We had to move out of our house because the damp and mould our landlord failed to address for a year were so bad we were all ill. Our furniture, clothes, toys etc had mould growing on them. She verbally promised to reimburse us for them but has now back-pedalled.
She refused to get a damp/mould report done while we were there so we got our own mould testing done that showed we had toxic black mould. After we moved out she got cleaners in to clean mould and decorators to paint over damp walls etc and then got a mould inspector round who said he couldn’t see any mould (since it had all been cleaned up… She also has the audacity to have deducted the redecorating costs from our deposit).
I want to take her to court (or at least get an idea of what our claim is worth and threaten to) to get our costs reimbursed, but so far can’t find a lawyer who will take on our case because we aren’t currently living there. Has anyone had a similar situation and can recommend a law firm who deal with this area? Google isn’t helping.
Try a contingency fee lawyer, (no-win, no-fee types). If they won’t take you on, you’re unlikely to have a case. I wouldn’t recommend funding legal action yourself as its not clear what the cause of the mould was and you don’t have access to the property to conduct your own survey. Black mould is frequently caused by excess condensation from lack of ventilation. If, for example, you didn’t open windows, dried clothes over radiators, turned off extractor fans etc, then this may have been the cause. If the landlord’s report says this is the likely cause, how will you counter it?
Thanks David. All the no win no fee people I can find only work with people who are in situ. Black mould was definitely not caused by our negligence, the building was in disrepair and we can evidence it. I’m hoping someone in the community has found a lawyer who works with people after they’ve moved out, that’s the barrier I’ve got.
Fair enough. I wish you well. Try Anthony Gold or JMW.
Thanks David, I appreciate those referrals and will follow them up.
It’s sad to hear your treatment by a bad LL. I’m glad you have now moved out. Hope you win your compensation and the LL get the penalty and properly fix the issue with the property.
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