How I laughed at DHE's latest advice regarding houses and mould!

[McDreamy]

• just had the latest through the door about "making the most of your quarter' It states the obvious about airing the houses as much as possible in the cold weather etc but goes on to describe what to do in the event of mould:

How we have to clean it off with a bleach solution but be careful with the solution as you will be charged if you damage anything ,

How we should wipe away the mould as soon as it happens for health reasons and because we might be charged for any mould damage , - every day for me once the weather changes then!

How we should wipe away any condensation that appears on the windows straight away - another daily job for me

How about making sure the houses have adequate insulation & effective heating? Is that too much to ask?

I've had an ongoing issue with mould in our quarter.

Having the air vents reopened has helped (they were painted shut). We've had to get a dehumidifier as well though.

They are reasonable to expect you to do I'm afraid. If the accomodation is old, it is what it is and you have to do what they ask.

Wet washing on radiators with windows shut is a a big no no.

Put clothes on a airer next to the radiator and with a least one window open just a tiny crack. It will take longer to dry washing but cuts down on the mould.

We lived in a rented flat years ago and it drove me insane so I understand what you mean, but there are things you can do to limit the mould.

Its just a fact that this happens. Sorry.

does that stuff you paint on to prevent the mould not work?

am sure in our quarter once,someone used that effectivey

I think their suggestions are reasonable too - if I lived in a house where the heating worked and I didn't already have cupboards full of mould when I moved in!

I think expecting adequate insulation and effective heating isn't too much to ask - that would certainly help the situation!

Has your quarter been downgraded because of the mould / heating problems?

No because it's been downgraded because of the water problems - we don't have cold water in the mornings!!!! - all to do with supply and demand, and a pump! There's not at lot more to downgrade!

We are moving soon (buying our own house, had enough of quarters and moving) and I am looking forward to 3 things sooooo much

1. A gas cooker

1. No mould on my walls

1. Cold water in the morning.

Oh yes and 4. - if something goes wrong being able to fix it properly!

Funny I should read this when some plaster has just fallen off my DD bedroom wall due to the damp. I have also just thrown out a navy school pinafore less than a month old because it has mould growing on it from in her wardrobe.

I too have been told my an MHS surveyeor that I need to just wipe with a bleach solution! Funny thing was there was no black mould on the wall where the plaster just fell off, just the usual bubbling! They have replasterd that wall more times than I care to remember since we have lived here and no doubt they will happily replaster it for us again, without resolving the damp issue - because of the budget!! Logical Hey???

Then there is the hole in my lounge window frame. It was reported last year but they are still having discussions on the cheapest way to repair it. I think they are very impressed with my kitchen foil and kitchen roll stuffing in the hole - so much so despite it being logged as a complaint I am still waiting for a decision!

Living in a Grade 4 house means it cannot be own graded anymore apparently! I did suggest they actually start paying us to live here! LOL

Roll on our next posting - we will be bloody hard pressed to get a dump as sh*t as this!! I think I will the smell of damp! Its become the smell of home!

Oh slummymummy - that's crap. Hope it gets sorted - but I won't hold me breath eh?

Blimey I think this is awful. Not a forces wife but honestly, when the men are serving the country and often away, the least they could do is provide decent accommodation for the families. It's hard enough to manage as a married single parent (if you know what I mean) without this sort of nonsense.

So where is all this money that the MoD says is being used to upgrade MQs and ensure that thye meet modern standards then?

I think they'll sell another load off cheaply to Annington and then have to pay for SSFA.

I think the thing that grates is that there is no way of negotiating the rent, or changing anything. I got moaned at last year by a guy in SHAPE that my electricity consumption was too high, and not in line with the BFG rules. I told him that owning my own home in UK I was well aware that what they were charging for fuel and light overseas wasn't enough for a house this size; and what the hell did they expect with ill fitting windows, draughts, and no bloody insulation. Also, no point using BFG rules for SSFA rented from landlords as the standard of each house will be different.

It's the garage charge that gets me, as the damn thing is an integral part of the house here and it morphs into the cellar. There's no way that you can't go through it to get to the boiler room or to the utility.

Take photos and contact the Sun. Seriously. They have run this type of story before and yet still DHE do nothing. They need shaming again
We are no longer in a quarter but a couple of years ago we had no bathroom floor for several months, it rotted away. I had a toddler, we couldn't take a bath and their solution was to eventually come and lay a bit of bendy hardboard on top.