Mould issue

[Bumdealoftheweek]

We are accidental landlords of a 3 bed property. We have had the same tenant for the last ten years and she is great. We are good landlords. We deal with issues quickly and we have never put the rent up.

There is a longstanding issue in one bedroom which is opposite the bathroom. We have put a new radiator in, changed the extractor fan in the bathroom and given her a dehumidifier. The house is quite small and when she moved in there was just her and two children. There are now 2 adults, two teenagers and two children (and pets) living there. The house is too small really for them all but there are no other houses available around here.

Ultimately I think the mould is related to the overcrowding and I think the only suggestion we can make is to approach the council to be housed somewhere more appropriate. I'm not sure what else we could do. Does anyone have any suggestions?

You sound like a nice landlord but I agree they need to need to find somewhere a bit bigger.
You've done everything you can to deal with the mould , but its clearly a problem that might need specialist help of some kind?
I hope you can sort it out, but I can understand why you don't want to lose your tenants too

Have you had someone in to see what they think is the cause ?

You can't accidentally become a landlord - even it's inherited you have to agree to it at sone level

So 2 per bedroom presumably? I can't see how that is overcrowding from a producing mould perspective...are the other bedrooms not affected?

I don't think a family of 6 in a 3 bed house is overcrowded. You need to find the actual cause of the damp and treat it. Dehumidifiers are treating the symptom not the cause.

Where exactly is the mould, ie floor level, near windows, internal wall?

midgemadgemodge We found ourselves in a position whereby we desperately needed to move as the house was too small for us as a family (ironically a family of 6). We couldn't sell the house so we ended up renting it out. I use the term accidental as it wasn't something we entered into as a conscious investment choice.

The bedroom affected is the one opposite the bathroom and above the kitchen. None of the other rooms are affected. It is long and narrow with a low sloping ceiling on one side The mould is around the windows and on the slope of the low ceiling directly opposite where there are bunk beds. The house is a cottage so all the ceilings are low. It was not designed for six people to live in.

Fladdermus I think the cause is condensation. We will get someone in to look at it properly but I think it will be a ventilation issue. However, we've already replaced the windows, installed an extractor fan in the bathroom, installed a new boiler system and added a new radiator to that room. I suppose we could install an extractor in that room.

Might be roof related especially as you mention the room has a sloping side to it. We had a similar issue and we needed to replace the roof felt and install air vent tiles into the roof.

Sounds roof related, rather than overcrowding.

Are they good at opening their windows and leaving them open? It can take 8 hours for the water vapour from a shower to dissipate (so I'm told).
If the cause is damp then the dehumidifier should help solve it.

The mould is around the windows and on the slope of the low ceiling directly opposite where there are bunk beds.

Sounds like a bit of water intrusion through the roof and also the exterior of the windows. If the windows are north or west facing it’s even more probable as that is where the brunt of rain/wind hits.

Yes, this, the best way to vent a bathroom is to put the bathroom window open ajar and close the bathroom door after a shower. We tend to shower in the evenings and then do this overnight. This keeps water vapour from getting to the rest of the house.