To wonder where you're supposed to dry clothes in winter?

[HannaPintura]

Most landlords I have had have specified that clothes shouldn't be dried indoors (on a clothes horse). Where are they supposed to be dried then in the British wet winter months?

I live in a climate colder than The UK and not that dry either (Sweden.) I’ve never seen a single flat or house here with damp unless it’s an old preserved historical building (like a museum for example.) normal houses and flats just do not have damp.
Because they are built properly and there are rules about heating and ventilation. If you can’t heat your rental property to 17c in the winter you can claim against your landlord. Shit properties I’m sure exist but they’re very rare ( and the rental market here is its own hell sobthats not perfect.)

Noone drying average washing amounts indoors should have mould if their property is poorly ventilated. The problem is that the vast majority of UK homes are not insulated, heated or vented properly. That’s not really the tenants fault a lot of the time

That is an unenforceable contract clause. My rental has outside space and a line, also space for a tumble dryer - I don't provide any appliances.

If heated and ventilated to get rid of the pints of water that come out of clothes, it is ok - but much nicer to dry outside if possible. Or in the dryer that the tenant has and uses.

if not heated and ventilated - will get skanky and mouldy very quickly.

drying outside is possible in winter on the right day.

I don't mean any offence to anyone but I've never understood why private renters feel entitled to free tumbles driers/dehumidifiers in order to keep the property in decent shape. I've got lots of friends and family who live in council properties and they have to provide all their own cookers, washing machine, tumble driers, dehumidifiers, etc but they are not absolved of keeping the property in a good state because the council don't provide them.

@BugsyMcGee

the landlord is charging for a service. The service should be in line with the fee.

so if you are providing somewhere furnished, unfurnished, the price will be set accordingly. If a dehumidifier or tumble dryer is necessary to keep the property in good shape, according to normal use of the service which includes hanging up laundry, then it should be provided or the rent should be lower.

a clause like that is pretty crap also because it may be too cold to have windows open a lot to aid drying laundry.

Have only ever rented.

Have never had a tumble dryer (or the space or inclinations to buy one). No dehumidifier either. Never dried outside.

I just put clothes on a clothes horse. Have never had damp issues. But, it’s always been in old houses, I think that makes a huge difference as they are naturally a bit drafts, whereas a new build with pvc windows trap all the air in - more energy efficient but crap to live in.

BugsyMcGee, largely because we're paying a ton of money to live somewhere that isn't ours and we kind of expect a certain level of service for that money. Us private renters can't get council properties and so have to pay through the nose to live in the kind of shitholes that the owners - our landlords - wouldn't tolerate being in for a second.

I always use to dry clothes on airers indoors and have never had a damp or mould issue. However this was in well maintained properties and I frequently have Windows open as I don't like a stuffy house.

All of my tenancy agreements have the don't dry indoors clause however seeing as they were all flats with no outdoor space and no space for tumble dryers I'm not sure what they wanted me to do.

In my experience letting agents are fuckers for adding clauses to tenancy agreements to try and claw as much as the deposit back as possible.

Is lovely and sunny in NE Scotland today

BugsyMcGee - I don’t necessarily expect to be provided with a tumble dryer (I’d be sorely disappointed if I did!) but what I also don’t expect is that when I rent a first floor flat with no outdoor space and no tumble dryer nor space to install one, the tenancy agreement includes a clause prohibiting drying laundry inside!

It’s an unreasonable clause - as long as I return the property in good condition at the end of my tenancy it’s no business of anyone where and how I dry my laundry.

I'm a landlord and have never heard of this! How odd!

I can't see a problem with a clothes horse as long as it's not dripping water onto a floor that might lift, for example. Don't most people put them in bathrooms for that reason? In my own house we hang anything we can't tumble on hangers in 'drip happy' areas with hard floors, though I appreciate that's the convenience of a laundry room, or spare bathroom, for example.

I hear the mould argument, but surely it's a rare idiot who doesn't open the windows occasionally, even to just get rid of cooking smells?? .