[Politics] Whose responsibility should it mainly be to keep a flat clear of mould - landlord or tenant?

[Mustafa II]

It comes up a lot where tenants blame landlords for mould in their flats, such as the lady in this article > https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2827jpdxn0o < who claims that it will kill her.

In my experience, it's rare to live in a flat that DOESN'T develop mould. It takes a LOT of hardwork to keep it at bay - dehumidifiers, open windows, anti-mould treatment, central heating, humidity management, and so on.

Something tells me that these tenants do none of the above, and are expecting landlords to wave a magic wand, when in reality it's something that should be managed by the occupier every day.

 

[Littlemo]

Mould, especially to the extent that woman is experiencing it, is often issues with the building. Damp coming in through external facing walls, badly done repairs especially around pipes/windows, poor ventilation etc. Those are all building problems that need fixed by the landlord.

I have a flat where there’s no issue with mould at all. I do keep on top of minor stuff like mould around the shower etc and yes, to that extent it’s the tenants responsibility but expecting them to spend a lot of time and money fighting mould caused by structural building issues is wrong tbh.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Flats over here were built with zero consideration for airflow at all. Coupled with crap central heating, bad double-glazing, a luke warm towel rail in the bathroom if you're lucky, no communal laundry rooms meaning people have no choice but to hang up wet washing and you get a very nice environment for mould to grow.

The system is the problem.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Both - unless you expect your landlord to come round and flush the toilet for you

 

[Horses Arse]

Jason f***ing Steele! That's who! Where's the option for that eh?

 

[Mr Bridger]

could be:
Old building - badly insulated or is insulated but tenant will cover up vents etc.
Chimney breasts blocked up with no ventilation.
9” solid walls, no insulation, no ventilation.
Rising damp, no DPM.
Insufficient ventilation in the shower/ bathroom. Again the tenant sometimes doesn’t use the fan, showers for a long time, then shuts the door to keep the moisture in.

Key to it all, Air flow & ventilation.

 

[nickbrighton]

Its both responsibilty. Mould caused by damp or structural issues is the landlords responsibility to sort, but the tennant has a responsibilty to maintain the property by keeping it well aired, reporting problems ASAP.

Some people dont help themselves though, I once had an employee who although always clean and well groomed , had a slight damp mouldy smell. After several chats we figured the problem to the practice he had of doing the washing drying it in the flat, on airers, over radiators etc , no windows open, and putting it away slighty damp.he had a mould problem that was entirley of his making as he never aired the flat out and constantly had wet washing all over the place

Our house doesnt suffer from damp, but does the double glazing is old and as soon as heating is on there is condensation. This can in turn cause mould-which is easily trated with a damp cloth cleaning it off the wall every couple weeks .

 

[Baldseagull]

I deal with this issue for Landlords frequently. It isn't always easy for a tenant to keep it clear, have had situations with insufficient insulation, old windows without trickle vents, leaky roof etc. On the other hand, often have the situation where tenant is drying clothes on radiators, has giant tropical fish tank with no lid to it, has blocked trickle vents, disabled bathroom extract fan, switched off forced ventilation unit etc.
In almost all situations, Landlords can do something to help, but usually, so can the tenant.

 

[The Clamp]

It’s the landlords legal responsibility but a tenant should do their bit.

Weirdly, it’s not unlawful to rent out a residence unfit for human occupation in England.

It is unlawful not to make repairs when the issue is raised though.

 

[Albion my Albion]

It comes up a lot where tenants blame landlords for mould in their flats, such as the lady in this article > https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2827jpdxn0o < who claims that it will kill her.

In my experience, it's rare to live in a flat that DOESN'T develop mould. It takes a LOT of hardwork to keep it at bay - dehumidifiers, open windows, anti-mould treatment, central heating, humidity management, and so on.

Something tells me that these tenants do none of the above, and are expecting landlords to wave a magic wand, when in reality it's something that should be managed by the occupier every day.

So, in reality, the true answer is both the tenant & landlord in a team effort?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

It comes up a lot where tenants blame landlords for mould in their flats, such as the lady in this article > https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2827jpdxn0o < who claims that it will kill her.

In my experience, it's rare to live in a flat that DOESN'T develop mould. It takes a LOT of hardwork to keep it at bay - dehumidifiers, open windows, anti-mould treatment, central heating, humidity management, and so on.

Something tells me that these tenants do none of the above, and are expecting landlords to wave a magic wand, when in reality it's something that should be managed by the occupier every day.

I agree with you*.
*Albeit there should be NO black mold when you move into the property. That's the land lord's job to fix.

I have rented some dreadful flats. Every one needed black mold treatment when I moved in. Luckily I discovered that if you apply bleach as a spray (or a fancy black mould spray) for 3 days in the bathroom it should all disappear. Then use the spray once a week. If it is on bedroom walls, the same approach is needed.

Our house is Victorian and needs a black mould clean in one room twice each winter. On the recommendation of many on NSC I bought a rather fancy dehumidifier recently. In 2 weeks it has pulled 60 litres of water out of the air. We shall see what transpires.

 

[amexer]

If a tenant doesnt open windows and dries washing on radiators etc flat will get mould whatever landlord does.

 

[Flagship]

HWT has got it about right. I used to do a lot of work for landlords and I was amazed at how many tenants wanted to know who's job it was to clean mildew and mould from their showers and kitchens. Keeping your flat clean and tidy is usually a part of your tenancy agreement and failure to do so could result in loss of some of your deposit.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I think the vast majority of Landlords and tenants both take their responsibilities seriously and with the occasional prompt along the lines of 'open the windows a bit when you're drying clothes' and 'the extractor fan needs fixing' get along fine.

But where's the newspaper articles and clicks in that

 

[herecomesaregular]

Also worth noting, that warm air "holds" more water and cooler air will more easily condense and become water - there will be more damp on the walls, windows and curtains etc in a colder flat. People struggling to heat their flats and keeping them cold might therefore have more condensation and damp problems... (obviously, as noted above ventilation is a big factor also). I keep my bedroom cold as I find it more healthy and, aslong as I keep a window in their open at night (in winter), I have no condensation issues at all in the morning. If I close all the bedroom windows, however, the glass and windowsills likely quite damp with condensation in the morning (less if I keep the heating on in there)

 

[Mr Bridger]

I agree with you*.
*Albeit there should be NO black mold when you move into the property. That's the land lord's job to fix.

I have rented some dreadful flats. Every one needed black mold treatment when I moved in. Luckily I discovered that if you apply bleach as a spray (or a fancy black mould spray) for 3 days in the bathroom it should all disappear. Then use the spray once a week. If it is on bedroom walls, the same approach is needed.

Our house is Victorian and needs a black mould clean in one room twice each winter. On the recommendation of many on NSC I bought a rather fancy dehumidifier recently. In 2 weeks it has pulled 60 litres of water out of the air. We shall see what transpires.

Be careful with a dehumidifier in an old Victorian house. Sometimes the old quarry tiles ( if you have them) were laid on soil or lime mortar bed, so you could be pulling the moisture out of the floor.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Be careful with a dehumidifier in an old Victorian house. Sometimes the old quarry tiles ( if you have them) were laid on soil or lime mortar bed, so you could be pulling the moisture out of the floor.

Cheers! The machine is upstairs only Besides, all that old tile on mud nightmare was removed downstairs when we had the extension put in.

 

[Mustafa II]

Be careful with a dehumidifier in an old Victorian house. Sometimes the old quarry tiles ( if you have them) were laid on soil or lime mortar bed, so you could be pulling the moisture out of the floor.

Wouldn't any moisture be pulled out naturally anyway?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

It depends if the cause is structural (rising damp or leaking roof) in which case landlord, or lifestyle (drying washing on radiators with no ventilation, not keeping the place sufficiently heated) in which case tenant.

 

[Bodian]

could be:
Old building - badly insulated or is insulated but tenant will cover up vents etc.
Chimney breasts blocked up with no ventilation.
9” solid walls, no insulation, no ventilation.
Rising damp, no DPM.
Insufficient ventilation in the shower/ bathroom. Again the tenant sometimes doesn’t use the fan, showers for a long time, then shuts the door to keep the moisture in.

Key to it all, Air flow & ventilation.

What's needed is a wood-burning stove - dries/heats the air in the house, and keeps the air moving around.

Oh - we're not allowed those anymore though are we.