Damp and Mould ...here comes the hysteria

[Ihavenojob]

I wonder if every other property in this block is affected by the same amount of mould. If so, can we expect more deaths?

 

[motorbiking]

People don't know about the dangers of mould in the home. That is the issue.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

The LL is not responsible for the tenants domestic hygiene. The solution could have been purchased from Poundland for less than a 5er.

You're not wrong. If you think about it, in non rental (privately owned) homes, there are people that keep their property spotless, people that live in squalor and every level between. The same holds true on rentals. However with rentals, there's sometimes the added thing of 'it's not mine so I don't really care' from the tenants perspective.

I have 3 x BTLs. Two of my tenants keep the property really clean and tidy, I never have any issues. The third one which I've referenced above are living in a tip. They evidently don't care. The ironic thing is, I'll no doubt have to pay for said tip to be cleared when they move out.

But hey ho, it's always the landlords fault

 

[motorbiking]

I find it odd that a person can instruct solicitors to claim compensation, but are not able to clean their home. Could it be they were deliberately exasperating the situation to maximise their claim, without knowing about risk to the health of a premature toddler?

The LL should be responsible for ensuring the tenant is aware of any defects or deficiencies in the property, and how to work around them.
Do you think the tenant intentionally caused the death of their son?
Your 5er solution appears to suggest that is what you think.

I believe its possible they may have been ignoring it to maximise the claim without realising the risk to health.

I suspect mould caused by damp is not an issue in the Sedan and I suspect there are very dangerous things in the Sedan that I don't know about.

 

[noseall]

The solution could have been purchased from Poundland for less than a 5er.

Not really, no. It's not practical to expect homeowners to be on top of black-spot mould throughout an entire property. The manifestations develop in inaccessible places whereas the mould spores do not stay put. To suggest the tenant should scrub and wash (creating more internal moisture) all the mould away is absurd.

 

[THFC]

But if they'd bothered to clean it at the start, it wouldn't have got so bad.

 

[motorbiking]

1. Heat the property properly.
2. leave a window open and don't keep internal doors closed.
3. use spray disinfectant, soapy water etc to wipe down visible mould.

Its true mould can hide away, but in this case we can see extensive mould in the photos which could have been cleaned up.

 

[algas]

I rent out 5 properties only two have ever had mould problems and both were down to the tenants drying clothes in doors, not opening windows , piling clothes/ bedding against outside walls for months on end, etc,etc. when new tenants took over there have been no further problems so in my oppinion almost all of these problems arrise from thick tenants, you can tell them time and time again "open the bathroom window after you shower, don't dry wet clothes on the radiators" but sometimes its like talking to the wall as soon as your out of the door its back to same old habbits. When I was working I used to do a lot of work for letting agents, damp and black mould was one of the main probems especially with the "off white" tenants one place was running with condensation as they seemed to be forever boiling large pans of rice, wouldnt open windows, even when we fitted a 150mm fan in the kitchen they taped over it saying it blew the hot air out of the house, and overcrowding is another, beds in the lounge ,even the roofspace when questioned " its only uncle Abdul visiting when you go round again in 6 months he's still there, when they eventually were evicted it cost the landlord £kk to get the property back up to standard for the next tenants,

 

[JonathanM]

I came across a landlord who explained that the mould in the bedroom was caused by the tenant breathing on the wall when in bed.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

But if they'd bothered to clean it at the start, it wouldn't have got so bad.

I confess, I've not read the full story about this tragic case to know a) if the building is known to be prone to damp and b) what the condition of the property was like when this family moved in. e.g. are there pics from 6 monthly condition visits that chart the increase in damp/mould?

In my house, in my bedroom where the wall (that my headrest is at) meets the ceiling, that area is prone to mould slowly developing. Maybe a dead air space and exacerbated by my breath during the night.

Once maybe twice a year, I run a sponge over the area with anti-mould spray. Does the trick. If I left it, in a year or two it would no doubt be x times worse.

When it comes to house cleanliness in general, if you don't keep on top of things at least semi-regularly, they soon start to decline. Much of it is common sense but it also depends on the individual. My nephew (mid 20s) moved out to his own place last year and some of the stuff he asks makes you think 'eh, are you for real?' but much of that is down to coming from a home where his mum did everything for him. Whereas when I was growing up, my mum asked me to do stuff like clean the ground floor whilst she cleaned the first floor, dig the garden, etc. These are valuable life skills.

 

[Bod ...]

I rent out 5 properties only two have ever had mould problems and both were down to the tenants drying clothes in doors, not opening windows

This does tend to be a problem living in a climate that we do

 

[robinbanks]

This does tend to be a problem living in a climate that we do

It's not caused by the [macro]climate we live in, it's caused by the microclimate the occupants create.

Plenty enough people live in the same macroclimate but somehow* don't arrange a microclimate that encourages mold infestation..

Fit mechanical ventilation and evict them if they block the vents; it's wilful damage to the building structure every bit as much as ripping the shower seal off and letting water puddle all over the floor daily

*(and it's not a complicated somehow)

 

[Deleted member 174758]

It does SOUND like there's a problem with this estate. It could of course be the quality of the people on that estate.

It certainly used to be known as a bit of a rough estate

It certainly seems there's plenty of mould spores about.

This part of the Pennines is known as the "dry rot belt" - an area which has a particularly damp climate and where wet rot, dry rot and mildew/black mould are very, very common. Dry rot is another mould-created problem and very common i Lamcashire - moulds are part of the environment up here. In fact the whole reason that the cotton industry came to Lancashire (and Paisley in west Scotland for that matter) was that damp climate: cotton threads being spun are less likely to dry out and break in a damp climate - some modern looms, etc have climate control boxes built around them to provide just such a damp micro climate

The council "hand out leaflets". I wouldn't mind a bet that they have a history of refurbing a flat to find it's just as bad in a year

I have done a bit of work in the past in the neighbouring council area of Rossendale. Same climate, similar types of housing. You rarely went into a house with major mould problems. When you found one the instruction was to have a quick look outside for broken downpipes, leaking gutters or blocked drains and to report it to the housing officer. Never found an external problem - did come across houses where windows had gaps/joints masked with tape and with (unreported) broken bathroom and kitchen extractors. The housing officers said it was almost always the same families with mould problems, even if they were rehoused

One question I have to ask about all this is just how many languages should our local councils support, and who should be paying for this support? Perhsps the government should be paying a bit more towards the cost of all this. After all, isn't immigration a national problem?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

For immigrants that can't speak English the landlord should be expected to go the extra mile to reduce and prevent any further deterioration in the building fabric.

Why? If you hire a wedding dress or a lawnmower thete is an expectation that you known how to use it and tbat you will maintain it in reasonable coo dition and retuen it in working, undamaged order. So why is a house any different?

If the person was old, infirm, disabled, etc, then the same applies, the landlord would be expected to go the extra mile, or relocate the tenant into a more suitable property.

Expected by whom? AFAIK in those instances it has always been the case that the onus is on the tennant or their family, to make the social services and the housing departments aware of anynm particular requirements, but that with the reduction in spending on social housing we have seen over the last 40 odd years there may well be no suitable accommodation available for some considerable time

In the case in point it was a case of education of the tenants, but that does not seem to have been attempted with any real zeal.

Again, where is the budget for this?

You wouldn't hire out a machine, with defects or deficiencies, without ensuring the user is capable of using the machine, and was aware of the problems.

As I said above there us an expectation that if you hire something you know how to use it and that you'll return it in good order, in working condition and that any faults/problems will be reported promptly. I recall that when I rented a property from the council in Skelmersdale in the 1970s there was a clause to that effect in the tenancy agreement and that I was given a.rent book and a card with the various numbers for reporting faults

 

[transam]

I know how I would deal with the problem. How would YOU tackle the problem???

Left to me he would be slung out the door by the scruff of his neck with a boot up the arris to help him on his way