Mould issues and landlord is doing nothing
Discussion
We've lived in our rented accomodation for 4 months now and during this time have had a bit of a problem with mould on all of the outside walls ( 3 of them).
Last month it was so bad that we decided to ask the landlord to do something about it and so far it has been 2 weeks with no response or action taken to resolve the problem. However what we found out was that they were aware of the problems but have not fitted better heaters as advised, and there was mould in the flat before we moved in and they painted over it !
What action can we take to get the landlord to sort something out? And how long should we wait before pursuing alternative avenues?
We are getting pretty fedup as the kitchen cupboards are full of mould, and nay mould that we clean off in the bedroom or lounge returns to it's original condition within 3 days
Are we within our rights do demand an end to the contract and the return of our deposit so we can move out?
Thanks for any help, we're bloody fedup with it all!!!
P.S The landlord is actually a company that rents out property in the South of England rather than an individual/
Last month it was so bad that we decided to ask the landlord to do something about it and so far it has been 2 weeks with no response or action taken to resolve the problem. However what we found out was that they were aware of the problems but have not fitted better heaters as advised, and there was mould in the flat before we moved in and they painted over it !
What action can we take to get the landlord to sort something out? And how long should we wait before pursuing alternative avenues?
We are getting pretty fedup as the kitchen cupboards are full of mould, and nay mould that we clean off in the bedroom or lounge returns to it's original condition within 3 days
Are we within our rights do demand an end to the contract and the return of our deposit so we can move out?Thanks for any help, we're bloody fedup with it all!!!
P.S The landlord is actually a company that rents out property in the South of England rather than an individual/
The mould is caused by condensation, which is created by you. The heaters need to be of a minimum size and your local Council will advise you further but they will make little difference unless you open the windows more often. There is lots on the Net about condensation, once you've eradicated that the mould can't grow.
C Lee Farquar said:
The mould is caused by condensation, which is created by you. The heaters need to be of a minimum size and your local Council will advise you further but they will make little difference unless you open the windows more often. There is lots on the Net about condensation, once you've eradicated that the mould can't grow.
The other problem could be a lack of adequate airbrick ventilation. We had a problem in one of or rental properties that was caused by the plasterer covering the air bricks. Once they were cleared the problem went away.There may be many factors that will lead to mould, moisture through damp or condensation, “cold” walls, wrong render on outside walls or wrong plaster, lack of ventilation etc. etc. With further heater/ers might make the problem worse.
Contacting your local City Council’s Environmental Health Department is a sledge hammer approach to use in order to get a response from your landlord, or you could contact several Damp Proofing Companies, to commission both a survey and their subsequent recommendations.
Mould will not only affect your health, but also clothing and effects, particularly leather goods, shoes, coats etc. You are well within your right to either negotiate an early end to the AST (agreement/contract), or alternative accommodation, with more strength being obtained after you make contact with the Environmental Health Dept.
Contacting your local City Council’s Environmental Health Department is a sledge hammer approach to use in order to get a response from your landlord, or you could contact several Damp Proofing Companies, to commission both a survey and their subsequent recommendations.
Mould will not only affect your health, but also clothing and effects, particularly leather goods, shoes, coats etc. You are well within your right to either negotiate an early end to the AST (agreement/contract), or alternative accommodation, with more strength being obtained after you make contact with the Environmental Health Dept.
Monki said:
Thanks, we might just try and negotiate an early release instead as I get the feeling that the landlords are merely planning to wait until we move out, and then the next tennants will have exactly the same problem (hence the painting over the mould trick).
You will need any early release from the AST in writing, the same to protect your/any Deposit registered under the TDS.we had this issue, the landlords insisted it was a ventilation issue (us not opening windows) and had some contractors round who just wanted to sell some expensive ventalation system. turned out the water tank was leaking. this tank was sat in a cupboard on a boxed in shelf, it was leaking behind this and coming out beneath the laminate flooring. this wasnt the first time this had happened as the flooring was already warped so we didnt immediately notice this, it was then soaked into carpet / underlay which then became moisture in the air leading to the same problem you have.
they were very slow to do anything about it so we moved. good thing was the flat was so trashed we had no argument over getting the deposit back!
they were very slow to do anything about it so we moved. good thing was the flat was so trashed we had no argument over getting the deposit back!
As a landlord, I had this problem in one of my flats. Fundamentally there were too many people in the flat (the tenants had both moved in their latest flames without letting me know) so the moisture from cooking, drying laundry etc, was condensing on the outside walls and leading to mould growth.
They'd also blocked the trickle bars on the windows that guarantee air flow.
However, it can be very difficult to avoid when you've got solid brick outside walls (pretty much anything Victorian).
I killed off the mould and had the affected walls papered with Warmaline....a think polystyrene wallpaper than you can line over and then paint.
The problem hasn't come back so seems to be working.
They'd also blocked the trickle bars on the windows that guarantee air flow.
However, it can be very difficult to avoid when you've got solid brick outside walls (pretty much anything Victorian).
I killed off the mould and had the affected walls papered with Warmaline....a think polystyrene wallpaper than you can line over and then paint.
The problem hasn't come back so seems to be working.
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