Damp in rented flat

[bloodybutunbowed]

Could anyone advise please on how to cure prolific damp in a rented flat? My son has moved in to a place that has been converted from a shop's storeroom into a small bedsit/flat. There's no heating so he's using 2 electric heaters. It had slight signs of black mould when he went to view it but we thought that was because it had been empty for a while. It's drylined and we've recently found out that it was patched up after having been previously burnt out. Mould is appearing at an alarming rate, despite repeated bleaching: black mould on the walls, some kind of white fluffy mould on chairs and doors, green mould on the back wall of bookshelves. The landlord is not interested and there's 4.5 months left on the contract. Thanks for any advice!!

If you read the booklet I linked to it advises against leaving windows open constantly - this will cool the air inside the property and lead to more condensation.
The correct approach is to open two windows a little - preferably on opposite sides of the property - for about 20 mins after a shower or cooking etc.

watching with interest....ds is moving into a rented flat on friday. stupidly i allowed him to view it without me....

he got keys this week - i saw it for the first time and immediately noticed black mould in the bedroom.
on the pictures advertising it there is a dehumidifier running. he has signed a 12 month contract. the entire flat looks like a total bodge job, with pathetic attempts to cover damp with plasterboard.

next time, i am going with him. they see him coming....

I control my black mould with a mixture of heat, having windows in affected rooms locked open a tiny crack, trying not to create unnecessary moisture, and (this one is hard as we are overcrowded) allowing adequete air flow around things.

I find spring and autumn can be worst as it's still cold at night, but I find too much constant low heating to keep the damp down can be stifling.

I bleach around the windows every so often to try and kill the spores.

3 out of the 4 of us have asthma in our house so I have to keep on top.

It is worth experimenting as you may find only the North aspect of the house is affected -at least that's what we find.We get ice on the insides of the windows in cold weather even with the hest on.

Try to only site wardrobes and chests of drawers on internal walls, and certainly not on north facing external walls.

Be especially careful where you store leather, as this is affected quickly with mould growth.

All these things I have learned the hard way!