Tenancy dispute- mould, any advice?

But it’s totally normal behaviour to dry washing inside, and it’s not normal for that to cause mould.

if you rent somewhere out you’ve got to take the risk with the reward. You can’t put expectations on the way people live. That’s really unprofessional

This is a very difficult problem to solve.
Rents are high & leave tenants with very little disposable income. No wonder they feel belligerent about having to spend their time & effort maintaining the property when they are paying through the nose just to have a basic roof over their head.

I lived in the house for years before it was rented out myself - I replaced the windows with double glazing. So did previous tenants. What I didn't do was hang washing out inside, or use the hob without the extractor on. This was the issue with the tenant. Mould can absolutely be caused because people are filthy and lazy.

No because like anything fabric issues deteriorate and deteriorate until one day there is a breach and that builds up into damp/ mould/ leaking etc.

Well yes, especially bash council tenants eh? 🙄

They can tell people to do anything- who is going to stop them?

it doesn’t create an obligation for the advice to be followed

It usually is a defect of the house. That’s why damp and mould is a such a current issue, it’s needed a huge cultural change for people to realise opening their old shitty windows the landlord can’t be arsed to repair or replace isn’t enough to prevent mould.

@Itsmetheflamingo

This is what a housing association is telling their tenants
https://www.greatplaces.org.uk/customers/looking-after-your-home/damp-mould-and-condensation/

• Open the window or use an extractor fan before you start cooking or have a bath or shower. Keep the door closed to stop moisture spreading around your home. In colder weather, you don’t need to air your home for hours, around 20 minutes should do it, before you start to feel cold.
• Leave your extractor fan on as long as possible as the moisture from showers, baths and cooking will stay trapped in your home.

So they can tell people to do that.

They've also got a job going..
https://greatplaces.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/4061788?cid=3378&t=Clean-And-Clear-Operative--Mould-Wash----month-FTC
You will be responsible for undertaking mould treatment, painting and minor damp prevention in tenants properties and empty properties,

It’s just life isn’t it, we don’t control what people do in their own homes.

I don’t need to ever open my windows - large well ventilated new build- so it’s not something everyone needs to do like a reflex. People might have grown up in bigger properties, or different countries where mould isn’t an issue. It’s not that hard to realise everyone has different way of living when they close their front door.

Exactly the same happening here too. TBH the rest of the house was in enough of a state that it was rolled into the professional cleaning charges.

And I've been on the other side, where I was having massive damp issues, and I was being told to ventilate more, and it turned out there was a problem with the cold water tank which was spraying water over the loft as it refilled - and only towards the end of the refill when the float got to a particular place! (my god that one took a while to diagnose - they checked the roof multiple times, because of course it only happened right after a shower/bath, and never when someone was there investigating! We only figured it out when I noticed water running down the bathroom wall when I happened to be in there a bit longer than normal after a shower). In that case, I wasn't charged for it as it clearly was a defect in the house, not in my usage of the house

I’m sick of hearing about tenants blaming their landlords for mouldy flats/properties when there are no wider issues with the building. I really don’t understand how people aren’t aware to ventilate the property, open their windows daily and ensure rooms with laundry drying inside always have the window open. Like you said no mould when they moved in. Especially people in council properties that then demand they are moved to a new property only for the same thing to happen. 🤦‍♀️

You can’t deduct no.

who can expect to control how your tenants live day to day in their property?, it would be ridiculous to expect that you can order them open windows

I have to say (as someone who has done a lot of work to implement aawabs law) it’s highly unlikely that mould would develop in a few months without there being a fundamental issue with your ventilation or building fabric, or most likely, your windows. Contrary to popular belief mould doesn’t form that easily.

Where does the dryer vent to?

I wouldn't bother with a survey. Just clean it, provide dehumidifier (which they might not use due to electricity costs), provide automatic extraction to the bathroom (that they can't turn off) and a vent for the dryer if it doesn't have one.

Not a legal requirement but a potential problem for the landlord. If the level of moisture in a home is causing mould, that is now considered a landlord/building issue rather than a tenant issue.

Here is the wording

Most black mould is caused by lifestyle. It will be due to lack of ventilation and drying wet items inside, cooking, steam from showers etc. Daily windows open for 20 mins and then running a good quality electric dehumidifier once they're closed. You could provide a dehumidifier for the tenants. It'll help loads. Bleach and water to clean away the mould.

What are the provisions in the flat for laundry drying?

Is there at least a kitchen extractor that vents to outside, as the bathroom doesn't have one?

Not everyone will live the same way you did, so if there is no extraction there could be problems that you didn't experience. They might have more laundry, more occupants, cook differently in a way that causes more steam.

I'd consider offering to buy a decent dehumidifier with laundry setting, especially if no tumble dryer available.

Yes, they should ventilate, but not everyone wants all windows open 24hrs if it requires this to actually remove the moisture.

You should be ok deducting the money. My ex landladies took our entire deposit and won, they were spiteful arseholes but in your case you are genuine and deserve a bit of compensation

Does Awaab's law apply to private landlords yet?

I work with social housing providers who believe they can no longer cite "lifestyle issues" in their defence of mouldy homes. On the basis that cooking, washing and drying clothes are perfectly normal activities that homes need to be able to deal with. Basically, they are spending a fortune installing mechanical ventilation rather than suggest that the tenant open the windows.

If there is no extraction in the bathroom, I don't think that you have a leg to stand on.