Black mould

[BatCave]

We've been living in this rented cottage for just 8 weeks, we were hoping it would be somewhere we could settle for a while.

I moved a box in my 2 year old daughters room and have found black mould up the wall, on closer inspection it seems to be starting to cover the whole outer wall and judging by the musty smell and mouldy pots and pans its in the kitchen too (same outer wall).

I'm gutted. We moved to get away from another house related problem and thought we'd found somewhere great. I also have a 7 week old baby and I'm worried about my children's health from this. My daughter has a chesty sounding cough brewing and I'm wondering if its linked.

It's a very old small terrace house. I've no option of moving my daughters bedroom.

I'll contact my landlord, but what can I expect - if anything- him to do about it? Or is it my problem and if so what can I do about it?

My DH and I lived in a mouldy flat pre children and it was a nightmare, we were both really ill the whole time we were there.

I'll have to give my landlord the benefit of the doubt, he bought the house to let and we are his first tenants (in this property at least), so it is likely he didn't know. Although I have spotted a tub of anti mould paint in the outhouse and the whole house had been freshly painted before we moved in. Still don't know how he can be so certain though.

The wardrobe is in a corner against a cold outer wall, the wall itself actually feels really cold and damp.

would be amazing but I'm bf a tiny baby

I'm nowhere near Cambridgeshire unfortunately but will definitely scout around for a decent dry cleaner, thanks for that tip, I'd have just gone along to any old one, thought they were all the same!

Would it be bloody cheeky to ask him to pay for my drycleaning bill??!

No, not a cheek. And it will need a specialist wedding dress clean.

We get this on the outer walls of our house. The walls are solid stone so are porous and cold. To avoid it you need to keep good airflow round those walls, so avoid putting wardrobes or chests of drawers against them. I have a built in wardrobe against one wall and I've lined it with thin polystyrene, which helps but doesn't eradicate the problem. You should also make sure the house is well ventilated so open windows.

There will be little the landlord can do to improve it. It's down to how you use the house.

er...regarding dry cleaning bill, you can ask, but generally landlords are not responsible for tenants' possessions. That's what your tenants contents insurance is for and it should cover something like this.