AIBU? For thinking we should leave our house immediately?

I'd leave as soon as you possibly can. My mother developed a chronic lung condition from living in a house with mould.

Exactly We DONT have homes unsuited to lifeSTYLE
We have homes unsuited to LIFE

That’s awful. I would leave too

I rented an old house a few years ago with a mould and damp problem. Got out when a mushroom started growing on the kitchen wall 🤢. The landlord painted over things before I moved in I believe.

We don't have any idea what the landlord knows as OP is yet another dump and run with only half the information needed to give full advice.

Also, totally incorrect on both advice and costings. Mould jd almost always condensation related, as penetrating damp carries contaminants which generally prevent mould growth. And a CCTV survey will set you back quite a bit more than £100

This isn’t quite right - OP needs legal advice as landlord isn’t renting a safe property

This ^

From AI:
Awaab's Law will extend to private landlords in England through the new
Renters' Rights Bill, though the exact date is yet to be confirmed. It will legally require private landlords to investigate and fix serious health and safety hazards like damp and mould within strict timeframes, with penalties for non-compliance. While it is not currently in effect for private landlords, they should prepare for its future implementation.

Id be finding a new rental asap.

Hope you have informed landlord and kept evidence you have informed them.

You’re definitely not being unreasonable. What you’ve described—green mould on furniture, black mould on walls, food going mouldy in days, and a baby developing a cough—is far beyond what’s safe or manageable.
Mould like this can cause respiratory issues, allergic reactions, and even toxic effects, especially in babies and young children. The NHS and government both advise that vulnerable people should avoid mould exposure as much as possible.

If cleaning doesn’t help and it keeps coming back, it’s likely a structural issue—moisture trapped in walls, insulation, or subflooring. You’ve already done everything right: dehumidifiers, heating, ventilation. The fact that it’s still growing means it’s not surface-level anymore.

I’d absolutely consider staying somewhere else while you look for a new place. Your partner might not realise how serious mould can be—especially for little ones. I’ve been using a free tool that gives a visual mould risk score from photos, just to help decide when it’s time to escalate. Happy to share it if you want to check how bad it really is.

You’re doing the right thing by trusting your instincts. Your kids’ health comes first, and no one should feel unsafe in their own home.

Ask your partner is he prepared for your child to become seriously ill, there was a law recently enacted due to mould. Even yourself or, god forbid, him?? Put it bluntly & Please, go to GP re child & explain the conditions you are living in!

For social housing. Not yet private renters

No it isn't normal but lots of steam and humidity will cause mould.

My friends husband has hour long showers and if they don't wash the roof of the bathroom down with bleach the roof turns black with mould within a week. None of their neighbours in the row of houses they live in suffer from this issue. Its a ventilation issue though.

Awaab’s Law. Became law on October 27, 2025 report to the council

Yes and that’s what I advised if you read my other comments…

I became very ill after living in a rented house with severe mould. Yanbu at all!

Oh that's awful.
I hope you find somewhere better soon, very dangerous for your lungs.
Report to environmental health if that's an option wherever you are.
It's absolutely disgraceful renting out that moulding pit to a young family.

Sorry hrft due to time
Did read boiling a lemon on the cooker, simmer for 20 mins with lid open then leave for an hour and then wipe any condensed surfaces. Supposed to reduce the mould levels.

Are you keeping the cottage heated? That's also a contributing factor. I realised this week when back in my old house that we only get mould when we don't run the heating like we used to. Keeping temp around 18 Deg and having one small window on permanent vent except in stormy weather keeps the humidity level reasonable.

Awabs law is a starting point.

I'm gutted for you, but you have to leave. That's not fixable in a short space of time. Stay somewhere else if you can. Not everyone has somewhere to go.
But even if you have to push yourselves on friends or relatives while you find somewhere more wholesome it will be worthwhile even if they get fed up of you.
Your little babies and their health is the most important thing here.

Your partner is the stupid one. Very stupid. Don't let him override your very
legitimate concern for your children.

I do hope you have a viable alternative while you look for something better. If you have then I would be out of there like a shot.

If money were no object then I'd prefer to hang about in a Travelodge or similar until appropriate housing is found.

So no, you are not being unreasonable. Not in the slightest.

Have you informed the landlord in writing via email flagging it as urgent OP? You need to do this first thing and include photos. Do you rent through an agent, who manages the property, go through agent if they manage? Did you take pics of the mouldy wardrobe?

Give a time frame for a response, say 48 hours, say you suspect this in affecting your baby’s health and needs to be resolved as an emergency,

If you don’t get a response, which should be that the landlord is sending a professional to inspect it within a short timeframe, then contact Environmental Health at your local council raising it as a health issue. You should be able to email them (contact should be on council website) and enclose pics as well.

They need you to have officially complained to landlord first to give him/her a chance to remedy it I think. Environmental Health will inspect and give a notice to resolve the issue if necessary which will be enforced if not carried out.

You are not in a position to worry about being evicted for complaining as you need it resolved or to leave, and if landlord gives you notice, you have proof you have raised it and further down the line, you can potentially make a money claim against the landlord for renting a property unfit for habitation.

The landlord will likely to go after you for the rent for the rest of your tenancy agreement if you leave early and take court action to get it so you can counter that if that happens but you must have evidence from Environmental Health etc.

In the meantime, can you stay with someone for a few weeks until you can see which way the landlord is going to go and get Environmental Health involved if nothing?

This! Environmental health dept tomorrow!

This absolutely. If your Council requires Private LL’s to register their rentals via this scheme - this could be how you get them to enforce action on your behalf. Fingers crossed. It enabled me to get a negligent Freeholder (& Private LL) to repair & make safe his property that was at risk of collapse & adjoining mine that I was the Lease Holder of.
It’s really worth finding out if your council does this scheme for Private Landlords. If do you can then report the environmental health hazard of the damp & get one of their surveyors to come out & assess the severity & rest of the property. They can then enforce the LL responds & repairs /makes good & at least gives you some external approval to perhaps break your contract & move early on the grounds of the LL’s failure to maintain & let a habitable & safe property. Good luck.

Not relevant really. The old rules still apply to private rentals. The OP should contact the LA's environmental health team and request an inspection. The landlord can be required to fix the problem, or prohibited from renting the property if it is unfit for human habitation. Private landlords seem to expect to get away with murder.

you need to clean it with vinegar, put the dehumidifier against til bone dry, and paste blown vinyl wallpaper on that corner, or at least bathroom paint. It is 100% condensation.

YANBU. Give notice to the landlord and leave with your DC immediately. You may have to pay to rent two places at once though; can you afford it? Get yourself on the council house waiting list too.

UK housing standards for private renting are dreadful. Mould and damp are a common problem. It amazes me that in the US, it is considered dangerous and unlivable if there is mould. In the UK 33% of children across the country live in poverty and I would bet half if not more live in mouldy homes. It is scandalous.