Mould in my rented apartment- With pics...

LillyJ

pnq06 wrote: »

Right so I will not leave the windows open and put up the radiators as its tried and tested and a failure ;-)

Lilly I'm actually quite worried now that you've said that as my baby has developed a cough since being here (taken her to the drs twice) told my partner last night and he thought I was being worried over nothing but I thought it was strange as she didn't get any bug that everyone else she has been in contact with has had... :-(

Try not to worry about it but get your GP on your side as they can help with the LL and council. Aspergillus is rare but I would concentrate on making the room your daughter sleeps in as mould free as possible, maybe paying for a dehumidifier if you can (they aren't expensive and I think you can hire them). Get some solution that kills mould, they sell in in the supermarket, and wipe it every day.

Doozergirl

I wonder if it has a lot to do with the lifestyle of the last tenants. You should not have rising damp in a year old flat.

Damp air will get trapped behind furniture and cause mould if there is a lack of ventilation.

In the corner it does look wet. I know you said it was an external wall but is the wall at right angles to that mouldy wall external as well?

In new builds, you might find that your windows lock in two positions. You pull the window in and then turn the handle at right angles to lock them? If you don't quite shut it properly, leave just a few mm, there should be another catch which allows you to keep the windows locked but open a few mm.

janegresty

BNQ he was a BEEP lol. Still is. Infact we haven't given him the keys back yes as we only moved on Sunday and tenancy doesn't end until the 9th. So this weekend I have to go and clean the house (though it won't be perfect considering the conditions!!). He has already tried to get more money from us
Anyway... the house we have moved into has an extra bedroom, a garden and driveway NO DAMP or MOULD lol... and omg I feel healthy again
And it only costs us an extra £25 extra per month. So now I am happy as baby will grow up in a nice environment.

(Sorry for gate crashing btw)

thanksalot

For all people with mould: DO NOT USE BLEACH TO REMOVE IT.
You need to paint the surface with a specific antifungal product, available in DIY shops.
Bleach only kills the apparent part of the mould : it still lives in the surface and will re-appear.

Dehumidifiers are very good and it certainly has made a huge difference in my house.

moneysavinmonkey

you need to keep on top of it and wash the walls with bleach + mould cleaner if needed. I would then recommend making up a spray of water with a teaspoon of tea tree oil and misting the walls every now and again. Sounds a bit mad but the tea tree inhibits mould growth. You can buy a chemical solution which you paint on also but tea tree is a bit friendlier if you have little ones about.

Keeping the level of condensation down in the flat will also help. So don't dry washing inside. Keep the bathroom door closed + leave the extractor running after showers/baths. Same with the kitchen, door closed, extractor hood on, lids on pans of boiling water etc.

Obviously it is idiotic to leave windows open when you are out but you should make sure you air rooms regularly. Also make sure curtains are open and let the light in as this slows mould growth too.

By all means get environmental health involved if your landlord won't tackle it by himself but make sure you have taken all the reasonable steps you can to combat the problem. Keep a record of the mould + what you have done + correspondence with the landlord.

sooz

The corner in that picture looks wet, both on the wall and on the floor, right in the corner. Is the bathroom the other side of that wall?

The black spots, as others have said, is caused by condensation. Use dettol mould & mildew remover, & don't push the cabinets right back to the wall, leave a small gap so that air can flow. Do the same with all the other items of furniture, it doesn't have to be a huge gap, a cm will do.

If you have new double glazing, doe it have trickle vents? If so, keep all of these open. Also, check the window locks to see if you can lock the windows open too. Most new ones have two settings, allowing you to lock the window, or lock it about 1 cm open.

To prevent condensation you do have to both heat and ventilate at the same time, so do keep the heating on, but you don't have to leave the windows wide open. That would be silly! You need to create a through draught, so open windows, only a small amount, but at opposite ends of the flat.

pnq06

Thank you so much for everyones replies...

Well I went down to the estate agent this morning to see if I could get to see her and as I was literally 2 mins away she called so I ignored it (rather wanting to see her) and she left a message advising me that she had received my messages and email with pics but she was busy so she couldn't arrange anything until next week!!!! Of course this wound me up more so as I stormed into the office she was only blowing tissue at her collegue out the end of the straw :eek: :rolleyes: Her smile dropped She said, "oh I've just left you a message- did you get it?" So I said yes.. So anyway, whilst I was there she managed to-

-Call the neighbour who also seems to have the white salts on the outside walls
- Call the landlord
-Call George Wimpy
-And arrange the tiles for the bathroom...

She also admitted (after 30 mins of me being there!!!) that she was aware of the problem but put it down to the tenants who were in there before... Apparently it was that bad that the mould was cleared, walls were painted and the carpets cleaned so no more was thought about it... Until now obviously, she said it will also get worse :eek:

So the result was, George wimpy are coming out this afternoon :j

pnq06

And sooz yes the carpet and wall is wet :-(

sooz

pnq06 wrote: »

And sooz yes the carpet and wall is wet :-(

Is the bathroom the other side of that?

pnq06

No its not- its the other end of the apartment..