Landlord help please!

[littlemover 10]

hello, i have just moved in to a house which i rent from a private landlord and at first it was ok, but looking closer in the kitchen i could smell a mouldy damp smell, further investigation i see behind part of the wall cuboard that the wall is completey black and smells really damp, the whole of the wall behind the units are like it. Is it the landlords responsablitly to get this fixed or mine! and does he have to get it fixed! i'm new to all this renting thing and need a little advice please!

[Womerry2 10]

Let your landlord know as soon as possible. It sounds like a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

[Bludragonfly 10]

it is the landlord's duty to sort this out. if not contact the Council as they will have a section that deals with private landlord queries

[littlemover 10]

it is the landlord's duty to sort this out. if not contact the Council as they will have a section that deals with private landlord queries

 

Thank you!

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

it is the landlord's duty to sort this out. if not contact the Council as they will have a section that deals with private landlord queries

Yes. See s.11(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (below, with my underlining):

 

Repairing obligations in short leases.

 

(1) In a lease to which this section applies (as to which, see sections 13 and 14) there is implied a covenant by the lessor:

(a) to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling-house (including drains, gutters and external pipes),

(b) to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for the supply of water, gas and electricity and for sanitation (including basins, sinks, baths and sanitary conveniences, but not other fixtures, fittings and appliances for making use of the supply of water, gas or electricity), and

© to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for space heating and heating water.

[cazzy2010 10]

Im having a similar problem but a hole lot worse, when i moved into the property the house had just been done up all the way through, now 3 months pn damp has appeeared in every room on the walls, i have contacted my landlord and he came and looked and told me it wasnt damp( bear in mind it was thick and black when he came to see it) and that its condensaton lol, tod me to wipe it off with neat bleach and he'll look into it further when the weather improves in the spring time, needlees to say im very peed off, and i have 3 kids as well

[chem1st 10]

get in touch with landlord and also council, if landlord don't sort out the council can carry out the work and bill him.

[RozeePozee 10]

The landlord may of course be really pleased wthat you have let him know about this problem so he can sort it out.

[retired 10]

At a guess you have a solid wall house? Black mould is usually condensation and is damp caused from within. You need heat, insulation and ventilation. On the older houses ventilation is shut off with draught proof windows & doors, sealed off fireplaces and no expelairs in the kitchen and bathrooms. Creating some ventilation at the right time would eliminate this problem but a lot of people cannot be bothered, seal up the house, dry clothes on the radiators, run baths etc and just don't think where does the moisture go to? Well it condenses on a cold spot like a solid part of the brick wall which is in contact with the cold outside and then this spot becomes mould.

 

Create some ventilation especially in the kitchen and bathroom when creating steam and keep the kitchen and bathroom door shut. Drying clothes is a problem at this time of year. An electric drier is ideal if possible. Our drier which is condensing can easily create half a bucket of water on wash day and thats just for the 2 of us! This water would otherwise float around the house as condensation if we used the radiators or a clothes horse.

 

So, it may not be the landlords problem as it is more than likely self inflicted. There is a product call Envirovent on the market which is ideal for this problem but costs several hundred pounds to install. It is not the landlords responsibility to fit one but the outlay could by pass the tenants laziness and stop harassment. t also could keep a good tenant.

[Jojo35 10]

get in touch with landlord and also council, if landlord don't sort out the council can carry out the work and bill him.

 

or contact the citizens advise, they are really good with stuff like this

[Jojo35 10]

or for legal advice theres a free legal advice centre on corner of bridge street their really good

[Jaywalker51 10]

At a guess you have a solid wall house? Black mould is usually condensation and is damp caused from within. You need heat, insulation and ventilation. On the older houses ventilation is shut off with draught proof windows & doors, sealed off fireplaces and no expelairs in the kitchen and bathrooms. Creating some ventilation at the right time would eliminate this problem but a lot of people cannot be bothered, seal up the house, dry clothes on the radiators, run baths etc and just don't think where does the moisture go to? Well it condenses on a cold spot like a solid part of the brick wall which is in contact with the cold outside and then this spot becomes mould.

 

Create some ventilation especially in the kitchen and bathroom when creating steam and keep the kitchen and bathroom door shut. Drying clothes is a problem at this time of year. An electric drier is ideal if possible. Our drier which is condensing can easily create half a bucket of water on wash day and thats just for the 2 of us! This water would otherwise float around the house as condensation if we used the radiators or a clothes horse.

 

So, it may not be the landlords problem as it is more than likely self inflicted. There is a product call Envirovent on the market which is ideal for this problem but costs several hundred pounds to install. It is not the landlords responsibility to fit one but the outlay could by pass the tenants laziness and stop harassment. t also could keep a good tenant.

 

Exactly right. Most damp problems in properties are caused by the lifestyles of the occupiers. We all create large quantities of water in our daily lives through cooking, bathing, laundry and simply breathing and this water has to be allowed to escape from the property.

 

Having said that, the landlord has to provide a means of ventilation. If double glazing has been fitted without trickle vents and/or there are no extractors in the kitchen or bathroom he/she should deal with these matters.