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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU thinking my sisters landlord should sort this? Pics included.

53 replies

BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:07

Hey, sorry if this is not in the correct side of Mumsnet. Not the best at working this site.

My sister is renting a new build house, well it’s not brand new but it’s considered newish. She has lived there just over a year, ventilates all rooms really well, makes sure the heating is put on when necessary.

Anyway, she has had mould since the first few weeks/months of moving in appear. She got it sorted. It keeps coming back. I’ve said to her that the landlord should be fixing it. She got in touch with him, he’s said it’s her fault for not opening windows/putting heating on.

She does do both, she has my one year old niece there too so it’s not like she’d leave her house in complete coldness & she does crack the windows open. So the landlord got someone out who painted over this mould or whatever it is with mould paint.

The mould is specifically in two rooms. My sisters bedroom & her bathroom. The house is lovely inside, she keeps it really clean, it’s in a relatively nice area but this mould just keeps making an appearance.

The mould is back with a vengeance & the landlord came out last week & repeated to her that she needs to be opening windows & turning the heating on. She’s told him repeatedly now that she is, she’s not stupid. Thing is, is it his responsibility to get the mould fixed? It’s as if she’s being used as the scapegoat for the mould when it’s definitely been an issue long before she rented the place.

Does anyone know what her rights are as a tenant? & Does anyone know what kind of Mould this is?

Thank you x

AIBU thinking my sisters landlord should sort this? Pics included.
AIBU thinking my sisters landlord should sort this? Pics included.
OP posts:
Mum97540 · 07/02/2023 22:09

Maybe contact environmental health at the council. Send them the pictures and they should be able to advise what needs to be done.

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:13

@Mum97540 Thanks, I wasn’t sure if she could contact the council with her renting it privately. But I’ll tell her to do that.

OP posts:
BankOfDave · 07/02/2023 22:17

Is it possible there is a leak from the roof or pipe work which keeps causing it to come back from above?

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:18

@BankOfDave Where the mould or growing is the top of the ceiling, the inside of where the guttering is from the outside. If that makes sense. I mentioned it could be water leaking from that & she told the Landlord but he’s basically blaming her for it.

OP posts:
BankOfDave · 07/02/2023 22:22

Seems very plausible it could be the guttering/soffits/fascia boards so worthy of investigation. The house must be under warranty for the LL so they should a) check properly and b) escalate to the builders. If she doesn’t heat or ventilate why would it only be in those rooms.

juliettesmother · 07/02/2023 22:23

Is she cleaning the mould?

BMW6 · 07/02/2023 22:23

Could she contact Shelter for advice? Seems to me to be structural rather than lifestyle

Lifeisgood1 · 07/02/2023 22:24

Following as we have the same problem. Is the tenant responsible for having the gutters cleared?

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:25

@juliettesmother She went to clean it the first time but I told her not too as I wasn’t sure if it was the kind of Mould that let off spores. So she contacted her landlord straight away, he sent someone out. They painted over it with Mould paint. Cleaned the Mould first I’m assuming.

OP posts:
HolibobsinApril · 07/02/2023 22:26

How often does she open the windows?

How much is her heating on?

Does the bathroom have a window?

How does she dry her clothes.

How often does she wipe the mould off?

HolibobsinApril · 07/02/2023 22:27

Lifeisgood1 · 07/02/2023 22:24

Following as we have the same problem. Is the tenant responsible for having the gutters cleared?

Look at your tenancy agreement. Guttering is one of those things that is a bit of a grey area so refer to the tenancy.

HolibobsinApril · 07/02/2023 22:29

Do you have more photos, it looks to be a very small area. It's possible that the loft insulation doesn't fully extend to the edges of the ceiling.

When did it first appear? When was it over painted. Are these photos new?

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:29

@HolibobsinApril I don’t live with her but she told me that she opens her windows first thing of a morning for at least half an hour. Then closes them for a few hours & has the heating on for a few hours a day when the house is cold.

She takes her clothes to be dried at our parents home as they tumble dry them for her. The landlord has already said she caused it by putting wet clothes on the radiator & when she told him she took all hers & the baby’s clothes to be tumble dried in our mums he then said well you’re not opening the window enough.

She opens the bathroom window every time she fills the bath up, there’s no fan in there either. So all she can do is open the window when running baths. To let the steam out.

OP posts:
HolibobsinApril · 07/02/2023 22:30

BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:25

@juliettesmother She went to clean it the first time but I told her not too as I wasn’t sure if it was the kind of Mould that let off spores. So she contacted her landlord straight away, he sent someone out. They painted over it with Mould paint. Cleaned the Mould first I’m assuming.

Mould needs cleaning off. By leaving it, it will give off spores. Hence why you need to get rid.

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:32

@HolibobsinApril No sorry, all the pictures I got. The top of the window/ceiling is just full of the Mould. It got painted over about 5 months ago & now it’s back, that’s what it’s like right now in them pictures & also all inside the windowsill.

OP posts:
Mum97540 · 07/02/2023 22:32

BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:13

@Mum97540 Thanks, I wasn’t sure if she could contact the council with her renting it privately. But I’ll tell her to do that.

Yes you can. They will be able to advise if it's related to not opening windows enough or something needs fixing.

Hairymaery · 07/02/2023 22:34

Spray it all with cilit bang black mold remover whenever it appears (Morrisons) and thank me later 😂

WoolyMammoth55 · 07/02/2023 22:34

Hi OP, we have black mould in our house :(

I clean it with a Covid mask and marigold gloves on. I use white vinegar mostly, with a tiny bit of neat bleach on any stubborn bits.

Like your sister we heat and ventilate well. I feel like this winter has been mad for it. I also think we possibly have a broken/slipped roof tile which is letting in some water - there is probably a leak which is the underlying cause.

SO: please ask your sister to get the LL to have the gutters cleaned, explain that she's doing everything right and the location of the mould growth is right by the gutters.

There's almost certainly water coming in - she could even get up a ladder and check this herself, again with gloves and mask on - clearing a blocked gutter isn't rocket science.

A good LL would sort the mould and clear the gutters for her, but IRL he may consider that he's painted it once, now it' sup to her. In her shoes, with a child in the house, I'd DIY it to get it done - clean up the mould now, and check the gutters and clear if needed, and then hope it stays away until spring is here...

A dehumidifier might also help but unless you can find second hand they are £££ and won't sort the underlying issue, nor would it reduce the mould that's already growing. They're good for maintaining low moisture levels once the issue is sorted.

Wish you all the best.

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:35

@HolibobsinApril The pics don’t show what it’s actually like. But the Mould is literally growing like mushrooms. I really don’t think her scraping that off in the room she sleeps in is safe. It’s furry & looks like mushrooms in real life. Maybe I’m wrong but I think that means something more sinister is growing. So we didn’t wanna take any chances touching it with the baby also sleeping in the room. That’s why she contacted her Landlord. Obviously she isn’t leaving it to grow & not doing anything about it. She’s contacted her Landlord so many times pleading to get it fixed.

OP posts:
HolibobsinApril · 07/02/2023 22:35

My suggestion would be to get a dehumidifier. Or ask the landlord to purchase.

It's quite common at this time of year especially where people are reluctant to heat for too long, I work in property and give advice daily re mould.

A cheaper solution would be a digital humidity gauge that is linked to her phone, she can keep and eye on the humidity. It needs to be between 30-60%.

WoolyMammoth55 · 07/02/2023 22:37

@BluebellFlowersAreMyFave "I really don’t think her scraping that off in the room she sleeps in is safe."

I'm not a scientist :) but I'd say scraping it off is MUCH safer for her and the baby than sleeping with it still there!

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:37

@Hairymaery Weve bought every mould spray under the sun, it’s still coming back 😅at first we didn’t wanna touch it in case we disturbed anything. But after the repair man came out & “fixed it” we started cleaning it ourselves when it reappeared. Thanks though for the advice x

OP posts:
HolibobsinApril · 07/02/2023 22:38

BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:35

@HolibobsinApril The pics don’t show what it’s actually like. But the Mould is literally growing like mushrooms. I really don’t think her scraping that off in the room she sleeps in is safe. It’s furry & looks like mushrooms in real life. Maybe I’m wrong but I think that means something more sinister is growing. So we didn’t wanna take any chances touching it with the baby also sleeping in the room. That’s why she contacted her Landlord. Obviously she isn’t leaving it to grow & not doing anything about it. She’s contacted her Landlord so many times pleading to get it fixed.

So it's been 5 months? She should have wiped it well before now. It's got that bad because she has allowed it to.

Yes I agree that the landlord needs to exhaust all possible avenues but letting it to grow is the worst things she can do. Bleach it with a mask and gloves on and then open the windows wide to change the air. Leaving it is far worse that cleaning it.

Original poster
BluebellFlowersAreMyFave · 07/02/2023 22:40

@WoolyMammoth55 She has been sleeping in the other room. But at the time when it became visibly noticeable we really didn’t know whether scrapping it off would make it worse or not. We don’t deal with Mould. It’s not like she planned to leave it there to grow until it turned into an alien. She done what she thought was right at the time & contacted her Landlord.

OP posts:
Summerfun54321 · 07/02/2023 22:40

Does she have trickle vents in the windows? If it's a newish house then there needs to be little vents in the windows and these should always be open. Just periodically opening the windows now and again without adequate bathroom extract could easily cause mould issues for a newish house as the general wall and roof construction is a lot more airtight than older houses.