AIBU?
to be furious with my dh for keeping this from me?
MrsHuxtable · 20/04/2011 00:06
We live in a rented flat and in January last year, the water pipes of the flat above us burst causing our flat to be flooded (in the middle of the night). The bedroom was the room that was affected the worst, with the ceiling nearly caving in from the weight of the water. Obviously we immediately contacted the letting agent, who contacted the landlord. Both were rather rude, as if I was inconveniencing them.
Anyway, the landlord sent his non-English speaking handyman (no judgement btw, just so you get the picture) around (who pitched up with his wife, two children, and elderly parents-in-law in tow) to rip out the carpet. It was clear the whole room was wet and I told them I was allergic to mould and the room would have to be properly dried out with a dehumidifier. They insisted that just keeping the window open and having the heater on full power for a few days would be good enough. I am fully to blame for not having a stronger personality and standing up to the landlord but this is not my native country and I often feel like they have all the power. Fast forward to tonight. I was rearranging the bedroom furniture and discovered a big patch of mould behind my chest of drawers, exactly where the wall was wet from the flood. So I call DH through to show him and guess what, he has known for a couple of months but didn't tell me because according to him he knew how mental I would go and he didn't think it was that bad and wouldn't kill us.
I told him that yes, it might not kill us but it is first of all extremely unhealthy and second of all, we have a responsibility as tenants to keep an eye out in the flat for things like that and inform the letting agent immediatelly about any problems.
So now I am sitting here raging because I feel that DH was disrespecting me by not telling me about the mould and because I have no clue how to handle this with the letting agent. Will they accept that the mould is a consequence of the flood or will they try to blame me and say, I didn't ventilate the flat right. I do btw because I have breathing difficulties if I sleep with the window shut. Big surprise, I now know why that is the case!!!!!!
What will I do????
Doodlez · 20/04/2011 00:11
Forget DH - deal with the problem.
Phone letting agent and tell them that just as you predicted, mold has now appeared and that they should have organised proper drying out of the flat as you suggested. Take the high ground and don't back down. You were and are in the right. They are not and they'll know this but will try to wriggle out of responsibility. Be firm!
jeckadeck · 20/04/2011 07:45
I think your DH's attitude is a bit of a sideshow he may have had multiple reasons not to tell you, probably forgot or just didn't get around to it. The issue you have to focus on is the letting agent. Call them and say that their approach to drying it out didn't work and they need to do it again. Might be worth putting this in writing at this point as well you don't want to get charged for this.
missymarmite · 20/04/2011 08:10
I agree with all the above. DH is a side issue, and I can feel myself rolling my eyes as you are getting all in a bother about something minor, or at least getting in a bother about the wrong problem. The main issue is the damp and mold. Jeckadeck is spot on.
beesimo · 20/04/2011 08:21
Mould is classed as being harmful to health if landlord isn't prepared to rectify problem contact enviromental health at your local council.
If you are in a town or down south you might not get any joy there so take measures yourself.
Get DH (this can be his punishment) to scrap of the mould being careful to avoid contact with the skin and wearing a face mask, then using a 1parts white vinegar to 10 parts water solution thoroughly scrub down the area. You will need to do this weekly until it all dries out as mould will reform.
Ventilate the room and keep all furniture back from walls.
MrsHuxtable · 20/04/2011 10:16
I know, I was focusing on the wrong issue. At least I do this morning. I was very tired and frustrated last night with the whole issue but have apologised to DH since then. It's just such a nightmare having to deal with this letting agent and landlord, who wants to do everything as cheaply as possible but doesn't see that that is actually causing more costs. I eometimes get the feeling that because we have been in this flat since our student days, the letting agent still sees us as kids and doesn't take us as seriously as he would other people. Maybe that's just in my head though. I want to stay in this flat as it's perfect for us right now...
I DO still have the allergy btw, as I said in my OP, I can't actually breath well in the room without the window open.
Thanks to everyone who was trying to give me some advice. I will see how things go from here...
AllGoodNamesGone · 20/04/2011 13:28
Well, I'd be cross with him because it should have been sorted as soon as he discovered it.
Sounds more like he just couldn't be arsed bothered dealing with it and thought, if he ignored it, it would go away. Instead it has most likely got worse.
You could look up theives blend essential oil on t'internet. We get a bit of mould in our downstairs bathroom as it is difficult to air it properly after a shower. I give it blast of the thieves blend in a cold air diffuser and it does seem to keep it at bay (not suggesting this as a substitute for the proper drying out and cleaning etc. but could be used in the short term to help) and smells lovely.
But you do need to have the professionals in as it's probably got right into the plaster & skirting boards, which probably need replacing by someone who knows what they are doing.
Bucharest · 20/04/2011 13:37
Landlord might be expected to deal with mould as part of his obligations but I don't think fortune telling, predicting the future and mind reading are part of the contractual rules.
If he didn't know it was there, how could he possibly rectify it?
Get a bottle of bleach, wipe it off, open your windows and chill. If a patch of mould of your own making (effectively) is the biggest problem your accomodation sis giving you, then I'd skip for joy tbh with all the landlord from hell stories you hear on here.
This is not your landlord's problem. Your damp flat has been caused by your husband not taking necessary measures when the room was flooded, it's not the extended family who arrived to rip up the carpet's problem either, so quite why they needed to be brought into it, I don't know.
PS I'd say your husband doesn't really believe you are allergic to mould btw, or surely he'd have done something?
saffy85 · 20/04/2011 13:53
I'd be "raging" more that the handyman's pisspoor job at drying out the room than at your husband. Tell the letting agent about the mould problem you're having now. And chill out. Your allergy to mould isn't as bad as you thought it was- after all you didn't even know it was there till now!
Mumofaflump · 20/04/2011 16:55
OP, I used to have real trouble breathing in the night in my last house, as well as chest infection after chest infection. When the landlord (finally after three years of complaints) decided to rip back the carpets to damp proof and dry the place out properly it was discovered the whole place was riddled with black mould.
Landlord has now been blacklisted by all the letting agents in my area!
Get in contact with him and give him a chance to rectify it. If he refuses or does not reply then inform the letting agents that you will be taking the matter to the enviromental health bods in your area.
MrsHuxtable · 20/04/2011 18:25
So I have just come home after long day at work to find more unhelpful comments to my OP. I propably should not have posted here at all, but I was upset last night and clearly fed up with the letting agent. I don't even klnow why I'm defending myself on here but I would like to say, that luckily MrSpoc does not have to believe me that i have this allergy. It is something that has been proven over and over again through several medical tests and got me in hospital as a teenager when I almost died due to a severe asthma attack. I really hope you never suffer from allergy related asthma in your life. It is not nice!
Bucharest, it is fortune telling to know that soaked walls that don't get dried out properly will develop mould. It was not my husbands job to make sure it gor sorted. It was only the landlords job who claimed the damage on the insurance of the people upstairs who caused their pipes to burst by turning all heating of in the middle of winter and then going on holiday for weeks.
So, enough said. I really don't understand some people on here and I feel sorry for everyone who has to put up with living conditions that are apparently so bad. I wasn't aware that having mouldy bedrooms is something normal on here. It isn't for me so I was upset.
AllGoodNames and Mumo, thanks for your advice.
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