Damp homes, and private tenants

[Murdochcat]

Garbage. You clearly don't understand buildings and the idiosyncrasies of occupancy.
Opening windows in the winter can have a negative effect.
Ventilation alone won't cut it in any case. It's about 25% of the remedy, with insulation taking care of the other 75%.
In fact, we'll designed/insulated buildings, need not rely on ventilation at all.

It's a myth and utrer stupidity to expect occupants to keep windows open in the Winter, just to line the pockets of miserly Rigsbys.

Nonsense. The moisture in the air has to go somewhere.

I did write “a little” but seemingly you just want to argue

No ventilation = moisture and mould

 

[noseall]

No ventilation = moisture and mould

Utter garbage. You are out of your depth boyo.

Can you explain why modern houses, especially those with the latest insulation standards, suffer zero black mould? We are working at a house presently with four sprogs and two adults. They have clothes dryers and stuff on every radiator. The kitchen extractor is knackered, yet no black spot mould. The extractor in the bathroom works fine.

 

[noseall]

Nonsense. The moisture in the air has to go somewhere.

Yes, it can dissipate. Or it can hunt out and condense on all the cold surfaces in the Rigsby shítholes you describe.

Ventilation on its own WILL NOT WORK.

 

[Murdochcat]

Yes, it can dissipate. Or it can hunt out and condense on all the cold surfaces in the Rigsby shítholes you describe.

Ventilation on its own WILL NOT WORK.

Did I say ventilation only will work ? No

But sealing up a property will not help.

I’ve seen many rentals where the tenants ARE the problem

 

[ReganAndCarter]

In my experience if you treat people reasonably most of the time they respond in the same way...

Sounds great in theory, but I'm guessing you've never been a landlord?

Prime example is my brother's friend who died couple of years ago. His couple of rental properties had to be sold to pay inheritance tax and divide the rest between beneficiaries. One long standing tenant who he'd rented a house to well under market rent then started bleating that she couldn't get anything in the area for such a reasonable rent when asked to vacate. She dug her heels in, using her kid as a sob story, saying she wanted him to go to the same school. Went through court and had a smart arse barrister paid for by a housing charity who tricked brother's friend's partner in court, found a tiny clerical error and managed to string things out for 14 months. All the while she sat tight in the house moaning she couldn't afford anywhere else. Cost them a lot of time and money and the buyer they found for house walked away. Went as far as bailiffs in the end.

Being a good landlord and giving tenant a very good deal backfired. People are sh!ts more often than you think, especially when they're tenants. And especially when their situation changes. They will screw you without even batting an eyelid.

Anyway, this is boring. There's a clash of armchair ventilation experts going on here. Popcorn at the ready.

 

[noseall]

But sealing up a property will not help.

You mean like mould-free, super-sealed up modern houses?

I’ve seen many rentals where the tenants ARE the problem

How so?

It's unreasonable and utterly stupid to expect homeowners to keep windows open in the Winter. And not just because it's cold. Everyone in the UK dries washing indoors. Everyone that cooks food and breathes, produces moisture.

As I have stated the most important aspect of ridding a house of mould is insulation. Ventilation helps, but will only go so far.

 

[fillyboy]

One landlord had me do some rectification for mould in a bedroom, tenants had a tumble dryer in the bedroom just venting into the room.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

His couple of rental properties had to be sold to pay inheritance tax and divide the rest between beneficiaries.

Argh!!!

I detest that tax.

 

[ajohn]

One landlord had me do some rectification for mould in a bedroom, tenants had a tumble dryer in the bedroom just venting into the room.

I think heating figures as well. Take a typical cavity wall and it will tend to drive moisture into the cavity which wont be dry anyway.
Cooking - needs an extractor. Rented and doesn't work fix it.
Cloths drier - provide a vent.

Maybe landlords need to think like this as black mould is likely to cause them grief. Or of course really find out why it occurs.

Heating is a bit of a problem as it costs money so expect the poorer to have more problems.

My son's pretty recent experience with a landlord. They moved out of commercial building that had been converted to flats into an old terraced house. They noticed a minor damp problem. The landlord agreed to fix it. Minor work on the eves of the roof. Why hadn't the landlord already fixed it? Fact is that at some point the house will need a completely new roof. Best make sure it's vented. My son is used to seeing damp problems due to accommodation when at universiity. Rent free month to over paint it. Cheap solution for that style of landlord.

 

[transam]

Few props down this way have had insulation installed that has caused massive problems with damp / damage to the building

Afaik it’s all so a country wide issue

Allowing a building to breath / ventilate is important

 

[Justin Passing]

Of course ventilation works. It takes the moist air, OUTSIDE.
If the tenant wants the place at outside temp, then their breath will condense on the walls. Their problem, their cost when it turns mouldy, not the landlord's. Or the council's.
You don't need to be a Rigsby to expect your tenant not to behave like an animal. Unfortunately at the cheap end that's what you tend to get.

They always had somewhere to dry clothes in the bathroom, usually a 4 cord pull-out line. They got laminated information and instruction cards with local hospital etc stuff and prohibitions from drying clothes in any room except the bathroom.
I & mates had a few cases where a property was fine until the stupids moved in. Often due to having a crappy agent.
Draughtbuster vents low, and 100mm core-drilled vents high in the bathroom and kitchen and hall with fronts siliconed on, sorted them. Bathrooms need somewhere for the air to get in from the rest of the house, so the bottom of the door got a trim.
Better class properties and tenants, and pre-installed washer/dryers from a rental co also removed the problem. In one of the HMOs the vent had sticky tape over it and the results were showing - out she went, deposit docked.

Saying it's the landlord's responsibility to insulate, when the building construction won't allow it, are the dribblings of a dimwit nosenothing.
The tenant has to be responsibile for themselves.

 

[denso13]

Draughtbuster vents low, and 100mm core-drilled vents high in the bathroom and kitchen and hall with fronts siliconed on, sorted them. Bathrooms need somewhere for the air to get in from the rest of the house, so the bottom of the door got a trim.
Better class properties and tenants, and pre-installed washer/dryers from a rental co also removed the problem.

All of that can be the sign of a proactive landlord, not all are like that though.

 

[Justin Passing]

All of that can be the sign of a proactive landlord, not all are like that though.

Actions of a landlord to DEFEND against tenant who takes no responsibility for their own living conditions and sees themselves as "entitled", to the detriment of said landlord.

So the tenant needs to use heating provided and open the bloody window - same result, all is OK. Llord can make it easier for the tenant, but the answer still lies with the tenant.

Tenant has $hitty ar$e - Landlord blamed..... Tenant uses curtains because Llord's initial loo paper supply has run out - Landlord blamed for squalid conditions. OK I made that up, but...
I have seen a fire started in the middle of a floor. Not mine, but that's the mentality of some. (Hint, it's fine in a mud hut.)

 

[denso13]

So the tenant needs to use heating provided and open the bloody window - same result, all is OK

What if the bathroom has no window or working fan (no fan in the kitchen either) and despite the tenants reporting it the landlord does nothing? That's a ventilation problem that the landlord is responsible for.

 

[ajohn]

Few props down this way have had insulation installed that has caused massive problems with damp / damage to the building

I think that may be cavity wall style. I have hung around on forums with builders around and recollect a comment that some form or the other invalidated building insurance. It read in the fashion that the terms had been changed.

LOL Me 1911 house, cavity wall, no ties - good, some vent may be rendered over, blue brick damp course. Add cavity wall insulation? Are you kidding. Ask some builders if they would do it with any cavity wall and it's not hard to find more experienced ones that say no,

Modern builds have a vapour barrier behind what ever they are skinned with. Keeps moisture out of the insulation and the house.

Roofs, Same forum. People going into the loft and finding it all rather wet. This might be down to the use of an inapropriate vapour barrier for a while under the tiles and adding insulation. When I reroofed our property I asked them to add a vent but suspect the roofer would have done it anyway.