Moving out for building work

Annaspanna84

We’ve recently discovered a huge mould problem in my toddler’s bedroom (we knew there was a problem but with this cold weather it’s now horrendous). I’ve been getting allergy-like symptoms from it and we’re worried about our son. We now need to get people in to do various things. Does anyone know of any way we can move out while this is going on? It would be for a month or so and ideally we’d go into a holiday home nearby - is there any way you can rent a holiday home in the current circumstances if it’s for a short term rent? It’s obviously not for a holiday! Does anyone know? 

MattMattMattUK

Yes you can move out whilst essential maintenance works take place, your issue will might be finding somewhere as many places will not take bookings at the moment. The additional part of that is it will probably represent a significant cost, do you actually need to move out for the works to take place?

Annaspanna84

We wouldn’t need to but my other half is vulnerable and so we don’t really want to be here while works are going on. I realise the costs will be high but we our place is small and there won’t really be a room for us to all be in while the works are going on! Legally, can you book a holiday home if it’s not for a holiday? The alternative is staying with a family member I suppose. 

Jeremy535897

If your house is inhabitable, that is logically a reasonable excuse for leaving it. Hoteliers and holiday home providers can provide accommodation for people unable to return to their main residence, but you need to enquire as to what their rules are. I don't think staying with family would not be allowed, unless your family happens to have separate accommodation available.

Grumpy_chap

There was a recent thread where someone was proposing to stay away for a couple of nights for a boiler replacement:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6234655/boiler-to-be-replaced/p1
I suspect many of the thoughts and queries the OP may have in relation to the longer stay away for building works will be considered in that thread, so it is well worth a read.
In summary, I think the comments reduce down to "do you really have to?", "minimum time possible" and be near to home.

Aylesbury_Duck

Is there a way you can stay living there whilst tackling the problem?  Can your son sleep in another room for a few days?

How bad is the mould problem?  I ask because there are plenty of cowboy outfits who will come in and promise to do all sorts, when very often, the root cause is more easily solved.  Most mould problems arise from or more of insufficient heating, insufficient ventilation and excessive humidity.  Most mould can be cleaned off with a dilute bleach solution, then the surfaces can be thoroughly cleaned and repainted or papered if needed.  Then it's a question of ensuring the room is heated and ventilated adequately.  Too many people live in what are practically sealed boxes, so condensation and mould is inevitable without intervention.

If the mould is caused by external damp coming in, that will need looking at.  It could be a result of a leaking gutter, or things stacked against an outside wall not allowing a wet wall to dry out.

Annaspanna84

All valid points, thank you. I think the main thing we’re having done is windows replaced (the condensation has ruined the wood anyway and we’ll have trickle vents in to help with ventilation) and we were going to have someone give it a deep clean before we repaint etc. We’ve had advice from an excellent damp company and I think ventilation is the main issue - our son’s room has 2 external walls which are v cold and a garage underneath. We can all hang out in our bedroom when the work is being done but my husband works from home and I can’t see that working! We haven’t worked out the logistics but I was wondering if it was even possible to rent somewhere short term. 

Thanks for all your comments.

Aylesbury_Duck

Annaspanna84 said:

All valid points, thank you. I think the main thing we’re having done is windows replaced (the condensation has ruined the wood anyway and we’ll have trickle vents in to help with ventilation) and we were going to have someone give it a deep clean before we repaint etc. We’ve had advice from an excellent damp company and I think ventilation is the main issue - our son’s room has 2 external walls which are v cold and a garage underneath. We can all hang out in our bedroom when the work is being done but my husband works from home and I can’t see that working! We haven’t worked out the logistics but I was wondering if it was even possible to rent somewhere short term. 

Thanks for all your comments.

I'm always sceptical about these.  Tread carefully.  There are plenty of self-appointed damp experts who will wander around with probes telling you all sorts of stuff about damp, all of which no doubt require the exact treatment they're offering to solve the problem.

If you want to, name the company here and we can take a look.  They may be entirely professional, but there are a lot that aren't.

Annaspanna84

Nope they aren’t coming in to do any work

MattMattMattUK

Annaspanna84 said:

Nope they aren’t coming in to do any work

If they are not coming inside then why do you need to move out?

You say that you hare having the windows replaced as the damp has ruined the wood, but that does not really solve the issue in the first place. I have rooms with two external walls, they might get a bit cold without the heating on, but they do not get a damp problem. Do you know what kind of problem the damp is, is it condensation, which can only really be solved with ventilation and heat, or removing the source of the moisture (which can often be people, so not always possible), is it penetrating damp, rising damp (unlikely with a second floor and garage below), a leak in the roof, a gutter overflowing into the top of the wall. 

As Duck mentions above there are a lot of companies claiming to be damp experts, a lot of them are someone with some sealant and paint, they do a job which works for 3-6 months, summer then arrives (I might be being optimistic with British summers) and covers up the problem for another six months and the damp then reoccurs the following winter. It is really worth making sure you understand the source of the damp, so you can check that the remediation work is the correct course of action to solve it. A rub down and repainting with anti-mould paint, replacing the windows etc. will solve the short term visible issue, it will not solve the damp problem.