Wall is flaking off -- should I sand it down?

[endecotp]

Personally I’d suggest “consider moving” before “stop paying rent”.

(How did you end up there in the first place if it’s £200 above the local average price, and a ****hole?)

 

[Ketzl]

Personally I’d suggest “consider moving” before “stop paying rent”.

(How did you end up there in the first place if it’s £200 above the local average price, and a ****hole?)

My partner of 14 years got seriously ill unexpectedly, I had to leave my job to take care of him, and we had to move to somewhere smaller in a hurry. We had to accept wherever would take us, and this is the ideal house for beggers who can't be choosers.
In order to move now, I'd have to be able to pay rent for this house, as well as moving costs and a deposit to a new house, and there's no way I could afford to do that. I lost my partner to Covid earlier in the year and I'm still struggling to get my life back together.

 

[endecotp]

I’m sorry to hear about your sad circumstances.

Having rented until the age of 41, I do sympathise with having a landlord or agents who don’t attend to repairs and maintenance. There isn’t much that you can do, and really moving to a better property with a better landlord would still be the best solution in the medium term.

Looking at your photos, the first ones with the flaking white surface do look consistent with dampness from a leaking gutter. If that has indeed been fixed you could now scrape or lightly sand off the loose surface to make it look better. (I wouldn’t worry about pets eating it.) Then wait until the summer so the wall is hopefully properly dry and it could be painted, if you really wanted to (but I’d rather save the ££ for moving rather than buying paint!).

The later photo shows black mould. That’s a different problem, it’s caused by condensation. Most likely, that patch of wall is cold due to e.g. lack of insulation, being north-facing etc. and doesn’t get much air circulation due to its location in the house. So moisture that’s generated in the kitchen and bathroom moves around and ends up there and the mould forms due to the dampness. The solution is to remove the moisture at the source (extractor fans, don’t dry clothes on radiators, etc) and/or to make that bit of wall warmer by improving its insulation (not your job), or by keeping it warmer, or by increasing air circulation (e.g. moving anything that’s up against the wall). Wipe down with e.g. a bleach spray to reduce the black staining.

Good luck!

 

[danechip]

I never said a word? Just quoting the comments made by bennymultifinish He claims to be a landlord and then says not to pay.

Oh, who it TEL765? I don't see that comment anywhere in this thread.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

I never said a word? Just quoting the comments made by bennymultifinish He claims to be a landlord and then says not to pay.

Oh, who it TEL765? I don't see that comment anywhere in this thread.

they deleted his contribution.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

He claims to be a landlord and then says not to pay

and? claims? owns 6 properties , rents 5 lives in 1 .
4 paid for and 2 mortgaged.
your ignorant point being ?

 

[danechip]

danechip,

Ketzi is quite right about always to keep paying the rent.
Stopping rent can put you at all kinds of risk.
The idiotic advice to stop paying is from a well known troll who specialises in giving contradictory nonsense.
Ignore the fool or you could end up homeless and still be getting "pay the rent" demands.

If, say you lived there with a wife and kids then his bluster is near crazy that you should risk your family home over minor issues.

Blow his bullying bluster off likewise his ref to the Citizens Advice in an attempt to save himself.
That can be a very dangerous route for a non legal person to take - what will the troll advise next - that you hire a pay up front solicitor?

Maybe he had one too many sherbet. Why not, it is danechip,

Ketzi is quite right about always to keep paying the rent.
Stopping rent can put you at all kinds of risk.
The idiotic advice to stop paying is from a well known troll who specialises in giving contradictory nonsense.
Ignore the fool or you could end up homeless and still be getting "pay the rent" demands.

If, say you lived there with a wife and kids then his bluster is near crazy that you should risk your family home over minor issues.

Blow his bullying bluster off likewise his ref to the Citizens Advice in an attempt to save himself.
That can be a very dangerous route for a non legal person to take - what will the troll advise next - that you hire a pay up front solicitor?

Read more: https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/wall-is-flaking-off-should-i-sand-it-down.559679/#ixzz6hIgn0T6o..

 

[danechip]

and? claims? owns 6 properties , rents 5 lives in 1 .
4 paid for and 2 mortgaged.
your ignorant point being ?

It seemed you were contradicting yourself.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

It seemed you were contradicting yourself.

how? Would I not know how pi$$ed off I get when people don’t pay?

 

[Ketzl]

I’m sorry to hear about your sad circumstances.

Having rented until the age of 41, I do sympathise with having a landlord or agents who don’t attend to repairs and maintenance. There isn’t much that you can do, and really moving to a better property with a better landlord would still be the best solution in the medium term.

Looking at your photos, the first ones with the flaking white surface do look consistent with dampness from a leaking gutter. If that has indeed been fixed you could now scrape or lightly sand off the loose surface to make it look better. (I wouldn’t worry about pets eating it.) Then wait until the summer so the wall is hopefully properly dry and it could be painted, if you really wanted to (but I’d rather save the ££ for moving rather than buying paint!).

The later photo shows black mould. That’s a different problem, it’s caused by condensation. Most likely, that patch of wall is cold due to e.g. lack of insulation, being north-facing etc. and doesn’t get much air circulation due to its location in the house. So moisture that’s generated in the kitchen and bathroom moves around and ends up there and the mould forms due to the dampness. The solution is to remove the moisture at the source (extractor fans, don’t dry clothes on radiators, etc) and/or to make that bit of wall warmer by improving its insulation (not your job), or by keeping it warmer, or by increasing air circulation (e.g. moving anything that’s up against the wall). Wipe down with e.g. a bleach spray to reduce the black staining.

Good luck!

Thank you so, so much -- this is tremendously helpful!!

Also, just to clarify once more for any other renters reading, you do not have the right to withold rent just because the house is in a poor state. This is a quote from the specific Citizen's Advice article that's been posted on this thread: "You don't have the right to withhold rent because of your landlord's failure to do repairs. If you withhold rent your landlord may start possession proceedings against you and put you at risk of eviction."
There are extremely complicated steps that you can follow if you DO decide to withold rent for repairs, but the risk of being issued a Section 21 is enormous. I've actually spoken to rent specialists who work at the CAB who've told me categorically never to stop paying rent, no matter what.