AIBU? For thinking we should leave our house immediately?

[Betty0009]

So me, my partner and our 2 kids (4&1) moved into a rented old cottage in March 2025. We knew it would be cold and damp but over the last couple of months the mould has gotten out of hand. We’ve just thrown out a whole wardrobe which had a thick film of green mould covering the whole thing. The exterior walls all have black mould growing. We clean it but it grows straight back. The kitchen cupboards stink of mould and food and appliances go mouldy in a few days. We have dehumidifiers, heating on all the time, use a tumble dryer and keep windows open. My baby has developed a cough which I’m worried is due to the mould. My partner thinks I’m stupid for wanting to stay somewhere else while we look for somewhere else to live… AIBU? (Picture is just one example of the mould)

From Shelter:

Damp and mould in private rented homes

I would be doing everything in my power to move out of a place with mould as bad as that. It's a terrible health hazard.

Sounds like rising damp. If there is creeping mould on the exterior, that's a structural issue that needs rectifying ASAP.

Is there a cellar?

I wouldn't sleep there.

If you can afford to do so, I would. Back in 2000 I lived in a student flat which had terrible mould problems, and had the same issue of discovering a wardrobe full of clothes covered in mould. Whilst I lived there I developed a horrible cough which the GP thought might be asthma. I was sent for a chest x ray and prescribed an inhaler. A month after moving out all my respiratory issues cleared up and I never needed the inhaler. It’s incredibly dangerous.

*the mould is dangerous. Not an inhaler!

This happened to us OP in a house we privately rented. It was inside all the cupboards and up the walls and ruined toys we had hidden in a cupboard. One night our small son stopped breathing and went floppy but came too after me shaking him awake - rushed to hospital. The damp was suspected to have caused this and our doctor wrote a letter for us, environmental health came out and said it was damp caused by condensation and poor ventilation.

Landlord tried to hand me little condensation things to put on windows and I went lost it, my son could have lost his life, he hated me after this as i was ringing him constantly demanding he fixed this. He had people come out and put in vents and filled the walls with something I cant remember what it was, it was an end house and was so cold in winter even with the walls injected or whatever it was. But still the damp came back, i was bleaching walls every few days it was a nightmare. The whole house smelt like mold/weed smell.

I applied for social housing and gathered some points, the landlord called out randomly oke day and said he was selling the house, this bumped my points up to include homeless/threatened with homelessness. I got some points for the damp and various other points and was allocated a council house. I still think about those horrible days it was awful. I would take this seriously and be so careful if you have young children as some molds can be deadly. The mold we had was black and like a fluffy texture and grew up the walls and coated anything nearby as well.

The hidden toys were for Christmas 🤣 we didnt just have random hidden toys lol

I'm shocked that you're even asking. Leave as soon as you can.

Try calling Shelter, they may be able to
advise.

get out asap. There was a terrible case in Rochdale where a baby died caused by mould. Your husband is being totally unreasonable and neglectful.

Im betting money the landlord already knows

I developed M.E. after exposure to black mould. I have now been sick and unable to work for ten years.

Now, when I am exposed to it again, even in tiny quantities, I spit blood.

Leave. It is exceptionally dangerous.

Awaab's law has just come in. If your child is feeling ill already, leave. Take lots of photographs. Contact the landlord immediately. Get some legal advice which may mean you may be able to get out of still being rent liable.

OMG I would definitely get your kids out of there! Black mould is dangerous, especially for the baby, if it gets in their lungs. That looks horrendous. Definitely report to environmental health too.

My dp & I bought a house in 2007 and the humidity was regularly 90 to 100%.
Ran 5 dehumidifiers 24 x 7 and would get probably four litres a day from each one.
It was only after several years that we realized that the sides of the property had been supplemented with cement pathways which meant the DPC (damp proof course) was only one course of bricks above the path so any rain would splash onto the bricks.

To make it worse, property built in about 1920, one summer it was incredibly hot and my DP decided to try and cool the house down with a hose pipe on the walls. The bricks were so porous, none of the water from the hose pipe actually hit the ground but just got soaked into the porous bricks.
Subsequently found out that in some old properties each brick can absorb one pint of water and if it's got solid walls without a cavity it's going to work its way in.
Glad to have got rid of it.
And the Lime plaster is definitely a thing as opposed to cement or impermeable painting on the external walls.
The best dehumidifier type for a place that is below 20 degrees is a desiccant type as they work down to five degrees centigrade and the compressor pump ones work well above 18 degrees.
Good luck x

Yes, leave!

Exactly. We live in an old Victorian terrace that is really quite damp and we don't have mould.

Is the house rendered? I think it's probably been re-rendered at some point with the incorrect render so it's not longer able to breathe.

I’m with the others - leave ASAP. I lived in a rental property which was full of black mould. It wasn’t long before I developed pneumonia, and I was a fit and healthy 26 year old.

Absolutely leave ASAP. DH and I lived in a house with mould and it made us both poorly, in particular it ravaged my husband’s lungs. He had to have a steroid inhaler and all sorts. Children must not be exposed to mould, it’s so damaging.

You’re wasting your money if you’re running a dehumidifier with windows open: you either have windows open (ideally on both sides of house so air can flow through) with heating on, or you have windows closed with dehumidifier running.

Mould is very risky for young children. Please leave OP and take your kids.

Thats bad. I have this in the corner of my bathroom. We had ivy from next door growing up the external wall and have removed it. Also we had our washing bin with wet towels in, in this corner. We've stopped that and the mould hasn't gone, but hasn't got worse. I think its in the paint personally. I wipe it down with white vinegar. I can't tolerate bleach smell. We do have heating on. Open window a lot. Run a dehumidifier in there sometimes in winter. But also we live in an old house. Doesn't matter if you own or rent a place, mould can still grow if right circumstances occur.

YANBU - I’d move out straight away.
there are guidelines which highlight why your young child is at risk e.g.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers/understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-of-damp-and-mould-in-the-home--2

If land lord wont do mold removal leave as soon as possible. Happened to us, we found mold, green like you say on wardrobes and on stuff inside it. Was never reimbursed for any of the loss of belongings. Under the mattress on the bed and the bed was not that old. Awful. I was pregnant in the house too but moved when the baby was 11 months old. Had moved in 1 month before covid lock downs started, obviously had no idea it was moldy in the back bedroom and kitchen.

councils have protocols for all properties check your local website asap. is there someone who you can stay with for a bit with the baby at least?