Is living with this mould dangerous?

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I live in a 2 bed housing association house.
I have had this issue with mould for 2 years.
I have my windows open for air,I have a dehumidifier,I have my heating on.
I wash my walls and ceiling weekly but it grows back in a week.
My bathroom and bedroom are the worst areas,
These pics are from my bathroom and last pic bedroom.
The housing officer sent a damp inspector out who said nothing they can do and just keep washing walls weekly.
I'm so tired of it
I have mild asthma as well
What's causing this ?
They told me windows open and heating on all day -it's costing me a fortune.

That's not acceptable. Get a formal complaint in, contact environmental health and I'd suggest seeking advice from shelter or possibly a local law centre if you have one that covers housing issues.

Your MP?

Dettol mould and mildrew spray works really well and you don’t need to wipe it after, always keep the window open, even just a crack. My bedroom was like this and i’ve used so much mould spray that all the paint has come off. I find leaving the window open really helps.

Housing associations have statutory duties to remedy this kind of thing (housing lawyer here). Complain to them and threaten to instruct solicitors and go to the press unless they fix it. Looks like works need doing.

Mold is very bad for your health. I once had a similar problem, ex-council flat but the extrerior repairs were council’s responsibility. I had a persistent leak in the ceiling, had all sorts of council repair guys coming round to look but nothing ever really happened.

In the end I contacted a no win no fee type of a lawyer. I wasn’t interested in the pay out, I just wanted to fix the bloody leak. Once the lawyer was engaged it was amazing how quickly everything started to move forward. Suddenly the leak was fixable 🙄. We didn’t have to go to the court in the end either. His fee was only about 30% of the final settlement and I was left with a small sum for my suffering (it was only about 1k). But the main thing is the problem was solved!

I strongly suggest you’ll try to find one. This wasn’t a cowboy firm but a solid business on high street. Many lawyers take this type of “charity” cases.

These are like trying to organise deckchairs on Titanic 🙄

What they won't do is make it any worse. OP is asking for practical advice, and that's what I've given. I use them, and they work 😊

Report them to environmental health at your local council. They can enforce property repairs.

Just checking that your tumble dryer either vents outside or is a condenser type where you empty the water out?

Does your bathroom have a window that you keep open or an extractor fan? Do you keep the bathroom door shut so the moisture from showers doesn't spread through upstairs?

@BillBloodyPurchase what household behaviour could I be doing ?
I have my windows open
Vent in the bathroom
Heating on etc etc

I thought living with any mold was dangerous

I'm asthmatic so just a bit worried,I have brittle asthma.
I'm on biologic injections for my asthma and steroids so my breathing isn't the best .
I guess not a lot more I can do as I already use the sprays etc

we had similar problems as we’re near the sea and we…

Stopped drying clothes on radiators
Brought a small hygrometer for each room for £3 off eBay
Rented a dehumidifier and turned it on until humidity fell to a decent level - it was on for 5 days solid.
Bleached and mould sprayed the wall
£26 Repainted the wall with condensation paint - it gently warms up the wall meaning condensation cannot form. You then paint over the top with Dulux.
Heating on so rooms don’t get nippy
Windows open every morning for 20 mins
£20 Window Vac to mop up bathroom after showers
Massively decluttered our home to allow for airflow between bits and bobs

In the Summer we

• washed the guttering as mildew was forming on it
• washed the window frames
• touched up exterior paint to help with waterproofing
• Moved plants and pots away from our home.
• Inspected drains and guttering ready for Winter again.

We also purchased a dehumidifier for general household shenanigans. Meaco 12L and it sits in the hallway. £190

We bought a small desktop size dehumidifier and it sits in the kitchen to help reduce more humidity when cooking £35

We also bought a small air purifier to help keep us healthy…£65

and we got a tumble dryer. It’s tiny as we didn’t have much space. But 50p per load is better than living with mould.

I have had meltdowns, I have cried, I have worked overtime to afford the above but it has all helped so much.

That looks like a roof leak. They need to inspect the attic at the very least. Have you got a working extractor fan in bathroom and kitchen? If not, at bare minimum they need to be installing them preferably with a humistat then setting them to overrun.

In you bedroom make sure curtains are open except at night and keep all furtniture away from the walls by at least 5mm.

HA do now have extra responsibility for managing damp and mould so report again and ask for a full survey.

Buy a digital hygrometer on Amazon, you can get 2 or 3 for under a tenner.

Do some trial and error with regards to keeping the humidity lower than 60%.

Some tips -

Always keep the bathroom door closed. After showering/bathing leave the door closed and window open/fan on. Do not let the steam escape to the rest of the property.

Try not to dry clothes indoors but if you must, put them in a warm room but with either a dehumidifier on high or a window open. Close the room off to the rest of the house.

Always open the windows in the morning. If your house isn't particularly warm then make sure the windows are open either over night or in the morning for an hour or 2. Then close them and allow the rooms to warm up. It's a balancing act!! Having the window open all the time isn't necessarily the answer as the fabric of the property won't heat up.

Those photos show that there may be a lack of insulation in the edges of the loft. Do you have anyone who can look?

Unfortunately I'm in a new build and mine is worse

Oh really? I wonder why so many houses in UK have this problem? I always thought it was just old buildings.

New builds are so well insulated they haven't got the nooks and crannies that generally allow older building to maintain their own airflow. So they are lovely and warm but no air can escape and no cooler air can get in

We have Meaco dehumidifier- windows now dry in the morning.
Heat pump dryer doesn’t cause the condensation like the old dryer.
dry off the windows if they get wet & open windows to let air in then close if you have dehumidifier on.
put pan lids on pots when cooking & use the extractor fan, or open window slightly.

Do you have a proper dehumidifier, like a big plug in one which you can set the humidity on and you empty a water tray on?

Don't dry any clothes on any radiators.

@ueberlin2030 great advice, if you don't have a tumble dryer and there is no room / money for one and it's pouring with rain what do you suggest as an alternative?

They were. They should be doing something about it.

OP have they installed one of those automatic fans in your bathroom? My HA did and they also have a dedicated option on their switchboard for mould problems. I’d put in a formal complaint and follow up with the ombudsman if they don’t respond.

There is also an organisation called SHAC - social housing action campaign - who will help you with this. You’ll find them if you google. You absolutely should not have to live like this.