ground level
f) leaking pipes
etc

in which case it is your responsibility to identify and fix the cause.

http://www.thetenantsvoice.co.uk/advice_from_us/what-you-can-do-about-damp/

or

http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/pdf/Mould.pdf

The tenant cannot 'demand' anything. He can report the issue to you, and it is up to you to decide what to do. Provided you act reasonably (ie investigate and either fix or educate the tenant [see b above], then you're fine.

Of course, if you do nothing, the tenant can escalate the issue eg to Enironmental Health, who will ask you what action you've taken.

Fosterdog

How recently did you move out and the tenant move in? Did these signs of damp appear at all while you lived there? What area/s of the house is the damp appearing in?

Miss_Samantha

Just to add that blocked gutters and drains aren't structural problems (unless the cause is indeed structural) and may be the tenant's responsibility to fix.