Rights as tenents: Never ending construction AND mold

nordsee

Hi all,

my wife and I moved into a ground floor flat earlier this year. Let me explain two of the main issues.

1) When moving in and signing the contract some company just started putting up scaffolding. We received a letter that this procedure would take 6-8 weeks. However, it's 4 months now and it doesn't look like they will finish anytime soon as there is rarely anyone working. The workers don't clean up after them and it looks ugly. Okay, that is not a practical problem. However, not having sunlight in the flat is, since the scaffolding is obscuring this.

What are our rights in view on this? Can we reduce the rent or simply give notice with a reduced notice period? We are in Scotland.

2) When just moving in it started leaking from the ceiling, which has been fixed promptly. However, there is a strong mould smell in the bathroom, although there is nothing visible. Anyway, the whole flat seems to be somehow damp and both my wife and I are having health reactions which are very likely a result of mould. The doctors are saying this and reading on the internet confirms this.

I have contacted the landlord on the mould, but as he can't see anything, he is not taking actions.

What can we do and what are our rights?

Thanks for any sort of help/advice!

Nordsee

Pixie5740

nordsee wrote: »

Hi all,

my wife and I moved into a ground floor flat earlier this year. Let me explain two of the main issues.

1) When moving in and signing the contract some company just started putting up scaffolding. We received a letter that this procedure would take 6-8 weeks. However, it's 4 months now and it doesn't look like they will finish anytime soon as there is rarely anyone working. The workers don't clean up after them and it looks ugly. Okay, that is not a practical problem. However, not having sunlight in the flat is, since the scaffolding is obscuring this.

What are our rights in view on this? Can we reduce the rent or simply give notice with a reduced notice period? We are in Scotland.

2) When just moving in it started leaking from the ceiling, which has been fixed promptly. However, there is a strong mould smell in the bathroom, although there is nothing visible. Anyway, the whole flat seems to be somehow damp and both my wife and I are having health reactions which are very likely a result of mould. The doctors are saying this and reading on the internet confirms this.

I have contacted the landlord on the mould, but as he can't see anything, he is not taking actions.

What can we do and what are our rights?

Thanks for any sort of help/advice!

Nordsee

1) No, of course you can't.

2) How often do you ventilate the property?

nordsee

Thank you for your quick reply.

2) as often as we can. Before going to work and after coming back. The bathroom has no window, but we are leaving the door open when not in use.

lookstraightahead

I wouldn't be happy with a surprise load of scaffolding outside my house - why is it there? Is the damp anything to do with the reason there is scaffolding?

I would just move - that's the beauty of renting. I don't think you can blame the landlord though for health problems - can mouldy be invisible (I honestly didn't know that)

Gorgeous_George

You may a leak under the bath (behind the panel). That would explain the smell. Is the ceiling in the bathroom?

How long before your agreement is up?

fairy_lights

nordsee wrote: »

However, there is a strong mould smell in the bathroom, although there is nothing visible. Anyway, the whole flat seems to be somehow damp and both my wife and I are having health reactions which are very likely a result of mould.

If there is no visible mould or damp I'm not sure what you mean when you say the whole flat seems damp?
What health problems do you think it's causing?

nordsee

lookstraightahead wrote: »

I wouldn't be happy with a surprise load of scaffolding outside my house - why is it there? Is the damp anything to do with the reason there is scaffolding?

I would just move - that's the beauty of renting. I don't think you can blame the landlord though for health problems - can mouldy be invisible (I honestly didn't know that)

They are adding layers of insulation material and for that reason the scaffolding has been set up. I think it could, since the scaffolding obscures sunlight from coming into the flat. However, I don't know how the flat was before that, since we just moved in when they just started setting it up.

nordsee

Gorgeous_George wrote: »

You may a leak under the bath (behind the panel). That would explain the smell. Is the ceiling in the bathroom?

How long before your agreement is up?

The whole bathroom is covered with some sort of plastic panels. So yes, I'm pretty sure it is behind the panels and that is why we can't see any mould. Yes, that was the bathroom ceiling.

There is either a 2 or 3 month notice period. I may just go this route then...

Rosemary7391

Is there a fan in the bathroom? If not, not your fault, but I doubt that leaving the door open would be sufficient ventilation. You could try a dehumidifier in the meantime, until you can move?

nordsee

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

Is there a fan in the bathroom? If not, not your fault, but I doubt that leaving the door open would be sufficient ventilation. You could try a dehumidifier in the meantime, until you can move?

There is a fan, but not sure how effective it is. However, we are suspecting that the problem is not caused by our flat, but by the flat above. The wastewater pipe of bathtub of the flat above was leaking for a while. But it only came through our ceiling when our neighbour had visitors and many people took showers in a row...

lookstraightahead

Have you told the landlord all of this?