Mould should housing pay for beds

[Askingforafriend101]

Hi.
Albu to expect my housing association to pay for replacement beds mattress etc?

My home has penetrative raising damp in 2 rooms downstairs and has damp from room in all 3 bedrooms on one side of house.
The mould spread everywhere and you can wipe down but it's back with a vengeance few days later.

I've had housing out few times to wipe and put on special paint but it xomes back.

My little ones room is worst its all over clothes toys etc... there is no where safe from it

The smell is horrendous 2x children on ventolin and eye drops for itchy eyes (I think it's mould related)

They coming Friday to sort out by wiping and putting new uv paint on and sort guttering and roof but Said I need to get rid of the bed and mattress and wardrobe as mould is soacked.into mdf and will keep returning.

I asked if they going to replace as they already taken 2 carpets and wallpaper strips leaving me to sort which I havent been able to... they said no it's not their responsibility.
I have kids living in something you see on comic relief night!.
I can't get credit or loan etc. How should I go forward as I really don't think they should just be saying get rid

@MidnightOnceMore its not rising damp though is it.

Regardless, HA need to get involved. Document everything, email pictures and proof.

I haven't surveyed the property.

What matters is the HA fulfill their legal duties.

agrred

No, it doesn't look like rising damp if bedding and the inside of cupboards are getting mouldy.

If there is no water penetration (eg leaking roof or gutters) then the probable cause is water vapour (from cooking, washing, breathing etc..) settling on cold walls.

Your HA can help by fitting extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom, trickle vents on windows and ensuring the heating system is sufficient. You can help by heating and ventilating the property regularly and adequately. Also make sure furniture is at least 5 - 10 cm from the walls and cupboards are not overfilled.

Sometimes the only other option is for tbe LA to fit external or internal insulation to deal with very cold external walls.

When we bought our flat we were warned there was potential penetrating damp in the corner of the main bedroom. Indeed there was mould and peeling wallpaper. However what it actually is is a thermal bridge, a very cold area due to the construction of the building that attracts condensation. With heating, use of a dehumidifier and keeping tbe bedroom window permanently cracked open we have solved the issue. Hopefully planned external insulation works will further solve it.

Rising damp is in the lounge and dining room.downstairs... these are bedroom pictures from upstairs...
The downstairs The skirting board is rotted and bits fall off.
I was told there was insulation put in but it was damp and it was taken out...
I open windows.put heating on etc I spend some nights without sleep cleaning but it's constant.
The smell is so bad and I've tried every product going

Well if a surveyor has said it’s rising damp then the landlord has an obligation to fix it

Some of this does look like lack of air/excess moisture, but if there is rising damp then the property IS wet.

If you haven't already, look at raising a disrepair.
You can find advice here.

If there is indeed rising damp and rotting skirting in most of the downstairs... It will take serious, lengthy building works to remedy. The works, if done properly, might make the house uninhabitable for the duration. Just something to keep in mind.

It doesn't seem right to me that you're having to live with that... If you haven't already made a formal complaint I would do that - the HA will have a complaints policy on their website. If it's still not sorted go to the Ombudsman. They should be taking mould seriously when it's got that bad...

I had similar in my old property but not on the scale you have. Mine was in the porch, the living room, kitchen, airing cupboard and starting in the doorway of a bedroom.

I kept calling the HA and saying I had a leak somewhere. They’d come out check, no I didn’t and so on it would repeat. Finally had a fantastic plumber who had a good look in the bathroom and found a tiny hole in a pipe. Water had been constantly coming from that.

I was lucky enough to up size my home, through a different HA but went through one of these no win no fees against HA for the cost of goods I had to throw away. That was 3 years ago, and it’s still in the process. So don’t think it will be a quick fix!

You have my sympathy! It’s so disheartening.

I lived in a HA property and had bad mould like this through the winter. There was no ventilation and I was told that it needed to be knocked down and rebuilt. They did nothing but it made my daughter very poorly! If your children are under 5, see if you can get some support from the health visitor. M furniture was ruined but I had home insurance.

Again with this. The OP explains it is rising damp - it won't be solved with ventilation.

@Askingforafriend101

Have you formally complained in writing?

You need to get some support - maybe MP, councillor, advocacy service - to start setting out your legal rights.

Painting over themould will do nothing until the damp problem is fixed.

Contact your health visitor and share your concerns about your child’s health and the impact of damp on them.
Contact the gp and do the same.
Ask both if they will write a letter of concern for you to share with the housing association.
Call your housing association and tell them that after speaking to medical professionals and with the death of Awaab Ishak in mind you feel you have no choice but to contact environmental health because the housing association aren’t doing anything to resolve the problem permanently or to replace possessions ruined by the damp. They may offer to do more. If so tell them you’re willing to give them a few weeks to resolve. If they don’t go straight to environmental health.

@MidnightOnceMore That is why I said IF there is no water penetration.

I would suspect a leak rather than rising damp. Rising damp often does not cause mould that bad in bedding and cupboards. Howrver as we all agree something is making the air in the house very very wet. So the HA needs to investigate.

Are there any charities that could supply new mattresses and bedding?

They have to have a damp & mould policy. Look it up online & follow it to the letter. Put everything in writing to them, and refer to their policy at all times.

They need to sort out the cause of the mould urgently & are obligated to do so.

If you are unhappy, put in a formal complaint. Under the housing ombudsman code, they will have to respond to you in writing within 20 days of your complaint. They are assessed on their complaints, so they have to take it seriously.

If they do not respond properly, then you can escalate your complaint & even take it to the housing ombudsman.

Good luck and keep complaining. Its the only way you will get it resolved.

That’s mould not rising damp.

I agree with this.

Do you lot not read the OP?
The rising damp is affecting the downstairs rooms, but three of the upstairs rooms are also damp - it seems likely due to water getting in from above (as they're planning to fix the roof and guttering).

I can't believe that one of you has actually been patronising enough to tell the OP to put lids on pots when cooking, and wipe all of her walls down every day (!)
Nobody should have to live in these conditions. If I were her, I'd be pressuring the HA for a transfer to another property, ideally one that doesn't have these serious long-term issues.

Bit of a long shot, but have you thought of writing to you MP/contacting environmental health at the council?

The local council should have crisis funds for things like this (they definitely have cost of living support funds)

It does look like it is fairly established.

Like a lot of people, we do get condensation type black in limited places in winter but it is always controllable with Mould & Mildew remover and in very small spots with poor ventilation/high moisture. It has never smelled/penetrated wardrobes.

I'm so sorry you are going through that-I really hope they sort it out soon. If you buy new stuff before the issue is sorted you will be back to square one, you are in a bit of a catch 22 really :(

@Askingforafriend101 that looks awful, and if you have rising damp downstairs it is obviously making the whole house damp. No amount of putting lids on pots aor opening windows is going to help.

If I were you I'd seek help from an MP or local Councillor or both. I'd also consider going to the papers, which might sound extreme but organisations hate the spotlight on them.

To be fair she described it in the OP as penetrative rising damp, which isn't a thing - penetrative and rising damp are different from each other - and the pictures do seem to show mould from condensation instead.

Nobody should have to live with mould so understanding why it's happening is pretty important so you can take steps to stop it!

This! There's no point replacing the mattresses and whatnot if the new ones will end up affected.

Up to a point. But when it can be shown that it's the refusal of the tenant to adequately ventilate or heat the property that's causing the problem, then there's nothing the landlord can do except evict.