Damp problem

[wicketter]

We have just found out that we have a very serious damp problem affecting all rooms. How dangerous is damp? I have 3dc's and i am worried about their health. Any advice appreciated

boiler and radiator became loose from the walls. had the builders round and they have confirmed it is damp. the landlords hadn't treated the damp when they damp proofed the downstairs and we also have holes in the walls letting rain in. i have been telling them we have damp for 3 years but they have always said it was condensation so i am not happy

Why don't you give Shelter a call. They can help you deal with your landlord. Also, you might want to call your council and have an environmental health inspector take a look at your house.

They tend to take damp very seriously especially if you have young children/pensioners in your home.

Good luck!

england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions

Hi

Damp is unpleasant and in extreme creates unhealthy living conditions. However it is generally quite straightforward to diagnose and cure.
"Damp" is not a mystery issue - it is simply a source of water

There can be several causes of damp affecting one house at the time and your situation sounds rather like that. It also sounds like you are not completely clear about what the problems are - which is maybe why you are not getting terribly far with the landlords.

I should start by saying that I rented out a flat once when I moved in with my (now) DH. There had been no damp problems at all. The woman who moved in, had 2 children and relatives staying with her. They all slept with the windows shut. They cooked and showered with the windows shut. They dried washing indoors with the windows shut. The flat was saturated!! She kept showing me these de-humidifiers and telling me the house was at fault. However to her credit once I explained how much moisture comes off sleeping humans she started ventilating the house (slightly open windows at night in bedrooms, open bathroom window to let out steam from shower, washing etc.) then unsurprisingly this "damp" disappeared. If you are doing all of this ventilating stuff and the house is still damp, then make this clear to the landlords. Otherwise you are making your own life a misery - there is not a lot that the landlords can do about it.

On the other hand, holes in the roof are not good and need to be fixed. Ditto broken pipes.

it is rising damp downstairs and upstairs the whole wall is sodden because of the holes. they have fobbed us for years despite us following their advice such as keeping windows open. they say it should only take a couple of days to fix but cant see how that is possible if they do it properly. they have to take half the kitchen out and it takes a day for plaster to dry. just worried they are going to do another quick fix which is how we ended up in this state. two of my dc's are big snorers and according to doc this can indicate breathing probs. am now worried its all connected

Is your LL about to fix the problem?

Ask him/her what they are going to do, and find out what they need from you - move out, clear certain rooms etc.

Ask them to explain the order of works.

If they say it is only going to be a couple of days they may be planning to fix the source of the damp and then let the property dry out over time while you are in. The alternative is to hire big dehumidifiers and they will dry it out in a few days. (If he hires dehumidifiers make sure he contributes to the electric they cost a fortune to run).

But it is your home and they should be comunicating with you about this.

For now untill it is fixed, buy a bottle of mould remover (£7 in B&Q) and clean the mould from the walls in the bedrooms. Wash their curtains and bedding in a hot wash to kill the spores. Air your DC's bedrooms very well, and if you can leave the windows open over night while they sleep.

Mould can cause health problems but I'm not really sure what. I would mention it to your GP though. As a PP said get environmental health to check it out if your LL is not being proactive.

they are going to sort it out now but i am just so annoyed it has literally taken years for them to see there is a problem. they are just useless-for example we were left without any kitchen flooring (just concrete) for a year!! because they didn't get their act together. sorry for ranting but i am so fed up. thanks for all the advice-much appreciated x

ok, so they are putting the boiler on the only non damp wall tomorrow-hurrah will have hot water! but although the damp needs sorting apparently the ll only has to say she will sort it but not say when. we waited for ayear for our floor so i am not expecting a speedy response. looks like we will have to move-dont know how but cant keep dc's here :-(

Did you speak to CAB about when repairs have to be done? Once you can put the heating on that will help to dry out the place, but of course if the source of the damp is still there then it won't fix it.

If you feel LL really isn't going to sort this then get on to environmental health. It baffles me why some LL's behave like this, apart from anything else it is damaging the property and so even if they don't care about the tenant you would think they would care about that!

apparently they can say they dont have enough money to fix it at the moment but intend to as soon as they can. which doesn,t help us. apparently we would be in a better position if we were council rather than private. but to be honest i am just fed up. if we had the money i would move out now. it is an awful feeling to hate your own house

Well, lets break it down to what you can do.

Are you on the list for a council house? Go down and speak to them. Most likey you will be low priority because you have a home, but you will get on there.

Next make an appointment with your GP. If your GP is not sympathetic make an appointment with a different one at the practice. Explain about your living conditions and worries about the health of the DC. Also mention how low it is making you feel.

Then go to the councils environmental health and ask them to come and assess the house and its suitability and health risks.

When armed with that info go to your LL (or perhaps EH will I'm not exactly sure how this works) and request the repairs as urgent. Also go to the housing department and see if this gets you classed as a higher priority.

In the mean time do you have the funds to move to another private rental? Or do you have any money to start putting to one side to get to that point.

Often when faced with big problems, if you break them down into small ones you can deal with them better. None of this is an imediate solution, but it is a start.