Being kicked out of flat because we reported mould, needed repairs. Advice?

Guavalava

As much as people want to insist it's because we dry our clothes indoors, and I know that's a contribution to condensation, we have had 2 professional contractors in who said the walls ARE the problem.
We are doing all we can to minimise the damp already. We don't have outdoor space so we can't get a washing line or dry clothes outside. We don't have space for a tumble dryer so we can't use that. The radiators are electric storage so we it won't immediately heat the room we are drying clothes in, we have both a fan/heater purifier to help with drying clothes with the heat it provides and also the fab to provide cooler air if needed. We open all windows during the day, we have moved furniture away from walls to provide circulation to them and we clean the walls with mould spray. The fact the mould is so quickly becoming worse and spreading higher up ONLY the external walls made us raise suspicions because we are already doing what we physically can to help bring condensation down but the 2 contractors from seperate companies have both said the same thing and it's due to the walls and the cold air coming in from the front door onto the hallway area which has no windows or heating to allow proper ventilation.

MobileSaver

Guavalava wrote: »

sent out a contractor ... sent out a report for remedial work on the property

Guavalava wrote: »

As much as people want to insist it's because we dry our clothes indoors, and I know that's a contribution to condensation, we have had 2 professional contractors in who said the walls ARE the problem.

You do need to bear in mind that the contractors are in business to make money themselves so it's not surprising they claim the walls are the problem.

I know it's not what you want to hear but I would bet money that if you cleaned all the mould off, heated and aired the property properly and then stopped drying clothes in the house... the mould would not return. If you do this and I am wrong then at least you have some ammunition to get the Local Authority involved and maybe force the landlord to remedy the situation under the "Housing Health and Safety Rating System."

kerri_gt

Is there a power point you can plug an additional freestanding radiator into in the hallway to rebalance some of the temp? Same in the bedroom,

Has anyone looked at th state of the external walls? Moss and green growing on the external wall in the same places you are getting mould inside would suggest an issue such as leaking guttering. Whilst this may not be the only factor causing damp inside, it will contribute.

A dehumidifier being on when you dry clothes, will remove the water from the atmosphere and should also help.

need_an_answer

OK...OP can I turn this question round a little and instead of everyone saying that its a potential lifestyle issue that you should get a dehumidifier for could you tell us what steps you would like the LL to take?


What work exactly would you like him to do to rectify the problem?

I understand you would like to just answer "fix it " but how?

What measures can he do differently that will actually prevent the mould reappearing?

and again I don't mean your answer to be "insulation".


If insulation is the issue what type of insulation does it need,will you need to move out whilst work is completed satisfactorily?

You have listed various reasons why you cant keep some of the areas mould free what improvements need to be made?
bearing in mind its probably not going to be structurally able to put in a window for ventilation or run any more power points than you already have access to without rewiring the property!


Which brings us back to the original post where you say you are now being asked to leave,presumably so the LL can bring the property up to standard.

I asked yesterday if you could post a picture....

pinkshoes

If like the contractor says it is the walls that are the issue, then surely it would be easier for the LL to end the tenancy so that the required work ca; be carried out?

This is probably why the eviction notice will be issued as otherwise it will be a nightmare carrying out this work.

Just find somewhere else to live and move on.

SnooksNJ

Guavalava wrote: »

As much as people want to insist it's because we dry our clothes indoors, and I know that's a contribution to condensation, we have had 2 professional contractors in who said the walls ARE the problem.
We are doing all we can to minimise the damp already. We don't have outdoor space so we can't get a washing line or dry clothes outside. We don't have space for a tumble dryer so we can't use that. The radiators are electric storage so we it won't immediately heat the room we are drying clothes in, we have both a fan/heater purifier to help with drying clothes with the heat it provides and also the fab to provide cooler air if needed. We open all windows during the day, we have moved furniture away from walls to provide circulation to them and we clean the walls with mould spray. The fact the mould is so quickly becoming worse and spreading higher up ONLY the external walls made us raise suspicions because we are already doing what we physically can to help bring condensation down but the 2 contractors from seperate companies have both said the same thing and it's due to the walls and the cold air coming in from the front door onto the hallway area which has no windows or heating to allow proper ventilation.

Sounds horrible. I would be happy to get kicked out.

Eminowa

i don't think its the drying of clothes, because we always dry clothes in my flats, and not a single sign of mould on the wall.From my own experiences , mould comes to a house when it is cold, so the walls need a good heat up.
secondly i will be reporting this to Housing Ombudsman. they will deal with your case properly, you maybe entitled to compensation.
if i were you i will pretend like i never heard anything about quit notice over the phone, and i will write a letter to my landlord informing him about these issues, and let him know you will be informing Ombudsman if he doesn;t do this repair. make sure you send this letter by recorded delivery and also keep a copy for reference to show Ombudsman.

Thrugelmir

Guavalava wrote: »

We are doing all we can to minimise the damp already. We don't have outdoor space so we can't get a washing line or dry clothes outside. We don't have space for a tumble dryer so we can't use that.

Take your clothes to a laundrette to tumble dry.

Cakeguts

Guavalava wrote: »

As much as people want to insist it's because we dry our clothes indoors, and I know that's a contribution to condensation, we have had 2 professional contractors in who said the walls ARE the problem.
We are doing all we can to minimise the damp already. We don't have outdoor space so we can't get a washing line or dry clothes outside. We don't have space for a tumble dryer so we can't use that. The radiators are electric storage so we it won't immediately heat the room we are drying clothes in, we have both a fan/heater purifier to help with drying clothes with the heat it provides and also the fab to provide cooler air if needed. We open all windows during the day, we have moved furniture away from walls to provide circulation to them and we clean the walls with mould spray. The fact the mould is so quickly becoming worse and spreading higher up ONLY the external walls made us raise suspicions because we are already doing what we physically can to help bring condensation down but the 2 contractors from seperate companies have both said the same thing and it's due to the walls and the cold air coming in from the front door onto the hallway area which has no windows or heating to allow proper ventilation.

Start again. Your landlord does not own the building that you are living in. He owns a lease and has sublet on a tenancy to you. Work to external walls is the responsibility of the person who owns the building. That is not your landlord. So your landlord cannot do work to external walls because he doesn't own them. The person or company that does own them is called the freeholder.



It is quite possible that your landlord doesn't own the front door or the windows. It depends on what is in his lease and only he and the freeholder know that. So you cannot force him to do work on parts of the building that he may not own like the door and windows and you cannot force him to do work to external walls that he doesn't own.



Moving on from there. This flat does not have room to dry clothes outside, doesn't have adequate heating and doesn't have anywhere in the immediate area of the flat where you can dry clothes so the flat doesn't actually suit your lifestyle.


One of the really good things about renting is that if you find you are living in a flat that doesn't suit your lifestyle you can really easily move to one that does.


So rather than trying to force the landlord to do something about bits of a property that he doesn't own you would be much better focusing your energy on finding a flat that suits your particular lifestyle better that this one does. What is more your landlord has given you a helping start with this by giving you an S21. So start now and find something that better suits your lifestyle.

Cakeguts

Eminowa wrote: »

i don't think its the drying of clothes, because we always dry clothes in my flats, and not a single sign of mould on the wall.From my own experiences , mould comes to a house when it is cold, so the walls need a good heat up.
secondly i will be reporting this to Housing Ombudsman. they will deal with your case properly, you maybe entitled to compensation.
if i were you i will pretend like i never heard anything about quit notice over the phone, and i will write a letter to my landlord informing him about these issues, and let him know you will be informing Ombudsman if he doesn;t do this repair. make sure you send this letter by recorded delivery and also keep a copy for reference to show Ombudsman.

It is a flat. External walls are owned by the freeholder. The leaseholder can't force the freeholder to do work to the external walls because a set of occupiers who are subletting on a tenancy say they want it done.



If this was a house it would be different because the landlord would be the landlord of the tenants. As it is a flat the owner of the building is likely to be a different person or company from the OP's landlord.


I don't think the property ombudsman can force a freeholder to do work to a flat because subletters want to dry their clothes in it and the building needs them to not do that.