To ask landlord to replace expensive custom blinds

[PossiblyUpossiblyNot]

I live in a private rented flat and have been here three years.

I have continued problems with damp caused by the windows which comes back each time I treat it. You can see some of this in the picture I will attatch.

Landlord knows about it and has had the place redecorated but it comes back.

As a result of this happening constantly the white blinds look awful, not helped by the fact I have to use mould spray on them regularly which has began to weaken the fabric itself. Three years of this happening and they look shit.

Confession: I have a child with ASD who is obsessed with the blinds and keeps pulling the weights out of the bottom which is also driving me mad and contributing to me wanting to change them.. but they are shit nevertheless.

As you can see the windows are huge so the blinds will have to be custom made I assume.

I can't afford to replace them myself so would I be unreasonable to ask the landlord to?

I'm asking to gauge who's responsibility you ladies think it is before I potentially make myself look like a CF.

@Hahaha88

I used to have huge issues with mould in a previous rental, turns out the internal (so no windows) bathroom fan wasn't connected to anywhere so it was sucking all the moisture out of the bathroom and depositing into the ceiling!! This was discovered by the next tenants, as I eventually had enough of being told it was me not ventilating it enough despite having the windows open every single day regardless of if it was cold or warm. I used an electric dehumidifier (eventually provided by the landlord) and it really helped, but by this time I was sick to death of everything I owned getting mouldy!

I'd be really interested to know how this was discovered, as I have a similar problem. There is a conduit from the extractor to the outer wall of the building, yet damp builds up on that wall.

OP, with that drop I would suggest buying the fabric and having curtains made. It probably won't be cheap but you could probably take them with you and have them remade to fit other windows. Nets are fine but won't provide any privacy in the night time.

@ShalomToYouJackie

I think it's your responsibility to replace them but ask their permission and I'd keep them aside incase the landlord still wanted them

Why would it be the OP's responsibility? If they were there when she moved in then it should surely be the landlord's responsibility - they belong to him/her. They are not damaged wilfully - they are damaged because of a problem with his/her flat that they do not seem to want to deal with.

On eBay you can get replacements for the blind fabric pretty cheap like £2 per slat plus post.

However you need to pester the LL into fixing the problem! You are constantly breathing in mould particles whether you can see it or not...

I have taken ours down.

Put my own up. I've kept them in case ll wants me to return it how it was.

@nicky7654

Why then mention of your child having ASD? Virtually every post people just have to mention this or SN or autism! Children can be told no it's not relevant to the story!! It's getting as fashionable as ' I have mental health' or 'anxiety' lol You want you take down the blinds so do so but keep them for when you leave.the property, it's not that hard!!

Have you ever tried to tell a child with ASD and no understanding 'no? How did they respond?

Parents of children with additional needs will know exactly where I'm coming from.

My child becomes obsessional about things and unfortunately his latest one is the blinds. I can tell him 'no' 60 times but he isn't going to leave them alone. I'm redirecting him from the blinds upwards of 5 times an hour for the duration of our time in the flat on any given day and each time results in a temper tantrum. If only it was as easy as you seem to think. It's a

Oh and I do have mental health problems too FYI and I don't appreciate you implying either of these things are "fashionable" or used as such.

Landlord needs to get the basic problem fixed by freeholder and then replace blinds

I think it would be unreasonable to ask the LL to invest in new made to order blinds if you know they are likely to be wrecked by your child.

I think it will vary between landlords. I would ask but just approach it in a really accommodating manner – i.e. don't demand but just explain the issue and ask if there would be a possibility of updating them, if it would be helpful to them if you got some quotes and shop around for good value options, etc. You've been there 3 years so hopefully have established over that time that you're not generally difficult or demanding. Worth a try as the first port of call.

If you plan on replacing it also let them know and discuss options for remuneration, i.e. splitting the cost, deducting the cost from your rent and providing a receipt, etc.

Also have a check on landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities re: fittings, damp, mould, etc. just so you know for yourself where you stand (although I wouldn't recommend quoting legislation in the first instance – definitely better to adopt a friendly approach and try and work together).

If the guttering was broken (or full of crap) above the windows it will make that wall extra damp.

IKEA curtains tend to have extra long drop & dunelm can have some bargains in sale but not all curtains are washable & need something that's easy dry. I'd be tempted with shower curtains

Hi, IKEA do very long length curtains and also nice white or linen tab top things. They would definitely be long enough and you can take them up with a bit of wonder web and an iron -cheap too. The privacy film is another very good call. You can just replace the blind slats but as your windows are full length it will be the most expensive option for sure.

YARBU.

The landlord is responsible for the damp, and therefore for the damage to the blinds caused by repeated cleaning due to the damp.

I'd be sending him pics and asking for the damp to be properly fixed AND the blinds replaced.

I get asd vertical blind fascination. We ended up ditching all ours as they would leave them alone

As a fellow long term private renter in London I feel for you OP, I know how frustrating and difficult it can be,

I think the problem with mould in your flat looks very bad. It is the responsibility of the landlord and so are any problems with fixtures and fittings arising from it. That kind of mould is not being caused by you, especially given what you say about your habits. I can't imagine taking rent for a property in that state, it's ridiculous. If your landlord can't afford to fix the cause of the problem, he cannot afford be a landlord and rent for profit.

I know you know your situation so I hope this isn't annoying, but is it worth reassessing moving? PP is correct, rents in London are falling. You should be able to pressure your landlord to rectify the issues you have but if you can move somewhere with a better set up and better landlord that is preferable.

If you want to, share or DM what sort of location or budget you would need. I or others might have some ideas.

Oh, almost forgot...........if you measure the width and drop of the blinds, you can order them a lot more cheaply online. If your DC plays with them you can buy slats with the weights sewn into the material, so the weights cannot be removed.

I did this for my lounge window ( huge panoramic window). I bought just the material slats ( they come with the plastic bit to attach to blind runner) and I bought them without the plastic chain bit cos it drove me batshit

It worked out a LOT cheaper than buying from a shop.

Vertical blinds are not expensive. Have a look at anyone of the websites which offer custom made blinds. I just looked a 247 blinds and randomly selected white verticals in 200cm by 210cm and the price was less than £60. They can also be made very easily, you buy the fabric on a roll and cut it into the required lengths before fitting, your landlord might consider a DIY fix using the current blind hardware. I think if you do a bit of research and can give him an idea of cost he might be more amenable to covering the cost of replacement.

You could also arrange for a quote for repairs to fix the problem. It should be up to your landlord to sort this but if he won't and you're willing to spend the time getting the information then you might be lucky enough to get a solution which means you don't need to move.

The mould spray is (in my experience) literally bleach and I wouldn't be happy using that regularly either.

Umm, isn’t there fairly obvious damp penetration at the top of the bay there? That’s not an issue with the windows. There’s a leak, which your landlord needs to get sorted.

I second what lots of previous posters have said, get an electric dehumidifier, ideally get your LL to pay but for your quality of life you might be willing to pay yourself, you can always use it in the future then.
Next pester the LL until they / the freeholder does something, it is not ok to live with that amount of damp and be expected to put up with it.
When it's less damp either clean the current blinds and they will remain mould free, or get your LL to pay for new, it's their negligence that has caused the damp. New slats can be ordered to measure fairly cheaply from eBay, it's the mechanism at the top which is expensive.
You could ask permission to put curtains up, but they might expect you to cover that cost yourself as it would be more cosmetic if the other things are sorted.

How often do you have the heating on and windows open through the flat, especially in winter? How many hours per day? Do you dry washing on radiators or in flat?

Very often these are causes of damp and tenants or owners have caused it themselves rather than there being a structural issue. people don't have their heating on enough (to save money) and don't like windows open as its draughty, but the reality is, those need to happen and whatever curtains you have, the issue will return withour good regular ventilation.

I had a not dissimilar problem in a house I rented. Bathroom was basically a lean to at the back of the house. Tiny with split and gappy laminate flooring on bare concrete, a flat very basic roof that had no insulation and was lined in what I presume was just lining paper. Rainwater just sat on top of the roof so it was always mouldy. Back yard was shared with neighbour and air just never circulated so my washing never dried properly and I had to have the bathroom window open all the time. Tiny radiator which got red hot but not enough to heat the bathroom. Landlords solution was just to apply anti mould paint over it but it really needed a proper roof. It was all redone nicely years later when we'd long since moved. Keep on at him, do you deal with an agency or directly with the landlord?

1.I think perfectfit blinds might be a good option. Check blinds 2 go I got two windows for 34 and 28 pounds.

1. Have you checked the trickle vents aren’t blocked?
2. I also have a fashionable ASD son

It depends on when the building was erected.
I lived in an apartment for years, the complex was built during the boom 2006 I'd say over half the tenants had balcony doors replaced, the mould on the balcony roof was furry I swept it regularly.
If the builders didn't install those ridiculous power saver radiators the building wouldn't have vast temperature changes.
Ours would charge over night and release heat throughout the day while we were in work.
The winter evening's nights were freezing without extra heaters.

Ikea and Argos do fairly cheap curtains. The annoying thing will be the pole, because it looks like you will need it to go around the corner. I reckon with the corner connector thing-y you'd be looking at £50 for the pole then another £40 for two cheap sets of curtains. That's assuming you have/can borrow a drill to put the pole up, or convince the landlord to do it (on the basis that curtains will be cheaper to maintain/replace than blinds). Obviously you would need LL's permission anyway to put the pole up.

I used to live in a flat with awful mould problems and it affected the blinds (fixture when we moved in) in much the same way as yours. We ended up taking the blinds down and storing them elsewhere in favour of net curtain and curtains, which were easier for us to keep clean/replace cheaply. We never actually approached the landlord about replacing the blinds but rather asked that he do something to sort the cause of the damp out as it was awful. He did eventually replace windows and fit vents but it didn't do alleviate the damp issue much. We ended up moving and it's been such a relief not to have to be constantly cleaning the mould off with mould sprays and bleach! I always dreaded the winter and cold/wet days because it made the flat a lot worse!

If there is a problem with the gutters , I wonder if the wall is damp or the top of the bay window .
You can just replace the slats for the blinds its much cheaper and buy all the chains and clips , but I suspect they will just get mouldy again. You could ask the Landlord if you can remove them and keep the track in place . as it will be easier to keep on top of the mould without blinds .

I'd check the guttering. If that is not maintained properly that would cause the sort of problem damp patterns that seem to be occurring from your pic... above the window.

And if poor guttering was the cause of your flooding it's also a sign that there is a more general problem with it. When were the gutters last checked/ cleared of leaves etc?