Condensation in conservatory - what ventilation

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Hi guys,
i have a house that I rent out which has a simple conservatory with no windows nor vents. I believe the conservatory was built more than 5 years ago by the previous owners. Recently my tenants who moved in a few months ago have been complaining "roof leaking". Today I went to check and apparently they are actually experiencing bad condensation.
I understand that condensation is a complex problem and there is no easy solution. But as a landlord I think what I can do might be to improve the ventilation a bit. So my question is, what kind of vent is my best bet? A few tricle vents above the frames?

Many thanks
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Allowing warm moisture laden air from the house (kitchen?) might be the cause of much of the problem. It will be condensing out on that poorly insulated roof.
 
I expect the problem is lack of heat which ventilation won't cure.



It's a long shot but I wonder if that anti fog liquid you can get for cars would reduce moisture condensing on the cold roof.
 
Allowing warm moisture laden air from the house (kitchen?) might be the cause of much of the problem. It will be condensing out on that poorly insulated roof.
Exactly, they need to take some actions to minimise the amount of moist air coming into this area. But from my side, I want to help and fitting vents is the only thing I can think of so far.
 
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I expect the problem is lack of heat which ventilation won't cure.



It's a long shot but I wonder if that anti fog liquid you can get for cars would reduce moisture condensing on the cold roof.

Every time i visited the house I found it very warm inside, and perhaps too warm for me. Not sure if these anti fog spray would work but even if it does, I can't suggest them to spray around everyday....
 
Every time i visited the house I found it very warm inside, and perhaps too warm for me. Not sure if these anti fog spray would work but even if it does, I can't suggest them to spray around everyday....

They do work in a limited way, in that it turns a misting into a wet film to enable you can see through the glass, but that is not the object here so it will not help.

Insulation is the key plus limitation of moisture in the air.
 
Do none of those glass panels slide open???

Does it directly adjoin the kitchen? Does the kitchen have a separate window to the outside?
 
Do none of those glass panels slide open???

Does it directly adjoin the kitchen? Does the kitchen have a separate window to the outside?

There is a sliding door on one side only. Between the conservatory and kitchen is the living room. Kitchen has its own windows and extractor fan to the outside.
 
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Given it's a rental, unless the additional floorspace created by the conservatory is valuable to tenants (e.g. extra storage space) and makes the property more appealing to rent, I'd consider getting rid of it next time you're between tenants. One less thing to worry about and/or for tenants to pick fault with.
 
Given it's a rental, unless the additional floorspace created by the conservatory is valuable to tenants (e.g. extra storage space) and makes the property more appealing to rent, I'd consider getting rid of it next time you're between tenants. One less thing to worry about and/or for tenants to pick fault with.

Dehumidifier in there, with built in humidity switch and a permanent drain?

Is there a door between main house and conservatory. That left open will increase the moisture in the conservatory able to condense, if it is left open - could you add a door closer to make sure it closes?
 
It's often down to the tenants and how much they want to do the proper thing to mitigate against damp, mould etc. In reality as the landlord you have little control over what they do day to day. I have a BTL and for the first x years there were no issues raised re damp. Young couple moved in, then I started to get complaints (although they were nice about it don't get me wrong) about damp and mould in the bathroom. I asked all the usual questions about are you ensuring adequate ventilation especially after baths/showers etc 'oh yes yes' was the reply. Then the husband advised me at a later date his wife had a condition that meant she couldn't bear any cold whatsoever. Put two and two together ...

They moved out x years back, never had any issues raised about damp or mould since. Funny that.

If you don't need to keep that add-on to raise the appeal of the property, get rid.
 
Looks as if someone in the past has used curtains. It may provide some level of “insulation” against the cold and help to reduce the condensation.
 
Dehumidifier in there, with built in humidity switch and a permanent drain?

Is there a door between main house and conservatory. That left open will increase the moisture in the conservatory able to condense, if it is left open - could you add a door closer to make sure it closes?

there is a thick curtain which I don't know if they normally close or not.
 
It's often down to the tenants and how much they want to do the proper thing to mitigate against damp, mould etc. In reality as the landlord you have little control over what they do day to day. I have a BTL and for the first x years there were no issues raised re damp. Young couple moved in, then I started to get complaints (although they were nice about it don't get me wrong) about damp and mould in the bathroom. I asked all the usual questions about are you ensuring adequate ventilation especially after baths/showers etc 'oh yes yes' was the reply. Then the husband advised me at a later date his wife had a condition that meant she couldn't bear any cold whatsoever. Put two and two together ...

They moved out x years back, never had any issues raised about damp or mould since. Funny that.

If you don't need to keep that add-on to raise the appeal of the property, get rid.

My tenants are indeed first time renters. There seems to be lack of awareness of dealing with condensation, they even reported the problem as "roof leaks". And my impression is that they expect the conservatory to be a "normal" room, actually they use it as dining room from what I see.
I would prefer not having this conservatory but we bought the house with it and it is unlikely we can get rid of it at the moment. So I will make it clear they need to adjust their way to use the conservatory to mitigate the issue but again from my side I do want to do something to improve the situation, hence the question about adding vents. But so far seems no one has suggested if that could be an option...
 

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