How to paint over mould?

bartsimpson

A tenant has just left my property with dark smears over the walls where he's tried to rub off the apparent mould.

I want to save money by doing the painting job myself.

Can anyone help me with how to prep the walls, which paint (inexpensive if poss) I need to use and how long this will roughly take me (small 1 bed flat with 2 rooms that need painting and a small hallway). I'm thinking more in terms of how long will it take for any treatment/prep to dry before I need to paint, how many coats etc rather than my own painting speed.

Thanks in advance,

Ebe_Scrooge

A dilute bleach solution will get rid of the mould. Wait for it to dry then you should be good to go - just paint it as normal, a couple of coats should do it. Of course, you need to make sure you address the cause of the mould, otherwise it'll just re-appear.

missile

You might want to use stain block

LEJC

so is this to save the tenant money from their deposit....or still extort it from them as you have suggested in your other thread on the housing and rental board?

HG mould cleaner works well.....but dont charge the tenant professional rates if you dont plan to use a professional.

wunferall

Another vote for HG mould cleaner, though Kilrock Blastaway Mould Remover is a very close second.
Bleach solution isn't enough & mould will resurface; it doesn't penetrate deep enough to kill roots.
Apply as instructed and then paint as normal - but if the problem causing mould is not tackled at source then mould will return.

bartsimpson

LEJC wrote: »

so is this to save the tenant money from their deposit....or still extort it from them as you have suggested in your other thread on the housing and rental board?

HG mould cleaner works well.....but dont charge the tenant professional rates if you dont plan to use a professional.

It is not extortion - see my reply to you on the other thread. I have been mugged off by my tenant who has basically allowed a nice dry flat to become mould infested, never EVER again will I trust any tenant with a year long lease.

This has cost me both in terms of stress, empty property time while the work gets done and hassle in sorting out the issue.

I was only looking for a quote first as I assumed I would legally need one in order to continue.

LEJC

bartsimpson wrote: »

It is not extortion - see my reply to you on the other thread. I have been mugged off by my tenant who has basically allowed a nice dry flat to become mould infested, never EVER again will I trust any tenant with a year long lease.

This has cost me both in terms of stress, empty property time while the work gets done and hassle in sorting out the issue.

I was only looking for a quote first as I assumed I would legally need one in order to continue.

It's not about trusting your tenant with a year long lease...

Did you carry out periodical inspections of your property?
If they are carried out correctly either by yourself or your letting agent then small problems or lifestyle issues can be pointed out before they get to the stage of major work.

Why are you employing a letting agent and then not following their advice and let them manage...it's what you pay them for....otherwise it's time potentially get yourself a new letting agent.

As a LL you should plan for void periods...it's a valuable time to get maintenance issues dealt with....even the best tenants never leave a property in exact move in standards for the next.
You're not a natural LL are you....and clearly have a lot more experience to gain.
The way that you worded both your opening posts on the thread implied certainly to me and others that you didnt want to take the letting agents advice on quotes and the correct route to rectify your issues....but that you preferred to get the job done quickly yourself ,possibly charging a higher rate to your tenant almost as a penance or in lieu of your aggravation at how the property was left....you can't claim stress...it goes with the job sadly.

Get the job done properly if thats what it really needs....investing some time in it now will get you and the next tenant on a better footing starting off....a bodge job or half hearted one to save you money now will only resurface if whats causing the issue at source isn't tackled.
Mould often looks much worse than it actually is...so it may be that HG mould spray will solve your problems without the need for full redecoration.

If you want to post a few pics that could also help us give you more insight or if you explain the location of the mould we may be able to suggest some causes.