I am finding new issues and becoming more frustrated every day with this house. Mould has appeared by the front door in the corners, it had clearly been painted over. Moisture and gunk by the radiators had just been painted over. Ceiling in our utility room starting to sag due to moisture.
We have done nothing wrong as tenants we have heating on as low as possible and even forked out with our own money spending hundreds on a dehumidifier for upstairs.
What do we do? we are scared to rock the boat here because we have no where else to go. My partner has severe asthma and respiratory issues and we have a little child. What happens if we do actually tell them it needs fixing etc etc. I am not a builder but it seems like itās just a house issue, to stop the mould youād have to completely knock down and re-do the reception area. Utility room would need insulating correctly. All massive jobs a landlord wont do.
I have not contacted them. I do not think it it quite bad enough to warrant this but thanks, I now know that option. We have had the heating on low=ish going by feel strickly speaking because of the high level of condensation in this house. Would increasing heat actually help if this is our main issue?
The mould in the reception area is likely due to single brick, cooler air meeting hotter air from the house. and poor to no insulation. Windows and window ceils have been wet due to high temp inside and cold surface window. Our dehumidifier has almost entirely solved this issue at least upstairs.
A higher level of heating will help to dry out the walls and windows as the warmer air inside can hold more moisture. If inside is fairly cold the air cant hold the moisture generated from daily living and it forms on surfaces and causes mold.
Heating and ventilation solves the vast majority of mould issues.
It has been extremely wet and therefore high relative humidity outside, it should also improve with the weather.
yep. As Richard says, moisture condenses on surfaces that are cold. The warmer the surface, the less condensation. Have a shower in your bathroom and then check out which has the most condensation: the windowpane or radiator.
Ideally, no room would go below 15 degrees this time of year, but I know not everyone can afford to do that and not every room has heating.
@Callen if there are new issues then you need to consider lifestyle - you do need to heat the place properly, heating on as low as possible will exacerbate problems and is not at all acceptable. But heating alone doesnt remove moisture does it - the moisture has to escape somewhere. You need to heat and to ventilate properly. Otherwise LL will rightly say you are not maintaining the property properly. Itās actually cheaper to ventilate - open the windows when itās dry, the moisture escapes from the house, close the windows and then heat - heating dry air is cheaper and easier than heating moist air so a bit of ventilating will actually cut your heating bills and make the place feel warmer.
Itās different if the water is getting in from outside eg due to faulty roof, guttering, driving rain through holes in a wall or walls where the mortar between the bricks is failing.
Look at CSEās page āCondensation, damp and mouldā for tips on how to avoid and reduce/manage any mould/damp issues
Ceilings donāt āsag due to moistureā. Is there water above it from a leaky pipe?? Moisture comes from washing/drying machines if not properly vented to the outside, which is an easy fix.
Check with previous tenants if there were issues/if they complained.
Document everything - take and date photos, keep copies of any correspondence with LL.
Google āRevenge eviction if you ask for repairs shelterā
Ps itās perfectly normal for water to condense inside windows/window cills when itās very cold outside and warm inside. Even with double glazing this happens.
Just wipe the windows down with a sponge/cloth every morning in winter when this happens. Itās nothing to be complaining about and wonāt cause any problems providing you wipe it down.
Similarly a bit of mould in the corners of a door is quite normal especially if you have a patio door outside the main door. The reason is that the space is unheated (or hallway less well heated than rooms) whilst at the same time thereās likely no ventilation so moisture is attracted to the coldest spots. Again there are some simple solutions - use anti mould paint, and keep on top of it by removing any mould before it builds up. Get a mould remover spray from b&q and wipe it off as soon as any mould appears.
If dehumidifier has solved upstairs try it downstairs too. If works get another. Tho you can get a really great whole house one that is which recommended for under 200 quid. The fact a dehumidifier has solved things upstairs also suggests it is not a āhouseā issue caused by penetrating from outside (roof, leaky guttering etc) but a lifestyle issue caused by not enough heating and not enough ventilation and not enough maintenance. You can get a pack of 6 hygrometers from Amazon for 25 quid to monitor temperature and relative humidity (rH). Keep rH below 70% max you will have no problems with mould it canāt grow
Your description of these problems suggests you would benefit from doing a bit of research online on how to sort these issues (try eg posting some photos on diynot com) because you appear to be blaming LL for things you ought to be able to deal with through easy basic maintenance.
Apologies if all already tried or if the problems are much more severe than the two specifics mentioned itās difficult to know how serious it is without photos and you are right to be concerned with any risk to your family ās health. However hopefully some simple improvements to ventilation, turning the heating up a little and maintainence will solve it for you. As @Richard19 says almost all mould is caused by lack of heating and lack of ventilation.
Good insulation , ventilation and good heating will help keep the mould away. Fan in bathroom, utility and kitchen also. Do not dry wet clothes in room. I have no mould in my properties or at home
which sets out when tenant should be doing stuff eg opening windows and when LL responsible (damp caused because repairs needed etc)
It also makes clear tenants must report issues to the LL. It will say that in your tenancy agreement too and likely say you have to do so promptly. If you donāt do so promptly you are letting a problem get worse unnecessarily instead of allowing the LL to deal with it so it can then cost much more to fix and you are liable for those extra costs. This is for any issue not just damp and mould. Because if you donāt either fix yourself through better maintenance etc or get LL to fix if needed you are letting the place fall into disrepair.