Condensation in rental property

[FingersXrossed]

Just moved in a few weeks ago and the condensation is pretty bad on the windows and along the window frames and the large hinge things that open the windows. We have the heating on a lot and open the windows in the morning and it does nothing! Best course of action seems to be wiping with a hanky but I'm wondering if there's a way to prevent it.

My old flat was ancient and opening the windows or cranking the heating up did the trick for condensation. Maybe I should open them overnight, would that work?

Anyone managed to prevent this? Thanks.

It is about the moisture in the air, so you have to think about how many people are in the space (all breathing out moisture) , how effectively is condensation from showers/baths being removed, whether you are drying clothes indoors and releasing moisture that way.

The more of the above you are have or are doing, the more you need to ventilate all the spaces ie living space, bathrooms, bedrooms.

There's 2 of us here and I try to dry my clothes outside when it's not raining however my husband puts his on the airer indoors, he won't hang them outside so unless I do it they don't go out.

Maybe I could buy a dehumidifier?

A Kärcher window vac is amazing. We have the cheapest model and it removes the condensation from our windows every morning at this time of year.

I used a window vac when ours was like that.
I also bought a dehumidifier, and took what I could to the launderette to dry in the tumble dryers.
I would also open the windows for an hour a day.

Every morning it was the same routine. But it did help the mould.

Thanks, I'll look into these options. Just worried about it getting mouldy and causing issues! This is my first time renting and I want my deposit back!

We got a dehumidifier and it definitely helps, no more waking up to lots of condensation on the windows. But it quickly builds up again if I haven't put it on for a few days.

Ok, I guess it'll just be needed in late autumn/winter so not too bad. Saw a woodlouse in the bathroom earlier, used to get those in my old flat due to the dampness ugh.

Definitely a dehumidifier. I live in a single glazed property that gets horrendous condensation and a decent dehumidifier has made an amazing difference.

Can you not buy a tumble drier? A lot of landlords won’t let you dry clothes in the house on airers and radiators as it dies cause mould.

If your previous flat had draughty windows and doors you may have had a lot more ventilation than you realised!

If your current one is better sealed, you'll have to do more to actively ventilate and/or remove the moisture from the air. Dehumidifier & window vac as mentioned are both good options as you pour the water down the sink.

Mopping the water into a cloth and then leaving the cloth to dry (ie water goes straight back into the air), not so good!

And yes, dehumidifiers are the mutt's nuts.

If your place is damp, you'll be astonished the amount of water you draw out of the building fabric in the first six months, even when you're not drying clothes.

I'd never be without one now.

Keep your windows on open locked if that's possible. ..ie the windows are open about an inch but are actually locked. it made an enormous difference to condensation in my old house

My dehumidifier has a 25 litre capacity. I empty it daily if it’s in the main living areas.

It’s currently in the dining room as that’s where my laundry lives. It fills up after about 36 hours.

Thanks everyone! Have purchased an Ecoair, looking forward to putting it to work! Will look into the Karcher vac too, got JL voucher somewhere and it'll be good for doing the shower and tiles.

I use a basic wiper on shower and tiles, so most of that water exits down the plughole.

If money's tight, you could wait to see what difference the dehumidifier makes before splashing out further.

On the other hand, the Karcher vacs look fun to use...

Don't forget to put lids on pans when cooking, use a condenser dryer and no drying on radiators, shut the bathroom door when you are showing etc and make sure the bathroom extractor is on for a while after you have finished if you have one. Also open windows for a bit in the mornings.

Well, you can dry on radiators as long as you have a plan for where that water will go. So radiator plus open window or extractor fan; or radiator plus dehumidifier (better).

It's gonna go somewhere...

A dehumidifier is a worthwhile investment, especially if you need to dry clothes indoors

Our tenant had this and contacted us about it so we put vents in and bought a dehumidifier for them. If your landlord is a decent one then they may help.

I do think it is unreasonable to expect tenants not to use an airer to dry clothes, particularly in the winter (we use them ourselves) so we took steps to protect our property so the tenant could live as they so wished.

Hoping it arrives soon! In the meantime I'm using a cheapo window cleaning thing to remove the condensation.