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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Landlady being unreasonable about the damp?

3 replies

Birdseyechicken · 21/07/2021 19:45

I've rented my current flat for the last 4 years. No issues and I like to think I've been a decent tenant. I've looked after the place (it wasn't in the best condition when I moved in tbh), kept it clean and tidy and even spent a bit of money on it myself to improve the place (garden fence fell down 2 months after I'd moved in so I paid for a new one to be put up, I was happy to do it though as it made the place look so much better) amongst other things.

I've recently bought my own property and I'm preparing to move out. Landlady asked if she could come and have a look at the flat today to see what condition it's in (fine by me). The only issues mentioned were a stain on the carpet by my bed (nail varnish, oops), couple of scratches on the wall by the front door and the damp downstairs (flat is spread out across two floors). Now, there has always been a damp issue downstairs, even before I moved in, mainly because it's a stone building, the original tiles are still in place and it gets very cold in the winter. Not so bad in the summer of course but still happens. No problems upstairs as it's all carpeted and the heat seems to keep much longer.

The damp is mainly based in the living room (one wall in particular) and the hallway. None of them are an outside wall so I believe it's rising damp. It doesn't go mouldy either, I can just see wet patches on the wall. Landlady questioned why it had got so bad and if I'd been airing the property out. I explained it's awful in the hallway because there isn't a window (unless I fancy keeping my front door open all day) and that the radiator is on the opposite side of the hallway. I do open the windows in the living room from time to time but I live on the ground floor so I don't like to keep them open when I'm not home. When I moved in she even mentioned that a neighbour had the same issue in his hallway so installed a radiator and it fixed the problem so she's always known about the issue.

I could easily paint over it but it would just come back again like it did after she painted it. AIBU to feel annoyed? It just seems incredibly petty on her part. As I said I've kept the place in good nick for the last 4 years and this is something that was completely out of my control. I'm not sure what she was expecting me to do/say really? Confused

OP posts:
BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted · 21/07/2021 19:59

This damp appears to be structural, not a consequence of your lifestyle and/or lack of adequate ventilation.

I would ignore unless she tries to use this as an excuse to withhold your deposit

2Hot2Handle · 21/07/2021 20:28

I had damp in a flat I was renting and it turned out to be a leak under the bath, even though the damp was on the other side of the bedroom and not against the wall separating the bedroom and bathroom. It’s something the landlady should be sorting, not you. Also, my dad and grandmother had pneumonia when he was a toddler due to damp/mould and while I’m sure things are a lot better now, you might want to be careful and wipe anything that appears on the walls with the right chemicals and wearing gloves/mask.

billy1966 · 21/07/2021 20:49

She is a CF.
It is her issue to fix and pre dates you.

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