Rental Problems, please help!

[Applefruitcake]

I'm looking for some advice on our housing situation. Last year we moved into our current rental. Everything looked fine at first (was freshly painted) however, as soon as the temperature dropped a little, we noticed there was a big condensation problem. Windows constantly dripping, towels etc. never drying, mould building up, we've even found mould on some of our belongings. When we asked the landlord for advice, they basically told us that it's our fault for not airing the place. Since then we are taking precautions as much as possible and it has improved slightly, but mould still comes back just takes a bit longer. I am currently pregnant and very worried about my health, and we definitely do not wish to be raising a baby in these conditions.

Sorry for the long post, my question basically is - Can we get out of our one year contract and move earlier without losing money? And if so, how?

Any help or advice would be appreciated

Are you opening windows every day? Drying clothes inside? Everyday life creates a lot of moisture and it has to go somewhere. Airing the house daily and adequately heating does wonders for condensation

Could you buy a cheap dehumidifier ?

Where do you think the condensation problem comes from, is it damp/ a leak or is it just due to lifestyle? I think environmental health departments are hot on mould issues. I’d contact them and ask advice. Possibly if he got an enforcement notice or the threat of our he’d be more inclined to wave you off early.

My non rented house can get like this!
Invest in a dehumidifier, a tumble dryer (saves hanging up washing creating damp), open windows every morning, wipe condensation off the windows when it is there. If mould does appear get rid of it quick - I like astonish mould spray or even a dettol wipe really helps!
Annoying but important to keep on top of it.

It could indeed be your lifestyle. You do need to make sure the windows are regularly open long enough if not permanently. Yes, it means it is colder but you make do with warm jumpers and hot water bottles.

It is also worth investigating in a very good dehumidifier.

You could ask for an investigation to ensure it's not a problem with the walls, roof, windo s but if it was when you move, even if they repainted, it's more likely to be a lifestyle problem mixed with an older house more prone to mould forming.

Or if you cannot be bothered, speak to landlord and say worried as pregnant please could they advertise and as soon as they get new renters you will move no matter how long it takes.

My modern flat has a condensation issue - I think there isn't very good ventilation and when it's cold I don't really like opening the windows!

I run a dehumidifier all the time. And use the laundry mode on it when drying washing. I just had to replace mine - the Meaco Arete range looked like they had the best reviews so that's what I got. I've been impressed with it so far (2 weeks).

We had to sell a rental property because several tenants complained about damp. We had surveyors and environmental health involved to try to resolve it but every survey came back that there wasn't a structural issue and that the problem was that the tenants weren't ventilating the property. Environmental health said the same. The tenants still wouldn't accept that they were part of the problem and wouldn't ventilate the property so the next time it fell vacant, we sold.
We have a dehumidifier and you would be surprised how much moisture everyday living creates. I run it when I am drying washing and even before I hang any washing there is a lot of moisture in the air.

Before anyone starts bashing me for being a landlord, DH's job means that we can't live in our own house so we are landlords to keep a toe in the property market for when we need to buy ourselves a home.

Yes, we have started opening windows daily. We also purchased some disposable moisture collectors. Like I said, there has been some improvement in that it takes a bit longer for the mould to come back. We do try to dry clothes outside, but not always possible if it's raining and unfortunately there's not enough space for a tumble dryer.

if you aren't able tk wipe down everyday to prevent mould then the electric dehumidifier rather than the moisture catchers is what you need.

You can get a decent one from Screwfix for around £100. Lifechanger!

I agree with @Spirallingdownwards that disposable moisture collectors aren't going to be sufficient. You need a dehumidifier.

Thank you. It's an old property so I think insulation is not the best. No visible leaks. The windows for example are absolutely dripping with water as soon as it gets slightly colder, some walls also drip in the mornings due to condensation. The walls do not have mould-proof coating, which may help.

I live in a small 2 bed flat (1990s), no window in bathroom and 4 people living here. This time of year is the worst for condensation/ mould. You have to dry the windows every morning, run a good dehumidifier every day after showers and clean mould off when you see it. Avoid drying clothes inside as much as possible. Keep the house warm so that towel radiators dry towels off quickly. Don't leave wet anything in laundry baskets. Keep under beds and around furniture as clear of stuff as possible to allow air flow.

Take photos of any mouldy areas and request that they sort redecorating regularly in the spring/ summer to keep on top of it. I have to repaint rooms every two years at the moment to keep it in check.

As PP have said you need a dehumidifier. Don't underestimate how often and long you need to have it on - everyday for a good number of hours kind of thing.

Also a window vac might help.

Then, if possible, I'd move before next winter.

I agree it could just be the type of house annoyingly. Lived multiple places drying washing indoors etc with no issues until we moved to this latest house which is awful for it despite us doing our best to reduce humidity. Maybe ask landlord if they would consider an Envirovent unit - seen various threads on here suggesting they work well to solve mould.

It's a massive issue in rented places - especially converted flats and isn't always just because you don't air your place out! We have this and air out every day/ wipe down windows and walls and run a dehumidifier every day! There's no way of really getting rid of it but we've learnt to just stay on tip of it. For example today we've treated the walls with mould spray (did last week too) and we're airing it out now as quite strong.
Landlord may be unhelpful so best to take photos. We've regularly re painted also and no had a challenge from landlord. If we ever did we would show images to explain how we've mitigated and looked after the property! But yes it's a massive pain and isn't your fault!

We have original windows in our property that have bad condensation in winter. We have a karcher window cleaner that vacuums the water off the windows. We use it every morning, run a dehumidifier and have good ventilation. If it's an older Victorian property, one of the problems is the houses are designed to have constant ventilation from open fireplaces and floor boards but the fires are often sealed up or replaced with wood burners and the boards carpeted over. This creates a need for ventilation by another means. However if you are in a basement I would move. We had a basement flat and no matter how much ventilation, the mould always came back and you don't want to be using toxic anti mould sprays around a baby.

Those moisture trap boxes are a waste of time. You need a proper dehumidifier, especially if you are drying clothes inside. Get a Karcher for window condensation too. I dry my shower glass/ tray/ tiles off after every shower, leave the window open and we have no mould in the house at all.

We never had a mould problem in our old house but tenants did, lack of proper ventilation and not heating the house properly was the problem .

The disposal moisture catchers are just a temporary solution for now as they are cheaper. We would need at least two electric dehumidifiers for the main rooms we use, so it can get quite expensive even without factoring the running costs.

I think the first warning sign was that the paint smell took forever to go eventhough we had the windows open 24/7 (and it was painted at least a few weeks before we moved in!!)

We never had any mould problems in our previous place, and that had only one window and we didn't have any outdoor space so would always dry clothes indoors.

You can buy dehumidifiers and spread the cost over 12+ months though. Invest in a good one or ask your landlord to. You should treat it the same way as if your fridge or washing machine broke. It's necessary for your home. Some are also marketed as being cheap to run. So you could look at those if it's a concern.

Things will improve in the spring/ summer when it warms up. If you look after your home now through the advice given, it's unlikely that mould should be that big an issue before you move house.

I know it's not advice on how to get out of your contract, but you will end up living in houses like this again. It would also be better to look at your next home at around this time of year, so you can check how damp/ mouldy the house is. Summer isn't the time to get a good idea of this.

Have a look at different electric dehumidifiers - the one I have is fine for the whole of my two bed flat (as long as I leave doors open). They do cost to run, but they make the place feel warmer as it's drier.

Sounds like it is partly your own fault if you were more opening windows and drying washing inside.
the moisture catchers won’t cut the mustard. I suggest a mini silent dehumidifier for your bedroom and a larger one for downstairs where you dry the washing.

When does your fixed term end?