Is mould a landlords problem or the tenant?

[Mealsonabudget]

Recently moved into a ground floor flat and although we have yet to turn the heating on, it’s still quite warm inside (around 21 degrees). Every morning the windows and window sills are absolutely dripping with water. This has just been recently since the weather started to turn (wasn’t a problem in the summer!). It took me a moment to catch on so we had black mould on the window sills and doors in every room. I cleaned it all and now make a habit of going round wiping it up in the morning however have already noticed some black mould starting to appear on the wall above.

i air the house out everyday but when it rains the rain trickles in so this is a problem in itself! I’m also reluctant to have the windows and doors open when it’s really cold as we can’t afford the heating bills!

i know the answer is dehumidifiers but we just don’t have the money to buy them. We don’t hang laundry here because it takes a week to dry so I’ve been going to the laundromat Instead. Is there any other solution to this? I don’t want to pester our landlords as I’m guessing it’s our problem?? But what can I do?!

7 month old DD has had an awful chest infection which mysteriously coincided with me cleaning the mould so I am very very paranoid about it!

Oh and no vent/fan in the bathroom so the window has to be open as soon as any of us shower, winter is going go be horrendous, I'm dreading it

You seem to be doing everything you can. You can’t be expected to leave the windows open for long when it’s cold and I’d be concerned about mould on the walls. Speak to your landlord about it. They may provide dehumidifiers and help with the cost of running them. If they won’t help, contact Shelter for advice or your local council may give advice to private tenants

Mould can definitely be a landlord problem if you are ventilating it everyday and using extractor fans.
If you are trying to clean mould from windows etc make sure you use bleach. Mould has spores and you need bleach to kill those off too otherwise your spreading the problem. Black mould is very bad for your health.

Envirovent will do a free survey. Or get someone similar to give you some advice. They will be able to tell you if it's a ventilation problem or if something else. Sometimes just opening a window is no good and depending on the layout, can make things worse. I had this problem and it was sorted out with a ventilation system and a new extractor fan in kitchen and bathroom.

In our last place it was very mouldy. It did not matter how much you left the windows open etc it just kept coming back. We kept washing the walls, window frames etc with mold spray and for a short time it took it away then it grew back. The agent said there was a problem with all of the flats in that complex. The owner tried to blame us for some of the paintwork being worn away but the agent firmly told them that it was not our fault it is in the whole complex. So I guess if you have done everything you can to eliminate the mold then your landlord needs to look at it.

Condensation is a tenant problem, but I'd certainly look at whether theres some other issue contributing (and definitely report the leaky window!).

We lived in a flat that sounds very similar to where you are. Huuuge amounts of condensation, water literally dripping down the walls, black mould all over the bedroom that we bleached regularly but would be back within days. We had one of those things to absorb water from the air, had to replace the block in it every few days. Landlord kept saying we needed to stop drying clothes in the (other) bedroom (always with the window open btw, and I'd have loved to use the washing line instead if they'd actually provided one), kept saying we needed to dry them in the hall cupboard instead, which to this day I still can't understand the logic off...

Anyway, the point of all this rambling is that one night we were watching tv when water started coming through the ceiling. Turns out the roof was so rotten that there was no felt left in it. Once that was sorted our condensation and mould issue went away.

It does sound like there might be something else going on with the level of moisture you've got.

Cleaning mould is a procedure in itself.

You want Google it because you need to do it in a way that doesn't create mould spores to rise up.

Unless stated otherwise in your tenancy agreement the building is the landlord responsibility.
I get you don't want to bother them but leaving it is only going to make the damar worse and more costly and if the landlord wants to claim on their insurance you might void their claim!
Just give them a ring and talk it through. Damp can be costly so the earlier detected the better!

We had this in a flat we lived in. Our stuff started growing mould. We moved out. Never a problem again in the new flat we rented.

It could be location. We were near a river,so the air was always damp, no matter how much we ventilated.

Are there any overflowing gutters or drainpipes opening onto the edge of the property. Check round the outside during rain.

We had a damp and condensation problem with a flat we rented. It specifically said in our contract that it was the tenants responsibility to report. I think the previous tenant had lived with it for years and it had been left to get really bad. When we moved in it had been freshly decorated. Within weeks there was damp seeping through and this was in the summer. The agents got a damp surveyor in and a full damp course recommended. The surveyor said that there was nothing we could do to improve the situation. We moved out after 6 months and the damp course was supposedly done before the flat relet.

As a landlord I would say it's both a LL and tenants issue. The accommodation has to work correctly (water tight windows & roof, ventilation bricks, working extractors in kitchen & bathrooms, working central heating) for which the LL is responsible but the house has to be managed correctly on a day to day basis through all seasons which is tenants responsibility. Houses need heat and ventilation, they don't like additional moisture (showers, baths, cooking, drying washing). Tenant needs to run extractors, not dry washing inside, ventilate house, heat the house. The worst issues will come overnight as the outside temperature drops which causes condensation. Windows need wiping down to avoid mould developing.

@goodmorningsunny interesting! We live next to a river too so wonder if that has an effect. It’s definitely worse when it’s raining so not sure if that’s a sign the seals on the doors need to be replaced. Going to contact the LL today and just ask whether it’s been a problem with previous tenants.

I just saw this and thought of your thread.

vm.tiktok.com/ZMFSAsaMs/

Sorry had to jump in just to say that bleach should only be used to treat mould on non porous surfaces, it can actually make mould worse on a porous surface as it cant penetrate the surface and it encourages the mould roots to effectively go deeper into the porous surface making it much harder to get rid of.

You need to use a proper treatment to get rid of the mould and then you can use white vinegar with something like tea tree and lemon essential oils in it to spray on the mould.

We had this at our old house. They had blocked up the vent's. They did put some air bricks in and told me to keep the windows open but made no difference. Had CH but house was freezing in winter. Old NDN said they never had damp until LL bought that house.

Sounds like you live in a very damp property, is it concrete? Wallpapered? I had a LL paper over mould with thick paper n paint.....we all got very sick when we realised all our clothes were mouldy, backs of furniture then it started to creep across the ceiling.....we moved! LL has a damp property he's trying to rent out!! I'd move. I have joint problems asthma and COPD none of which I had four years ago when I moved in

Furthermore he should have supplied you with a gas safety certificate a energy rating certificate. An electric PAT test certificate and a hard copy of "how to rent" which details all of your rights. He has to supply these things BY LAW. Ask for them!! A damp house can cause electrical fires hence the PAT test certificate. It's about time we held our LL to account, they soon want the rent money so you need to make sure it's safe!

Some of these posters talk utter bollocks, condensation whilst cooking is normal and in winter when it's freezing outside but in this weather? Not normal and suggests that the house is damp and is drying out when the heating is on or it's warm inside.....like drying wet washing with the windows closed........if your house is damp you will have lots of condensation more than normal!! I'll bet there's paper on the walls preventing the bricks from drying out. LL problem not yours

Omg same I now hav3 joint problems asthma and COPD after living in a mould riddled house.....it was under the extra thick lining then fresco paper!! I think LL are scum

Condensation is not only a tenant problem. I had it in one flat and the landlord came and put a trickle vent in the window and an air brick in. There are bathroom fans that run in the background all the time and ramp up automatically when you have a shower or bath and I have one of those myself. . The landlord is responsible for extractor fans and to make sure there is enough ventilation. All the other things suggested to the OP, along with some remedial works from the landlord if needed, will solve the problem.