Just found mould (see photo). My responsibility to fix?

[Ellessdee]

Not sure if this is down to me or landlord to fix. In my bedroom in the corner, underneath the window behind some drawers, there's mould from the bottom of the wall tracking up about 4 ft. I keep my house ventilated, I dry my clothes in a big room downstairs that's unlikely to be affected by mould. Problem is it is a really old house, the bathroom is next to my bedroom, when I've had a shower even with the windows open, as soon as I open the bathroom door I end up with a bit of condensation in my room. There's no extractor fan in the bathroom so having windows open on a still day is a bit useless. Do I need to ask LL for a mould inspection? Or would that be pointless for this small bit of mould? If it's down to me, what's the best way to get rid and stopping it coming back?!

The landlord is responsible for fixing any structural damage that causes mould. In my old house we had to get the guttering fixed as was causing damp and mould in one of the bedrooms, it looked just like this.

Inform your LL and request an extraction fan/ dehumidifier. It looks exactly like condensation mould and you can’t adequately ventilate your house without some equipment.

The door between my bedroom and bathroom also doesn't actually close so I have to push it as far as possible so there's always a crack in the door which doesn't help. I emailed earlier in the week to ask landlord to fix but yet to hear back...

I definitely agree. Opening windows isn't the best ventilation on a dry day. Even if I have a bath with windows wide open the walls are literally dripping with water...

Also with no extractor fan (which typically run for a whole after switching the light off), if I have a shower 10/15 minutes before I dash out, for example when I'm squeezing gym in between work and nursery run, I surely can't be expected to leave my windows open?

Extractor fan in the bathroom will stop this happening again

I would tell the landlord and send photos/let him see but after he’s seen it wipe it down with bleach (water it down and use gloves) to get rid of the surface mould because it’s not healthy to live with.

The landlord needs to sort out the cause of it though, both from the perspective of your health and the building’s health.

I watched that Clean Home prog (or whatever it's called) the other night & they washed the wall down with something & the mould just melted away.. but what the hell WAS it? :-(
I've had a couple of sleeps since then, sorry..

There's no extractor fan in the bathroom so having windows open on a still day is a bit useless.

ask for an extractor fan in bathroom

Our house is prone to mould in the bathrooms and around the windows, tbh it never occurred to me to contact the landlord about it. Every few weeks or so I just wipe it down with some black mould removing spray. We keep the house heated and ventilated plenty and it's not an old house (though the double glazing is knackered). We are moving out soon but I'm thinking now I've missed a trick and should have asked the landlord for a dehumidifier!

Try not to push any furniture up against the wall as that won't help.
I hate this time of year, we get mould on the bedroom ceiling and do everything to prevent it.
Window open, heating on for a few hours, have those boxes in each window to try and catch condensation.
Have had to clean and repaint with anti damp and mould paint all ready 3 times this autumn.

I was always under the impression that if you have adequate ventilation then it is your problem, but if you don't (such as extractor fans etc) then the LL hadn't provided adequate ventilation and therefore the onus to fix falls on them.

We have a problem as can't have an extractor fan. It was explained to us but I can't remember why 😂. We get black mould on the bathroom ceiling and the front small bedroom. We got a dehumidifier and I've asked for the guttering to be unblocked. We've cleaned it and cleaned it to the point where the paint is coming off

Can I ask what the white box is on the wall where the mould is OP? I take it's not an air vent that has been closed? Also, keeping furniture against an exterior wall can help the mould to establish, would it be possible to move the furniture to a different position, or at least give a bit more clearance between it and the wall, so that when you do have the window open, the air can circulate in the area better?

We bought our own dehumidifier and do open the windows

I can't just have the chest of drawers in the middle of the room though surely? It's the only place it'll go as it's a small room. It's in front of the radiator, which is where the landlord had put it before I moved in. Not sure where else it could go.

The drawers are in front of the radiator but there is literally nowhere else for them to go. They're not actually touching the radiator though. I have absolutely no idea what the box is!

Just had a look. The box is an old virgin box.

It's interesting that the mould only covers where the wall has been replastered (very badly) which makes me think it's been a problem before....

Dettol mould and mildew remover works well but you need to wear gloves and ventilate well.

If it's an old house then condensation isn't unusual. Unless there's a drain pipe of crack in the render on the outside.

Is it by any chance the north facing gable end? We used to have trouble in an old flat when we had a divan which could only go against the north (coldest) end. Swapped for a cheap wooden bed frame and no more mould.
Air needs to be able to circulate especially in places moisture will be drawn to

Oh and if you have a shower enclosure or screen buy a £1 squeegee. A quick squeegee of tiles or screens takes a huge amount of water away .

Our bathroom is totally dry in minutes if I do this and open window. Takes hours otherwise

Well there’s clearly been a problem with that corner before. Might need a new damp proof course, might have another structural problem. Get environmental health involved if your landlord won’t sort it.

Contact landlord and ask for help sorting it - however it is just as difficult for landlord to sort as it is for you to sort! Some houses are built poorly and nothing you can do will prevent mould in the winter.

Does that wall get really cold? You could have a thermal bridge. We have one the corner of our main bedroom and until I worked out what it was we used to get mould there every winter and on really cold nights you could literally see condensation running down the wall.

We knew it wasn't a leak as we are in a flat and not on the top floor and the wall it is on backs on to an open internal area next to an old goods lift.

How we deal with it:

• one of those moisture catching boxes in the corner by the wall.

• no furniture pushed against the wall.

• use a dehumidifier regularly and heat the room properly.

• air the room properly everyday, including sleeping with the window open a crack at night.

The problem is now pretty much eradicated.

images.app.goo.gl/FuBUzHqAfrs33fz8A

This stuff is awesome at removing mould. We cleaned behind our furniture with this and then bought a dehumidifier. Haven't had problem since. In an ideal world keep furniture away from outside walls but not practical in reality.
De humidifier was £100-£200 but money well spent. It warms the air so room feels warmer anyway so less need for heating but mould can't regrow under a certain moisture level.