Single property Landlord, we asked tenants to leave a year ago, now a possession and eviction order, we have been waiting for a bailiff appointment for c. 14 weeks. It is a warm property, cavity wall, and fresh loft insulation.
In March, we received a notice from the Council about possible “extensive damp and mould” in the property - this turned out to be negligible in my view, we asked an independent inventory company to inspect the property and basically no mould was identified and all windows were check and photographed.
There are air brick vents in most rooms, and the tenants had covered one in the second bedroom complaining of cold air, which has caused some damp I think.
The property (1950’s) does not have an extractor hood or fan in the kitchen, and paint on the wall is peeling (badly). The Council have inspected the property, and as well as identifying the above, are not happy the windows on the firs floor open more than 100mm due internal sil’s being too low and danger of fall from height (children)
Council has requested:
-windows limiters which can be over-ridden by an adult
-a damp surveyor for kitchen, and an extractor fan/hood ducted to the outside (not practical at all, a pipe would need to be run along a wall), and all the walls pained in anti-mould paint
-the cold air brick in bedroom to be checked and given a screened filter to maintain flow and prevent bugs.
I think everything is being done to make this difficult, we have had numerous recent issues including block filters in the taps.
We know the tenants don’t necessarily open the windows, the last time I went past they were all closed on one of the hottest days of the year.
Given the ongoing eviction process, and possibility of an enforcement notice, can anyone make any suggestions here?
Do the regs really require a hood, or just extraction from the kitchen etc. Do I really have to provide limiters which can be over-ridden?
Thanks