A landlord one - AIBU condensation/damp

[Landlord101]

For clarity I’m the landlord.

My tenant has been in touch this week, they have what they have described as damp in the bathroom and bedroom. For context they’ve been there since April and not had any complaints about it before. The property was fully damp proofed on all exterior walls in 2019 and I also had the same company back out summer 2021 to do some additional damp proofing on a chimney breast that wasn’t originally done.

I have a suspicion it’s condensation causing the damp due to them only mentioning it in winter and the fact I know the whole property has been damp proofed. Last year the tenants also mentioned the bedroom, however they did get a dehumidifier and I didn’t hear from them again so I’m assuming looking back that it helped/prevented the condensation.

AIBU to suggest tenants get a dehumidifier and send them info on how to reduce moisture in winter? Or should I be doing more?
If you are a tenant what would you want your landlord to do in this situation?

YABU not to consider anything other than the flat is damp proofed therefore it must be the tenants fault. Condensation depends on much more than this. Is there sufficient insulation? Is the heating system adequate? What is the EPC rating?

You need to arrange to have it inspected before dismissing the issue as condensation.

If you were my landlord I'd like someone to come out and have a look.

We own our home and had damp and mould recently. Had someone look and give us some reassurance and advice - made a few changes in our behaviour re ventilation, and started running a dehumidifier. Turned the heating on.
That sorted most of it. One area was due to a leak in the roof which needs fixing.

It likely is condensation but it could be other things too.

YANBU that it's probably correct that it's condensation but YABU to assume that and so not take action. Get it inspected, if the professional thinks you need to take action then do so immediately. If the professional thinks it's condensation then contact the tenant with that written statement, remind them of their obligation to look after the property (I assume you put that in their tenancy agreement) and request they get a dehumidifier and heat the property. If they push back then you may need to purchase the dehumidifier yourself because it'll be cheaper than the battle and lasting damp damage.

My parents had a damp proofing done and it failed within a year and had to be redone. Their insurance paid for it.

It's not automatically the tenant at fault, it's bloody cold right now and with tenants not being able to afford non-stop heating, damp will happen.

I would expect my LL to get a professional out to asses where the damp is coming from and not just jump to the conclusion it's my fault, even if they did tell me the whole place was damp proofed.
I rent and do everything that you're supposed to re condensation (open windows, heat within my means, use the small non electric dehumidifiers on windowsills, use the extraction fans when showering and cooking) - do you know they're definitely not doing this or assuming?

Once assessed and the cause identified (by a professional, not you assuming because you've had a damp course) then go from there.

You can send them the information but if they're already doing it and there's damp then it won't help.

It may be condensation but that is sometimes exacerbated by the construction and therefore nothing to do with the tenant.

If the property is prone to condensation and they have nowhere to dry clothes other than in the house then I would provide some dehumidifiers as well as advise them about ventilation etc.

I had a flat with terrible condensation owing to the layout and very large windows in every room and we largely resolved it using a condensing dryer and dehumidifier.

Go out and investigate the problem, get as much as information as you can, talk to them about how they are airing the house, and buy some hygrometers for the rooms so they can keep an eye on the humidity. After that it's best to suggest they dehumidify.

They may just not know they are causing the problem so it's best you go and resolve this in person.

We had 2 damp engineers round, both said it was the tenant’s issue, not ventilating the property.

Humidity is very low at the moment though so I'm not sure how they could cause the problem

I was tenant in a house with condensation issues causing damp. My landlord didnt care even when my son got ill. So I'm so glad you do care about the tenant.

I got our council involved and they made an order to install adequate insulation. Could insulation be the problem? Is the extractor fan in the bathroom any good? Can you provide a dehumidifier until works are done?

Damp=proofing prevents more damp ( penetrating or rising) . But it will take some while for the residual damp in the walls to thoroughly dry out .

That probably started during summer, (warm temps outside, open windows etc) but drying of walls may have stalled at the start of winter because the tenants are cutting back on heating, keeping windows shut because of rising fuel costs.

In your shoes I would buy them an additional dehumidifier AND print this out for them

www.envirovent.com/blog/14-ways-to-help-reduce-condensation-in-your-property/

Do they have heating on? Do they ventilate? Do they always put fan on in bathroom before having a shower? Do they dry washing hung up indoors? I'd be wanting answers to those questions.

AIBU to expect the tenants to turn the heating up?

Recent AIBU with 1k posts on the same issue.

Thanks everyone. I don’t want to be unreasonable to them as their good tenants.

I’ve only just had the bathroom fan replaced last month as the motor stopped working, perhaps it’s not been replaced with a very efficient one, will look into that.

I’ve sent them the ‘general’ guidance around condensation and how to mitigate it, hoping it doesn’t come across as patronising if there already doing those things. I’ve also said I will get someone out to investigate further and left it up to them if they want to try to reduce the condensation first with the suggested steps and get back to me, or have someone come around straight away. I’m guess they’ll know if they are contributing to condensation in the property and can manage this better or if they’re already doing what they can and think it’s something else so I’m hoping that’s reasonable enough.

thanks for the link to the other thread, will have a look.

I'd go and have a look.

Worth watching.

Unfortunately mould is going to become an increasingly important issue due to rising costs. You're right to investigate but also need to ensure that your tenants are doing their bit.

Once you've established that you're doing everything within your power it's over to the tenants but well done for looking into this seriously. I'm the same with my tenants but thankfully they're on top of this as much as I am.

I had a tenant repeatedly complain about penetrating damp, despite 3 professionals (builder and 2 surveyors) confirming it was condensation from tenant's use. He complained non-stop and emailed videos and photos. Every time I went round to check he had HUGE airers drying laundry. He never opened the windows.

We've not had problems with previous or susbsequent tenants.

It's really up to you to provide the dehumidifier if you want them to use one.

Most "damp proofing" is snake oil and injection damp proofing doubly so. None of it works.

Ventilation, reducing relative humidity inside (so possibly using dehumidifiers) looking for sources of penetrating damp (roof/gutters/cracks in render etc), adequate gentle heating, use of materials suitable to the age of the property (eg no gypsum plaster in an old house - lime plaster only.) If there is a capped chimney make sure it is adequately ventilated or hygroscopic salts can cause damp in chimney breasts. Make sure air bricks are not blocked and ground levels outside are below suspended timber floors/air bricks or old slate damp proof courses.

why do landlords always blame tenants for damp?

Damp proofing doesn’t always work. I used to rent a flat from my work, they damp proofed the bathroom before I moved in. I had a window open in there constantly, but the damp returned. They proofed it again, upgraded the fan and again it came back. In the end they had to build a second wall in front of the problem wall and that solved it. I think you should at least have someone take a look at it.

I rent a council property and i have just made a complaint about damp and all i had through the post was a leaflet no one has came out to check when i was told they would. And after trying to do all that is adviced ie make sure walls are dry and windows and used some mold and damp tackling cleaner it looked like they had already put a coat of damp proof paint under the magnolia paint. How ever it really upset me that no one has bothered to check what the actual cause is as my daughter is becoming increasingly poorly and has asthma. So if i was private renting which tends to cost more in rent then i would expext you as the landlord to make the effort to check things. Although you have explained you have done all the damp proofing etc it would mean alot to not just be dismissed and the blame passed and actually have you go and view the situation with an expert. Even if it comes down to it being condensation then the thought and care would have still been provided and tenants do tend to appriciate that alot more.

I’m not a tenant, I’m a landlord and YABU! VERY. 😡
Get the property professionally inspected presto pronto.
It may be that the tenant is not sufficiently ventilating the property, that does happen fairly often, especially in small properties. It may be an issue which needs addressing in which case you should be dealing with it, that’s your responsibility.
For reference one of our tenants complained to us of a small amount of mould on Thursday evening, we had a roofer down to inspect on Saturday morning and repairs are being made to the roof tomorrow.
Poor, unreasonable landlords give the rest of us a bad name and that makes me cross.

I've been complaining to my landlord about mould and damp for the last 3 years. My landlord has always said it is my fault and never inspected the property. We recently has a letting agent take over the management, complained about the mould once again.

They sent a surveyor round to look at the mould and the roof. Low and behold we have inadequate insulation, a leak in the roof and the gutters are blocked..... Landlord should have inspected years ago and done something about it

Please send someone round to inspect ....