Damp & Mould In Flat, Only Been There 4 Weeks

[debt monkey]

Hello

My girlfriend and I moved into a private rented flat on 14 January 2012, being managed through local estate agent.

When we viewed the property 3 weeks before, the carpets had just been cleaned and a cleaner gave the place a quick once over just before we moved in. There was however a heater plugged in and a dehumidifier running, when we got the keys.

Within 2 weeks the external walls were damp at the top, and within 3 weeks mould had started to appear. We have been running the dehumidifier and the flat is suitably heated (sat here in just a tshirt) and airing the property whenever possible, but the problem is getting worse.

I have no experience with damp, could we of caused it so quickly?

Is it more likely to be that after the carpets were cleaned and the property was left cold for 3 weeks that the damp set in?

I have phoned and advised the agent who suggested I clean it with a mould killer spray. This has been done, and photos were taken before and after.

I suspect that the property has always had a damp problem due to the look of the walls and that the landlord/agent knew but did not let us know. Where do I stand? Is this something the landlord should be fixing?

Sorry for the long post, but thanks for reading.

[Mikhail Liebenstein]

Hello

My girlfriend and I moved into a private rented flat on 14 January 2012, being managed through local estate agent.

When we viewed the property 3 weeks before, the carpets had just been cleaned and a cleaner gave the place a quick once over just before we moved in. There was however a heater plugged in and a dehumidifier running, when we got the keys.

Within 2 weeks the external walls were damp at the top, and within 3 weeks mould had started to appear. We have been running the dehumidifier and the flat is suitably heated (sat here in just a tshirt) and airing the property whenever possible, but the problem is getting worse.

I have no experience with damp, could we of caused it so quickly?

Is it more likely to be that after the carpets were cleaned and the property was left cold for 3 weeks that the damp set in?

I have phoned and advised the agent who suggested I clean it with a mould killer spray. This has been done, and photos were taken before and after.

I suspect that the property has always had a damp problem due to the look of the walls and that the landlord/agent knew but did not let us know. Where do I stand? Is this something the landlord should be fixing?

Sorry for the long post, but thanks for reading.

I think you can bring a legal action via the small claims court and ask for the tenancy to be voided if the landlord doesn't repair the situation - I'd suggest going to CAB first though to double check.

[Bruce Banner]

Cleaning the carpets could have left gallons of water in the fabric and dehumidifiers aren't very effective when it's very cold. You may find that a couple of decent dehumidifiers combined with normal living temperatures may clear it up in a week or so.

[Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond]

Hello

My girlfriend and I moved into a private rented flat on 14 January 2012, being managed through local estate agent.

When we viewed the property 3 weeks before, the carpets had just been cleaned and a cleaner gave the place a quick once over just before we moved in. There was however a heater plugged in and a dehumidifier running, when we got the keys.

Within 2 weeks the external walls were damp at the top, and within 3 weeks mould had started to appear. We have been running the dehumidifier and the flat is suitably heated (sat here in just a tshirt) and airing the property whenever possible, but the problem is getting worse.

I have no experience with damp, could we of caused it so quickly?

Is it more likely to be that after the carpets were cleaned and the property was left cold for 3 weeks that the damp set in?

I have phoned and advised the agent who suggested I clean it with a mould killer spray. This has been done, and photos were taken before and after.

I suspect that the property has always had a damp problem due to the look of the walls and that the landlord/agent knew but did not let us know. Where do I stand? Is this something the landlord should be fixing?

Sorry for the long post, but thanks for reading.

I've had this in a few properties I've rented.

Best thing is to call the landlord and come to some agreement about how the remediation is going to be paid for, whether it be short or long term.

The damp carpets shouldn't be a problem after a few hours' central heating if that was ever part of the problem. Damp of the type you describe usually happens for a number of reasons, but mostly because the walls are cold because they are external walls, because of a lack of ventilation (very common is slightly older flats) and because of a relatively confined space.

To lower the amount of damp in the air, try the following:

1. Heat the room up with the heating on full blast.

2. Switch off heating and open windows

3. Close windows and repeat.

Obviously, this is not cheap and extraordinarily wasteful of energy but you have little choice, so get some money back off the landlord as instructed. A hundred quid a month or more discount is not unreasonable during the November to March months.

If he disagrees, tell him that you might need to get the flat assessed by the council to decide whether the flat is habitable. That should prompt him into action. However what you don't want him to do is to start installing ventilation bricks here there and everywhere because although it will get air moving and reduce damp, it will plunge the ambient temperature of the flat (probably also rendering it uninhabitable).

Edit: Oh and most of the reason you have damp is because you spend a lot of time in the room. If you go on holiday or use other rooms (if you have any), the damp will probably not appear.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond

[Rentergirl]

Landlords know there is damp, hide it and then blame tenants for 'drying on radiators' when there is nowhere else to dry (ie no garden access). Fight it.

[bewildered_renter]

Edit: Oh and most of the reason you have damp is because you spend a lot of time in the room. If you go on holiday or use other rooms (if you have any), the damp will probably not appear.

It depends on the cause of the damp.

I've been in two places where it was due to failed guttering - both repaired in the end by the respective landlords.

I was in another place, ground floor, where it was rising damp. I got terrible eczema from the mould. A dehumidifier kept both the damp and the eczema at bay.

When I moved out there were a few days where it was empty, and the dehumidifier wasn't running, before I handed the keys back. It was summer, but those few days were more than enough for the damp to take over again.

[zebbedee]

Which floor of the building are you on, if ground is the mould worse at the bottom of the wall (rising damp) or if top is it worse at the top (damaged guttering), if ground does-it seem to radiate from the side of the wall where the downpipe is outside (damaged drainage-and risk of subsidence), is it all over the walls or just behind wardrobes/other furnature (poor ventilation, to high humidity, insufficient heating). Basically it depends on the cause, if it is lack of heating, or excessive humidity generated then it could be down to you (in that particular house), damaged building fabric (down to the LL), or excessive water left from floor cleaning (LL), but would take an inspection to clearly identify.

One of the tv progs had a couple on who had spent £50000 trying to resolve a damp problem (used cowboys all the way ), the prog pinpointed it to the damaged down pipe allowing water to pool at the drain, soaking the soil, water ingress to the walls, subsidence and a very wet house. Couple of hundred quid repair