Is this mould in our rental?

[Newbie1011]

It’s a leak from roof/ceiling which landlords dragging feet about fixing. It’s in the bedroom where I sleep and I’m pregnant. Is it mould and could it be detrimental? Anyone have any suggestions on how to tackle? Thanks

Looks like water staining to me.
Fix the leak, repair the ceiling.

Thanks @FuzzyPuffling I hope you’re right, it’s the sort of bobbly bits on the edges that had me worried

Yea, definitely looks like a water drain from a leak.

Leak, although if it remains damp spores may form. How long since you noticed it.

Thanks @Glittertwins you’re right that the staining is definitely caused by a leak as there is water coming through the ceiling when it rains, I’m just wondering if people think it looks like it’s also causing mould. The leak has been there since October (when we first reported to LL and asked them to fix) but because it’s not been fixed it’s started looking much worse and I’m now wondering if it looks like it’s getting mouldy

Try wiping it, with some diluted bleach. I have a damp basement flat, and it amazes me how passive people in rental accommodation seem to be in the face of mould.

You just need to wipe it off.

Get some mould remover if you want, but mould is not a big deal if you deal with it.

@LIZS thanks - it’s been about three months

That's water staining. It will only get worse unless the leak is fixed. This is much worse than mould - actual water is getting in to your property. Eventually the plaster of the ceiling will come down. You can already see the cracks where is is weakening.

Thanks @GreigeO - I haven’t been passive about the leak, I’ve been raising it. And as for the mould issue, this is the first time it’s occurred to me that it looks a bit
like mould (just returned from a Christmas break to see it looking much worse) thanks for the advice re: bleach , will get DH to do this

Bleach isn't actually very good at killing mould. It might do the job on non-porous surfaces (eg bathroom tiles or a plastic window frame) but it's not at all effective woodwork, walls or ceilings. It will take away the black stuff on the surface, for a while, but the improvement is purely cosmetic - the visible signs of mould disappear temporarily, but mould is still present within the wall, and will become visible again relatively soon.

You'd be better of using white vinegar - it won't get rid of mould permanently if the source of the damp is still present, but it's a lot more effective than bleach (and possibly less unpleasant to breathe in if you're bothered by chlorine).

Have you got contents insurance cover in case anything gets damaged if that leak doesn't get fixed?

@Glittertwins really good point, thanks, I’ll check. I mean obviously bottom line is it just needs bloody fixing asap doesn’t it, especially with this weather!! Landlord claims he is trying but that roofers are ‘like gold dust’ at the moment… hmm
@ManateeFair thanks I appreciate that, definitely would prefer to use something natural!

Roofers will be like gold dust now, they would not have been quite so much when that leak started! Good luck, it's horrible when you can see it spreading and getting worse and it's not your fault.
I used to mark certain edges with a pencil so I could see if it was getting worse or not