Ongoing battle with landlord (well, estate agent) re washing

[blackswan29]

Looking for a sense check please as I feel like I’m losing my mind!!

We rent a ground floor flat and have been drying our washing outside the front of the property on a clothes horse. We’ve now been told by property management that we MUST not dry washing outside and should instead dry it indoors or “even in the bathroom”.

The issue is.. we already have mould and condensation problems. Before going on holiday recently we wiped everything down and came back to visible mould across multiple areas (and we sent photos to them).
Our bathroom is tiny (no bath, barely floor space for a clothes horse) and the extractor fan is not even working properly. Property management say the landlord thinks it was replaced, but they have no records and are now asking us to confirm.

We have contacted them multiple times about this and their only solutions are:

• Open windows “even only ajar” (in winter, with rising energy bills, on a ground floor flat with fire windows that don’t latch). We’re out all day every day for work so this is completely out of the question.
• Buy multiple small dehumidifiers ourselves and place them around the windows (yes, we have to purchase them ourselves!!)

They’ve also acknowledged that other flats in the same block are drying washing outside — I’ve seen at least three — but say they “won’t discuss other properties” and are only concerned with ours, which feels pretty targeted.

We’re paying high rent, already ventilating as much as realistically possible (trickle vents open 24/7, heating set appropriately), and now being told to dry washing inside despite existing damp and mould. They’re also implying the cost of managing this (dehumidifiers, higher heating bills) should fall to us!!!

Am I being unreasonable in thinking it’s not fair or enforceable to ban drying washing outside purely due to ‘aesthetics’ (they’ve not given us a better reason). And they can’t insist we dry it inside when it’s actively worsening mould
This feels like a landlord/property issue, not the fault of our lifestyle!

Would love thoughts, especially if anyone’s dealt with similar.

To be fair the sun doesn’t reach my washing line either but it still dries because the breeze dries it out.

Okay so there’s nothing in my contract apart from this:

“Not to hang or display in or around the property any clothes or washing of any description except in areas designated for this purpose. As the drying of wet clothes may cause damage or condensation to the property and it will be the tenant's responsibility to make good any damage.”

I am not sure if I’m being silly but doesn’t this mean the OPPOSITE of what they’re telling me?

Check with your local council as they may have a department that helps private renters to get repairs done. We used our councils department years ago and the repairs were done within a couple of months.

You could also contact shelter in regards to the laundry issues.

You need to chase your landlord/agent about a new extractor fan and maybe window limiters
Not the property/leasehold management company or whoever that is
Or install yourself the limiters they're not expensive or hard to do and can be removed anyway
Get an electric clothes horse or a proper £100ish dehumidifier that has a washing drying mode
Every window open wide every few hours for a blast of air and to get the damp air out. I'd leave the bedroom one open at night personally.
Or just set up a clothes horse outside where your neighbours do. It's effort yes but in the summer not too big a deal to take a folding clothes horse out and a basket of washing

Otherwise save up for a cheap vented/condensing dryer, perhaps a second hand one (they sell them here in big reclaim warehouses) and just be done with it and move as soon as you can.

Yes I would take this to be the opposite of what they’ve said (not sure about “around” - but drying washing outside “around” the property wouldn’t cause any damage). If you were drying washing inside I can guarantee most landlords would tell you to put it outside. I would send them that clause and say that washing will cause no more damage than rain, then continue to dry it outside. Highly doubt they will kick you out over a few socks etc. if they are not interested in your indoor mould

No, it’s telling you the only place you can dry it is the designated drying area that you have at the back. The other tenants doing it is not relevant, just because they are doing it is not a reason for other
people to do it. The washing will still dry better out the back as it does not need direct sunlight, the breeze will still dry it and we are heading for spring when it will dry even better. However if you’re just not happy using the designated area then you need to buy an electric dehumidifier. There’s no other option.

My owned house has a shared front drive and parking, the deeds say you can not do certain things. One is drying washing outside the front. As well as parking a caravan and selling anything from the front. I imagine the flat has similar deeds.
Other people might be doing the same.
I am a tenant as I dont live in my house and also a landlord of ahosue house.
I think you need to get onto them about the mould, you can report to the council if they dont fix it.
Can you fit a tumble dryer or request tbe landlord installs a washer dryer?
As a landlord, I have paid for dehumidifiers for my tenant as there was a leak which caused some mould. I basically ordered them in amazon, delivered next day. Then got someone to come and fix the leak that week. Your landlord is a arse. If they dont fix it then can you move?

Take it to a laundrette and get it tumble drie

Just advise them that until they sort out your mould problem you won’t be doing anything, and. It’s not sorted in the next two weeks you will be reporting it to the local council and seeking help from them to force the landlord to do something

Your contract is clear that you can only hang washing in the designated drying area ( at the back) . Your options are tumble dryer launderette in the winter and hang at the back in summer.
I would buy a dehumidifier anyway . I would ask them to put safety / security catches on the windows . You need to open the windows more than you are doing at the moment . Ask for a new bathroom extractor too.

It's quite common that drying washing outside is prohibited in the lease. You're likely to find this is the case if you buy a leasehold flat also.

It's really not nice to see washing hanging outside the front door is it. Let's not lower standards.

If you don't have a discrete place out the back to hang your laundry then buy a dehumidifier. They cost about £150 for a good one. They dry the air so the home is warmer and they dry the clothes. They are very cheap to run.

A good sized dehumidifier (16 litres and above) will dry your laundry and sort out the damp. These days they run for as little as 6p an hour. I dry my clothes in the bathroom overnight which has the added benefit of drying out the bathroom and adding heat to the room. The washing will dry in 4 to 5 hours. During the day I leave all the doors open upstairs, put the dehumidifier on the landing and it cycles on and off as required. Once it has moisture levels under control, the dehumudifier only runs for short periods of time so it's not as expensive as it may sound. It's certainly going to work out cheaper than opening windows to air the place and letting all the heat out!

One solution is to wash clothes at home, take to a laundrette to dry. Or wash & dry at laundrette.
Or
If the laundrette is manned; get a service wash, where you drop the clothes off & they come back done.

I believe it is standard in apartments or flats if there is an accessible area for drying on the property, a communal area, no washing on the balconies.
It looks awful to be honest when everyone has their balcony looking like a laundromat.
Can you put up a trellis? When I lived in an apartment it was a strict no no, no matter what floor you were on.

Yup.
Write to them, quoting that and asking for their written instructions re drying your clothes inside, confirmation that they are formally instructing you to do the opposite of what it says in your lease, plus their written confirmation that you will not be held liable for any issues that may arise as a result of drying clothes inside.

My guess is they will back down

Agree OP that your contract suggests otherwise. It's quite clear you can only dry washing in places where it won't cause condensation so the outside seems sensible. I would ask them for specifics of where the issue has come from.

Tbh I would turn every conversation back to the mould inside your flat and condensation issues.

If you do WANT to move you definitely have a good case given the mould. Also renters rights bill in the UK is coming in soon and you'll be able to give notice.

Are you in the UK though? I can't imagine washing drying outside right now?

I've never owned a tumble dryer. A decent humidifier over night really works. Do the washing in the evening. Leave the dehumidifier on over night. People say it works best in a small room, but we have a washing rack over our stairwell and the dehumidifier works well in that airy space.

I have a dehumidifier and it has a drying setting so you can put it in a room with wet washing and close the door. I have quite a large house and I run one - a large one - in a central location and it deals with whole house. Honestly the amount of water it pulls out of the air is amazing and its easier to heat dry air. They seem to last for years too.

Omg my landlord just said apparently the objection has not come from block management, but has come from other tenants!

So they’re telling us do something not in our contract because someone has complained. Respectfully I don’t really care….

Is there anything in your tenancy agreement abut drying clothes outside being prohibited? Assuming you are in England, I'd be writing the landlord a letter along the following lines:

Dear [Landlord's Name],

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to seek clarification regarding your recent instruction that as tenants, we are not permitted to dry clothes on a line/airer outside.

I have reviewed my tenancy agreement and found no clause prohibiting outdoor clothes drying. Additionally, I have observed that other tenants in the building continue to dry their clothes outside without issue. This raises concerns about consistency and fairness in the application of rules.

Furthermore, the alternative you’ve suggested—drying clothes inside or in the bathroom—is not practical. There is no window in the bathroom and as you are already aware the extractor fan does not work and space is extremely limited in a small flat, and we are already experiencing issues with mould
, which could be exacerbated by increased indoor moisture.

As you are aware, landlords have a legal obligation under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 to ensure that properties are free from damp and mould and are safe for habitation. The tenant should NOT have to bear the cost of this when its not related to our living practices but would be if we followed your instructions of drying our washing indoor.

Given these circumstances, I kindly request that you either:

1. Permit outdoor drying of clothes, or
2. Provide a suitable alternative that does not compromise the health and safety of the living environment.

I would appreciate a written response at your earliest convenience. I am, of course, happy to discuss this further if needed.

Good Luck!

Yes, it is a thing.

I know this isn’t the point, but I can’t recommend a dehumidifier highly enough. I use ours whenever I am drying washing inside and it’s brilliant - not too expensive to run either

Yep your contract (like most others) don’t allow drying outside, but you’re lucky you have a designated drying area.
The mould is a much bigger problem though.