Landlords, is tenant BU, would you carry out these repairs?

[Livingbytheriver]

Or just leave things as they are? Previous tenants have not been particularly bothered in the past...

Failed Damp Proof System (old Victorian tiled one), silicon injection has been recommended but could be costly.

Replacing a radiator in the bathroom with slight rust (it could do with being larger TBH too as plumber has recommended that it is not quite big enough for the size of the room).

Please let me know what you think...

I totally agree with the advice on heating and ventilation, BUT I too know that it's very hard to make people who don't own a house do that. And we are slightly obsessive on the ventilation - we regularly have all doors and windows wide open on a sunny day, just to get the damp out of the house.

We're lucky, as we can leave some windows open overnight, when we're at work, etc and we have open vents in the larder and pantry.

I think you should do as much as you can afford now, rather than have a bigger bill later, or be unable to sell the house when you need to because it reeks of damp.

agree with nancy

we had a 1911 house with a tile dpc that had been breached.

we had chemical dpc installed- wasnt that expensive - £800????ish 15 years ago. did mean that we could sell house with no problem.

have no doubt that damp would have come back on survey and then had to take more than that off.

id get some quotes if i were you- they will quote for free so you have nothing to lose.

be honest- what would you do if you were living there?

I agree with comments re airing, I think some houses/situations mean it is easier to air than others. Front of house is road facing with double glazed sash windows, so I can understand a reluctance to have front room window open continuously?and unfortunately there is no mechanism that allows the window to be locked part open.

Rear of the house will receive more or and air I think.

The thing that also does not help is that the media are constantly banging on about energy efficiency and ways to seal up your home up as tight as a drum to save energy!

Sonoboden?I do know what I would prefer to live with. Before charging ahead though I feel the need to do a bit of research re cost effectiveness of any expense and also take into account the implications regarding the investment yield or any possible need for a rent increase.

The problem tends to be in the kitchen, so I have my Stanley on all the time. When we moved in we had a retention on the mortgage for damp. We had a survey, the guy (who used to work for dh in the RN) said to put the heating on and ventilate well for 6 months, which we did. He came back, did another reading, damp gone.

You also need to check that the problem is not external; windows fit properly, no problems with exterior render or flashings, and that they are not drying things over the radiators, or having nappies drying. The reason our house was damp, was that previous owner had a business doing dried flowers, and she dried them in the house. The moisture has to go somewhere.

Do they have windows open as well, and is there movement of air through the place? If it is hermetically sealed with double glazing and tight doors, then you will get problems. Older houses were built to breathe. It is possible to kick the heating off, or what we did was have the woodburner on,but a window cranked open slightly.

Good grief...drying flowers indoors!?! Many thanks for all your comments scaryt, really helpful. I also have a 'damp' information leaflet on the way from the environmental department at the council?so some independent information too rather than just 'instructions from the landlord!'.

Going back a bit, I can accept that not all tenants want to leave windows open at night, but mine is a third floor flat in a cul de sac. It really is hard to get some tenants to understand why it is important.

I also had a house in Brighton (10 minutes from the sea!) for a while and the tenants constantly complained that it was damp. They too would regularly take readings with a damp meter. The one it affected most refused to use a dehumudifier I was willing to provide, not because of electricity bills but because she didn't want it in her room while she was at work .

Within two weeks of them moving out, I had aired it properly and there was no 'damp'. That really is my point, these things often aren't damp but condensation. I agree with other posters, there was no DPC in the 1800s but people did air and heat more.

I think it is in Holland or another European country, where there is no damp proofing industry at all and their houses aren't collapsing. DPC just is that effective a lot of the time, although I agree it can help with surveys and mortgages.

Look at all the Tudor and Georgian houses in the UK that aren't collapsing either!

OP - I havent read all the posts but I am a LL. I would suggest you get an independent damp survey carred out. Its a few hundred pounds but can be put against your tax bill. It will advise you whether you need a DPC You can also get free surveys from damp treatment companies but these are not independent in my view. It sounds to me you have a condensation problem which I am not sure would be helped by DPC anyway. We had the same problem as you and our tenants would not have it that they were in anyway resposible even though the day I visited all the windows were shut and condensation was pouring down the windows! The report confirmed condensation rather than water leaking or damp rising and suggested ventilation. In the end we put humidistat trickle vents into the kitchen and bathroom. It's important that you take this seriusly as mould spores can have health consequences. We felt a report protected us as not only did it spell out to the tenants what we had been trying to say but also by getting an expert in and then carrying out the work they suggested at least we were taking clear action in case anyone tried to legal action later on.