can i ask them to rehouse me in these circumstances?

seven-day-weekend

FBaby wrote: »

Have they done an assessment of the cause of the mould? If it is due to condensation then you are not doing enough to ventilate the house. Do you use the dryer a lot and what type is it? You say you heat the house but then say it's cold. Do you open the windows long enough every day in all the rooms?

If the problem is not condensation but a structural problem and the housing association is not fixing the problem then report them to the environment agency.

Sometimes it IS a structural problem and not to do with how the occupant's lifestyle.

My son had the same problem, in a flat he is buying on a mortgage. The ceilings especially were covered in black mould, and the walls, especially outside walls. He heated and ventilated the place, and had a dehumidifier running, all to no avail.

The flats were built in the 1960s when no-one cared about insulation or energy saving.

As the flat is on the top floor, my husband felt it might be from the roof. It is a flat roof. When he felt my son's ceiling, it was freezing cold and physically wet.

My husband and son insulated his ceilings and external walls with a 25mil expanded polystyrene product with a vapour barrier (such as Celotex) and then plasterboarded and skimmed. A lot of work but it has done the job.

Hope this helps.

theartfullodger

sammyjayneex wrote: »

.................................... It’s heir fault for us if sick cheap materials that don’t last. I’ve reported it twice. ...........

Great, good to hear that: I repeat:

Have you carefully followed fully the published complaints process as outlined on council's website, keeping copies of all correspondence? e.g.
http://www.slough.gov.uk/council/complaints-and-feedback/complaints-procedure.aspx

- please ??

[Deleted User]

I too was told it was my fault. I kept windows open all the time. Only had mould in a bedroom with two external walls. The walls were very cold. The temperature dropped as soon as you stepped inside the room. Even two duvets and two blankets still left me freezing in winter.

I removed all the mould using first vinegar and then bleach, applied silicone insulating wallpaper (wallpaper was £12 a roll but the glue was £25 for a large tub). The room was instantly warmer. The walls never felt cold again. The mould never returned.

It wasn't me, it was a lack of insulation in the walls. The council refused to listen to me saying the problem was the walls so I insulated them myself. Mould gone and didn't return. I only put the wallpaper on the two external walls.

Rambosmum

To be rehoused, you'd need evidence that the mould and damp was affecting your or your kids health, from 2 separate doctors.

sammyjayneex

Thanks for all your replies. I think it is structural because I have tried everything to ventilate. I only cook one hot meal a day which is the evening and windows opened all the time and also we have a shower every other day so it’s not as if we use excessive amounts of water. And like I said the dehumidifier is on before and after showers. The council did admit that the ceilings and roof is adding to the problem because the ceilings are not ‘flat’ the ceiling is curved on the external wall and windows in every room and also the corners of rooms esp the bathroom are ‘ curved’ but because it’s so much work they need to do to reshape it they can’t donit until there is a government scheme in the area ( which could be years) and it would Involve everyone with this type of house moving out for a short while whilst they do the work. So because of the cost they just leave tenants living in a state.
Also the house has the living room to the back of the house and bedrooms to the back of the house so we only have one tiny window on the front of the house which is the landing one and the Landing wall is full of mould too.

sammyjayneex

Rambosmum wrote: »

To be rehoused, you'd need evidence that the mould and damp was affecting your or your kids health, from 2 separate doctors.

I’ve been ill ever since moving into this house, I was happy healthy before moving to this house but obviously the doctors are too reluctant to explore the link

sammyjayneex

theartfullodger wrote: »

Great, good to hear that: I repeat: - please ??

Yes I have followed the full complaints procedure last year and that’s why they came to put extra insulation in the roof but it has done nothing so I’ve called them and they said they will come and ‘give me some more advice on condensation’ I don’t know how much more advice they can give me when I have done everything already

sammyjayneex

deannatrois wrote: »

I too was told it was my fault. I kept windows open all the time. Only had mould in a bedroom with two external walls. The walls were very cold. The temperature dropped as soon as you stepped inside the room. Even two duvets and two blankets still left me freezing in winter.

I removed all the mould using first vinegar and then bleach, applied silicone insulating wallpaper (wallpaper was £12 a roll but the glue was £25 for a large tub). The room was instantly warmer. The walls never felt cold again. The mould never returned.

It wasn't me, it was a lack of insulation in the walls. The council refused to listen to me saying the problem was the walls so I insulated them myself. Mould gone and didn't return. I only put the wallpaper on the two external walls.

Maybe this is something I could try.. was it a special wall paper or normal paper ?

sammyjayneex

deannatrois wrote: »

I too was told it was my fault. I kept windows open all the time. Only had mould in a bedroom with two external walls. The walls were very cold. The temperature dropped as soon as you stepped inside the room. Even two duvets and two blankets still left me freezing in winter.

I removed all the mould using first vinegar and then bleach, applied silicone insulating wallpaper (wallpaper was £12 a roll but the glue was £25 for a large tub). The room was instantly warmer. The walls never felt cold again. The mould never returned.

It wasn't me, it was a lack of insulation in the walls. The council refused to listen to me saying the problem was the walls so I insulated them myself. Mould gone and didn't return. I only put the wallpaper on the two external walls.

I’m going to look into this thank you !

Lunchbox

I suspect much of this will come down to 7 people using a bathroom with no mechanical ventilation. No amount of opening windows, nor a single dehumidifier is going to cope with the amount of moisture produced by this. You need to make a formal complaint following the procedure in the links above, and get them to repair it or put in better ventilation.