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

I always feel it's a little unfair to blame the occupants for mould issues. I live in a new build and can leave all the windows closed including the trickle vents, dry clothes indoors etc and it never gets damp or mouldy (I am good about leaving the window open/fan on after showering). It seems mental to me that houses get mouldy just from normal living, and that people are expected to freeze in winter with all the windows open.
Clearly a lot of places are horrendously badly constructed.

Also not answering the question of how to get out of your contract but don't just paint over mould.
You need to clean it off and then use a mould block treatment before repainting.
I was advised to do this by the council about 40 years ago in a flat with hot air heating.
It definitely seemed to work!

We do try to dry clothes outside, but not always possible if it's raining

if you dry clothes inside, you are putting moisture into the air in your home. It’s a big cause of damp and mold

the other big cause is not shutting the bathroom door and having a shower with the window closed- open the window and close the door

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 may not have had mold issues but drying clothing inside is not good for health, one load of washing can produce 9 pints of moisture and that’s not good to be breathing in, especially for a baby who don’t have fully developed lungs

@Applefruitcake how big is your flat? My new dehumidifier is apparently big enough for a 3-4 bedroom house!

So you probably won't need two.

A single decent dehumidifier should be fine, leave it on in the room with the washing in, and move it around as necessary. Ask landlord if they'd be happy to contribute.

What temperature do you have your heating set at? If your house isn't warm enough you will increase condensation.

This is nonsense! My windows are only ever open in the summer and it's not an old house. I don't have any mould or condensation

Dry air is also easier to heat. Our thermostat is usually set at 17.5 and we have no damp/mould because I run a dehumidifier when I dry washing.

Definitely get a window vac alongside a dehumidifier. We use our window vac daily and it's brilliant.