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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Is this mould my fault?

19 replies

mouldyhousemouldylife · 21/04/2019 15:44

I'm renting a (horrible) house and I've had a strip of mould growing along the top of one side of my bedroom wall for a while I'm not sure if it's something I've done that's caused it.

When first I moved in I had to ask them to repaint the window area (on the same side as this wall) because it was covered in mould already (as well as 100 other problems with the house).

It's always freezing even with the heating on but I try to open the window as much as possible and have bought a bunch of those dehumidifer pots but the mould still happened.

I asked the agent for advice after trying all of the above so that it was on record that I didn't just ignore it, they only said 'as per your contract it's your responsibility to keep the property free of condensation'.

I have been drying indoors on a clothes horse however not in my bedroom, just in a spare room where there is no mould and yet it's my room that has it... (I did put clothes to dry outdoors on numerous occasions but there's no fence between ours and the neighbours garden for one, and (until the past 2 days) they were taking several days to dry. I ordered a dri-buddi as an alternative solution but after waiting a month was finally told they were out of stock lol... and now I'm due to move out!).

Given that it's only growing along the the top edge of the outer facing wall and there was mould problems before I moved in, is it a sign of structural issues or have I just not opened the window enough (it's been so cold even with them all closed)?

Thanks! Sorry about the length.

OP posts:

Original poster

mouldyhousemouldylife · 21/04/2019 15:45

Pic

OP posts:

colditz · 21/04/2019 15:52

No. Not your fault. I suggest you move out if you can.

lboogy · 21/04/2019 16:36

It's not your fault. Best solution is spray with vikal or any limescale remover . Leave it for a couple of mins and wipe. If it's on the ceiling then attach a sock to the end of a broom to wipe it away

Mumof1andacat · 21/04/2019 16:46

Needs to be treated first, then repainted. A dehumidifier will work well. Your landlord might buy you one to use but I doubt it.

Mammajay · 21/04/2019 16:53

When you dry clothes, keep the door to that room closed. Moisture in the air will drift round the property and can cause damp in other rooms. This also applies to kitchens, especially if you don't have a good extractor fan, as cooking often produces a lot of moisture in the air. I think that cold walls attract the moisture And cause mould ( can't quite remember that bit)

Oblomov19 · 21/04/2019 17:33

Not your fault at all.
It's got mould for a reason!

Spam88 · 21/04/2019 17:37

From the position of that I'd think it's far more likely there's some kind of structural issue that condensation.

Spam88 · 21/04/2019 17:38

Landlords will always claim it's your fault through...we had brown water running down our walls because the roof was fucked and the landlords were still insisting it was because of us drying clothes indoors.

FrogFairy · 21/04/2019 18:21

HG mould spray is great. Costs about a fiver and smells very strong so spray it first thing in the morning and open the window.

beeyourself · 21/04/2019 18:33

I second hg mould spray - brilliant stuff.
But no, not your fault.

stayinghappy · 21/04/2019 19:29

Could be the gutter is blocked with leaves or broken. Could be a leaky roof?

Just mind your eyes with the mould spray. I'd try to clean it off best you can.

gamerwidow · 21/04/2019 19:36

Mr Muscle mould and mildew spray is also great. A quick spray and leave for 10 mins and the mould vanishes. My old semi detached house had a big problem with condensation mould on the external facing walls. Anywhere there was furniture along the wall the condensation got trapped.
You have to keep the room warm and well ventilated (hard because if you open a window it stops being warm!) or buy a proper electric dehumidifier to suck the water out of the air when you shower, or cook, or dry clothes. I was pleased to leave that house!!

gamerwidow · 21/04/2019 19:36

Ps it is really strong so open the windows first

slipperywhensparticus · 21/04/2019 19:38

Make sure it is clean and mould free when you leave

SpoonBlender · 22/04/2019 20:41

It's always freezing even with the heating on
What you have here is a damp problem. Is there a leaky gutter or anything else obvious on the outside? Or if it's a north facing wall with poor render/pointing it may just never dry out. Either way, landlord's problem not yours.

Original poster

mouldyhousemouldylife · 23/04/2019 03:03

Thank you for the reassurance :)

I am going to clean as a matter of course (although it wasn't cleaned when we moved in, even found pubes stuck to the bed) but in order to remove this mould will likely damage the paint I'm guessing? And I don't want to have to spend more money on something that isn't my fault, also as I reported it to the agency and got fobbed off.

I'll see how it looks after using a mould killer and if it needs repainting I'll leave it for the landlord, he has left a hole in the ceiling for the entire tenancy despite having to legally repair it, the shower leaks into the living room every time it's used meaning we haven't really been able to use the only communal living area, it would be a bit rich for him to try to blame me for that given just how much is wrong with the place. It's even in the contract that it's taken as a lower quality let, not sure if that's a 'thing' but who knows.

I'll have a look outside tomorrow to see if there's anything obvious causing it.

Can't wait to leave. Cold, damp, rotting shit hole. All of the radiators have failed and leaked so far. Mine burst and my PC was next to it, luckily undamaged. The toilet was broken upon moving in. The walls are full of damp patches and cracked plaster. The oven was severely rusted and had metal hanging off it and he made me wait a month for a usable one. The stair carpet is fitted in two parts and has come loose so is now a trip hazard. And the rest.

Wish I did a longer viewing tbh but the family were here all over the house and it was done in about a minute. Didn't notice any of this, it must have got worse over the summer (student house).

OP posts:

Palaver1 · 23/04/2019 06:18

Leave you deserve a warm clean mould free house

Original poster

mouldyhousemouldylife · 27/04/2019 21:55

I told the agency again and asked if their contractor who's already coming for another problem can have a look at it as it seems to be structural and this wall has had mould since before I moved in. He just replied that it seems to be condensation, wipe it away.

I said ok, hope it doesn't make the paint look bad though...! Just to have a written trail for my deposit.

A few more weeks and I'm free. Just bleached our shower grout with a toothbrush as well because the whole thing was black since moving in and I'm surprised I can breathe...

OP posts:

DustyDoorframes · 28/04/2019 10:43

Well they can hardly blame you for condensation when they are not dealing with leaks!!! The leaks are adding water, which is bound to condense!

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