Pregnant and mould in rental property

[llyh]

I'm 5 weeks pregnant and after a damp wet winter we have some damp and mould appearing in our bed room, a tiny section has the black dots. Are landlord has said he will said a painter at the beginning of Feb to clean it and re paint it but said 'minimal distruption'. I know renters have few rights but is it OK to leave renters in a property with mould and should we just be expected to stay here while they clean and paint the room. I'm worried about sleeping in paint fumes.

Just wipe the black dots with dilute bleach. No need to redecorate. Do you have the windows open/ use a dehumdifier when showering/ drying clothes inside?

Clean it with white vinegar. Then paint yourself with stain block and anti mould paint. If you do it yourself you can make arrangements to sleep on the sofa for a night until dry or something.

Or buy anti mould paint additives to add to any paint and anti mould paint has limited colours etc.

You’re the one living in the property. What are you doing to try to get rid of the mould and minimise the risk of it reoccurring? if it was your property would you do anything different?

painting over it won’t address the cause so you may need to put some thought and effort in yourselves as well as working with the landlord.

Have you taken preventative action (e.g heating and opening windows)?
Have you been cleaning it regular?

Sometimes it's a bigger issue that the landlord needs to deal with and sometimes it is just to do with normal housekeeping which is more the tenant's responsibility.

The fact it is just appearing after a damp period suggest it just needs dealt with in your normal housekeeping routine

Dettol mould spray will get rid of that in 5 minutes. I’d give that a try. I’m surprised your landlord hasn’t suggested that before agreeing to redecorate tbh.

A bit of mould can easily appear if it’s cold weather and you’re drying washing or showering indoors without a dehumidifier.

Depends what is causing the mould. Is the room well heated and ventilated? Is the mould caused by condensation?
Is the water coming in through the wall due to leaking pipes or gutters?
If the damp is caused by a problem with the property then the landlord should fix it asap. If it is caused by not heating or ventilating the room, then you can fix it yourself.

Tenant lifestyle is responsible for many internal damp and mould problems. Drying wet washing indoors, cooking, showering without ventilation all create moisture which needs to escape. Do you run a dehumidifier? Do you ventilate? Do you wipe away condensation?

Why aren’t you just cleaning it? Ffs! And do you keep the place ventilated?

Have a look on rentokill website there’s some really good guidance about black mould

tbh a lot of the time black mould is caused by the occupants rather than structural problems
lack of heating and ventilation

Early Feb sounds fine for redecorating. Just air it out afterwards if you’re worried about fumes. In the meantime you also need to clean it- use mould spray or diluted bleach. You also need to figure out why it’s there in the first place. Is it something you need ask the landlord to fix e.g. leaky gutter on the outside of the wall or is it something you’re doing that needs to change such as drying wet washing, not opening windows, not turning the heating on?

You can get some very cheap mould spray, or bleach or white vinegar and spray/ wipe it on. Wipe away the mould, keep checking up on it and make sure the room is ventilated.

Where is the mould? Is it behind furniture?

Clearly some landlords on this thread 👀
OP I got out of my contract for the same reasons (pointed out I was pregnant and it was a health hazard).
Yours sounds nowhere near as bad as mine so I’d try HG mould spray first just make sure you leave the windows open and don’t go in for a few hours.
If it doesn’t clear up or gets worse now that it’s not as damp I’d be asking for an inspection.
In regards to tenant responsibilities my new house doesn’t get mould or damp at any time because it’s well built, has correct ventilation and we were provided with a dryer.
Being asked to leave your windows open but heat the house and then run a dehumidifier in this energy crisis is a joke.

clearly lots of landlords on this thread. The issue is the roof. It's leaks we've had builders here and scaffolding up for 6 months now. But it still leaks and down the walls.

Thank you to those with the helpful advice. Haha

Being asked to leave your windows open but heat the house and then run a dehumidifier in this energy crisis is a joke.

You can think it's a joke, but then youncsn't complain about mould in an unventilated, cold house.

It is perfectly possible to air the house out really well for short periods by opening all the windows, then heating it for a bit in the morning and a bit in the evening.

I have my heating on 6-8.30am, then 4-8pm. I open the windows in every room for about half an hour. I have a bit of damp in our bedroom, and a little bit behind the sofa where an airbrick has been covered, but that is it.

I am not a landlord. I am a renter. But equally take care of the house I am renting. Too many people run to the landlord with the slightest bit of mould. Which can be very dependant on type of house as a previous poster implied.

However in this instance as the OP says there e is an issue with the roof then that IS the landlord's responsibility and painting prior to fixing this is futile.

Don't use bleach. 🙇🏻‍♀️

It'll actually encourage it to grow even more. White vinegar and wipe it down.

To be honest if the property is mouldy now and your pregnant - I'd be looking for somewhere else to rent to be honest - I had this when my eldest was little we just moved it was the easiest solution!

Why didn’t you say that in your op?! It’s quite key information!

I still stand by what I said about the painting - it’s not going to solve the problem, just hide it for a short while.

And if it's still not sorted then I'd said deffo get out
Start looking for somewhere else why would anyone want to stay somewhere like that?

Leaking roof for 6 months 😱
Forget about questioning the timeline for redecoration, which is utterly pointless as long as the leak stays unresolved, and move as soon as you can!

Lol at the drip feed.

Not a landlord, just had ventilation issues and mould/damp in older and rented properties myself. You would be amazed the number of people who have no idea how a property should be ventilated or that it’s their responsibility in usual circumstances to wipe down condensation and open windows etc.

Obviously the actual issue here is the leaking roof not being fixed while you continue to pay rent for months - if the room is being painted but the leak isn’t fixed, then you would probably be better if you can find another rental. I was in a similar position with a newborn and found another rental.

All councils should have an environmental health team to support if you have issues with private rental landlord who won’t undertake repairs. Shelter offer good advice on this.

@PetitPorpoise sorry I disagree.
Living in these shocking properties that are already freezing then heating and letting it all out is a joke.
My new property has sufficient ventilation for me not to need to open windows.
It also has a dryer meaning I don’t have to dry clothes indoors.
I don’t have a spot of mould because it’s well built.
Wouldn’t ever consciously subject myself to living like that again.
Awful.
No couple should have to spend £200 a month heating a minuscule one bed.

New to mumsnet and can't quite believe how bitchy most of these responses are - a pregnant woman seeing mould in the place she rests her head every night has some concerns and she has reached out for advice. Feel the poster is being shamed for not cleaning theirself and people insinuating she's lazy or doesn't keep a clean home. I came to this post as I am in a similar situation, 12 weeks pregnant, in a rental and we have black mould in the ensuite - all over the ceiling and in the groat. We're very house proud and have a nice clean home. We also pay a lot of money for our private rental ans have lived here for nearly 4 years. The problem we have if the house if quite old and the en suite has carpet, no windows and an old extractor fan that's clearly done it's time and no longer fit for purpose. My GP advised I shouldn't personally be handling strong mould removing spray or dealing with the mould myself while pregnant. I have contacted my landlord who still hasn't responded with a soliton in over a week. I came on this thread for some support and good advice, but most of what I read are unhelpful and quite frankly bitchy. So much for community!