Mould Removal when moving out
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XperiaZX350
Posts: 25 Forumite
Good Afternoon,
I'm after some advice regarding leaving a rented property and the condition it is left in. I apologise for the long story but here we go.
My partner and I are moving out of a rented flat due to the property having excessive mould growth along all interior walls that have an exterior side. The mould is located at the bottom of the walls along the skirting board and tracking along just above it. This started to occur as we headed into autumn.
The flat is located on the 1st floor and underneath is an empty void which is the car park. We notified the landlord and he provided us with a dehumidifier to run 24/7 and have windows open to ventilate the property (which we do anyway).
Now that we have hit the really cold months, anything that is in close proximity to our carpet floor now grows mould, including drawers and underbed storage. This is with heating on in the flat and dehumidifier running. After contacting the council and having a visit from them, it has been found that along all the skirting board, there is a 1/2 inch gap between the concrete slab and skirting board where a breeze can be felt. In the letter from the council, it states that the mould is neither the fault of the tenant or the landlord and that the gap is starting the mould growth due to cold air hitting warm air in the flat and condensing on the wall.
Now my question is, as we are moving out, are we at liberty in having to clean the mould from the walls to get our deposit back? As it is not seen as our fault and the landlord has done nothing to help rectify the gap issue.
I have been cleaning mould off of the walls and our furniture which is ruined for about 3 months now and am at my wits end. I'm glad to get out the flat. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I'm after some advice regarding leaving a rented property and the condition it is left in. I apologise for the long story but here we go.
My partner and I are moving out of a rented flat due to the property having excessive mould growth along all interior walls that have an exterior side. The mould is located at the bottom of the walls along the skirting board and tracking along just above it. This started to occur as we headed into autumn.
The flat is located on the 1st floor and underneath is an empty void which is the car park. We notified the landlord and he provided us with a dehumidifier to run 24/7 and have windows open to ventilate the property (which we do anyway).
Now that we have hit the really cold months, anything that is in close proximity to our carpet floor now grows mould, including drawers and underbed storage. This is with heating on in the flat and dehumidifier running. After contacting the council and having a visit from them, it has been found that along all the skirting board, there is a 1/2 inch gap between the concrete slab and skirting board where a breeze can be felt. In the letter from the council, it states that the mould is neither the fault of the tenant or the landlord and that the gap is starting the mould growth due to cold air hitting warm air in the flat and condensing on the wall.
Now my question is, as we are moving out, are we at liberty in having to clean the mould from the walls to get our deposit back? As it is not seen as our fault and the landlord has done nothing to help rectify the gap issue.
I have been cleaning mould off of the walls and our furniture which is ruined for about 3 months now and am at my wits end. I'm glad to get out the flat. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Comments
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Your fault or not you should leave it the same as you found it unless it can be seen as the landlord's fault.
A cloth and some diluted bleach will work fine.0 -
Your fault or not you should leave it the same as you found it unless it can be seen as the landlord's fault.
I would have to disagree, although the council deemed no one was to blame, they identified the cause of the problem, and at that point the landlord should have rectified the issue.
Do you have legal cover on any insurance policies, such as contents insurance, as it may be worth giving them a call to find out exactly where you stand legally on this. Or try Citizens Advice?
Good luck with you house move!0 -
I would have to disagree, although the council deemed no one was to blame, they identified the cause of the problem, and at that point the landlord should have rectified the issue.
Do you have legal cover on any insurance policies, such as contents insurance, as it may be worth giving them a call to find out exactly where you stand legally on this. Or try Citizens Advice?
Good luck with you house move!
Hi, the landlord never rectified the problem and essentially we have been forced out because we don't want to cause health problems for ourselves or our daughter. Unfortunately, our home insurance doesn't cover mould damage, but we do have legal cover, so hopefully they will be able to advise.
It was our first home too, so a lot of the furniture was specifically bought for the flat. Hopefully we may be able to get compensation to cover the cost of replacing furniture that isn't even a year old. It's just a shame we've had to leave under a cloud but our new place is much nicer!0 -
As the problem was caused by a fault in the building, the landlord should have fixed it.
To ensure you get your deposit back, I would recommend HG Mould Spray. Follow the instructions and you will be amazed at the results.The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.0 -
As the problem was caused by a fault in the building, the landlord should have fixed it.
To ensure you get your deposit back, I would recommend HG Mould Spray. Follow the instructions and you will be amazed at the results.
Yes, the HG Mould spray is what I've been using, I must admit its good stuff, but the mould has penetrated so deeply that it actually leaves black stains when cleaned off.0 -
So after speaking with my legal advisor, I have been told that the landlord has breached 3 areas of the Landlord & tenant Act 1985:
#S.8 implies into a tenancy agreemnet that a property will be fit for human
habitation.
S.10 includes freedom from damp, keeping in good repair.
S.11 impies a general duty for the landlord to keep the property in good
repair.
In doing so, I can also argue that the landlord is in breach of the tenancy agreement and therefore in breach of contract. I've been asked to email the landlord once we check out of the property to see his response.0
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