Should I rent a room with damp

Dilboy123

Hi guys,

So i am planning on moving out of my current house with my parents and have been looking for a room to rent for a while.

I found a decently sized room in a nice house but the only problem is that i saw patches of damp on the wall. The previous tenants left the house in a bad state and ran away without paying, so they are cleaning the whole house up and refurbishing it.

I spoke to the estate agent and he said they will sort out the damp in the room in a day. I am now having second thoughts as it could come back and it could be a hassle in the future.

What are your thoughts?

coffeehound

When you say damp, do you mean mould? If so, I would request an inspection after the clean-up before committing to rent. That should give you the chance to check it’s been properly done rather than finding it hasn’t been cleaned up on day of moving in. Mould is usually due to residents not heating and ventilating enough. Satisfy yourself that heating and ventilation provision are good enough before proceeding.

Dilboy123

I'm not too sure on what the difference is if I'm honest. I took some pictures but cant send the link as i am a new user

sevenhills

Dilboy123 wrote: »

So i am planning on moving out of my current house with my parents and have been looking for a room to rent for a while.

Are you renting or being a lodger? There should be lots of rooms on spareroom.com

Owain_Moneysaver

You can't sort out damp in a day.

You can, however, paint over it.

HampshireH

But you can wash away mould created due to furniture against walls and lack of ventilation..... and then paint over it in a day.

Owain_Moneysaver

Wash and paint?

[Deleted User]

Its probably not worth taking the risk, hopefully you can find another room fairly easily.

Brown_Bear

Dilboy123 wrote: »

I'm not too sure on what the difference is if I'm honest. I took some pictures but cant send the link as i am a new user

Damp means the wall feels wet.
Mould is fungus (usually black) that grows due to the moisture (and usually lack of airflow)

Marvel1

I would look elsewhere, no doubt they will blame you in the future.

AlexMac

Google damp in property and you'll see there are only 3 kinds-

Rising; from ground level due to failed, absent or bridged DPCs- damp proof courses

Penetrating; from leaks in roofs, gutters, plumbing or damage on rain soaked walls

Condensation; aggravated by lifestyle, poor heating or ventilation

All are fixable, sometimes in the case of the first two requiring repairs or building work, and they sometimes ocurr in combination; for example in basements where earth is piled up against the outside walls.

So it's a matter of how bad it is... you decide!