Condensation. PLEASE HELP!!

[figandmaple16]

I live in a 2 bed flat with my son. This place has shitty single glazed windows with wooden frames. There is mould EVERYWHERE, on the window sill, frame, walls! and some slimy gunk that forms at the bottom of the window. Ive scrubbed it off with bleach, painted it with anti mould paint, I try to clean condensation off regularly, the place is not very air tight at ALL so plenty of ventilation as there is about half an inch gap under the front door, the windows are constantly blowing in cold air (I live in Scotland and its FREEZING right now) my sons window actually had icicles on it the other day from frozen condensation and there are gaps to under the floor all under the skirting board in the kitchen (which are too high). The heating is electric and I can't afford to have the heating on all the time and its on about 2 hrs a day and then as soon as its off the place is freezing again..
I keep reading about how condensation is the tenant responsibility but I am at a loss of what else I can do. I keep the kitchen window open, reluctantly when I cook, and I have the shitty windows open in the bathroom anytime we take a shower but mould still accumulates on the ceiling. There is no extractor fan in there.
I can't afford a dehumidifier. Ive tried those moisture box things and they get some but barely put a dent on the condensation so I gave up with those.
I am at my wits end, I hate calling the landlady because she is so rude and the last time I reported a problem (after I moved in) when the floor board in the bathroom beside the bath started to crumble like weetabix under my feet, she had the absolute nerve to say 'I never had this problem with the last tenants, did you overflow the bath?' my son and I couldn't even take baths at the time because the water pressure on the hot water was so low it came out in little dribbles.. She ended up replacing the boiler because thats what the problem was.
Anyway, I am just at my wits end, this place is a stinking mess and I don't know what to do about it.

the environmental health team of your local council?
sounds like the place needs serious repair

I am a landlord, and had a problem with condensation in my flat. I installed a system called Envirovent - it is expensive (£1000) but it is brilliant and fixed the problem

My DD's uni house is very damp. They have a big dehumidifier which helps but I bought her loads of anti damp stuff off Amazon and it has helped. Opening the window wherever poss also good. But it still has the damp smell ...

My own flat when I moved from home, had single pane, wooden and the condensation was bad. Partial solutions included pots of silicon on the window sills and also vents and also I very rarely had the heating on as I put on more clothes rather than have the condensation! But obv there was the kitchenette and bath/shower room. Later when the windows deteriorated I had double glazing installed which helped a bit.

Did it work Michael? I had to replace all of my guttering which cost £3500, after replacing all the windows and doors with double glazing the year before.

Keep us up to date op, I really feel for you, I cannot imagine being in your position and with a poorly son too. I myself suffer from a autoimmune condition and its not nice at all.

It helps to know why you get condensation so you can try and avoid the situation.

Air contains moisture. There is a maximum amount of water that air can hold before it literally falls out! But here's the thing - the amount of water that air can hold reduces drastically as the air temperature drops.

What is happening for you is you have warm air inside your house hitting the colder glass on your windows. As it comes into contact the air cools and the water contained in the now cooler air exceeds the maximum amount that the colder air can handle - so the excess water gets deposited on the glass. See this video for a really good explanation together with some advice:-

This thread is making my blood boil. Sorry that's not very helpful but I really do feel for you. I had a shitty landlady a few years ago. I would approach environmental health, citizens advice, all the things suggested here. Landlords who are happy to collect the rent but not willing to take on the responsibility of being a landlord are exploitive scum of the earth. She needs a wake up call. I hope the more practical advice here helps you in the short term. In the long term, go after her like a pitbull.

Scotland has EPC rules as well and I think there is a Scottish how to rent. Sounds like an illegal shithole run by a dodgy landlord.

maybe Scotland has enforcement of tenant rights, I don't know. You could try your council.

but shitholes never improve. Only one cure - stop feeding the crook and leave.

How long have you been on the housing list?

Have you been pushing the point with the housing association etc? I dont mean to pick your post apart, just trying to think how you can move forward quickly!

You should not have to live like this
Do you claim everything you are entitled to?

Xxx

@woodencoffeetable it does! and I've tried my best, I just can't anymore. Ive spoken to the letting officer and Ive been in touch with environmental health. Need to call him back tomorrow (well today!) for an appointment.

@MichaelMosleyisagod my landlady was FURIOUS about having to replace the floor boards in a very small bathroom because it was crumbling under my feet. She tried to pin it on me! 'This wasn't a problem with the last tenants, did you over flow the bath?' The leak was coming from under the bath, he son initially came up and said, oh its just because this pipe was at an unusual angle.. He never tightened anything just slightly moved the pipes lol. So, my point is, I highly doubt she will invest in that. She actually inherited the properties from her father, and I suspect she just sees it as free income rather than a job.

@BusterGonad I have spoken to a lettings officer at the council and explained. She put me in touch with an environmental health officer so I will be getting him up to have a look hopefully this week.

Another vote for a dehumidifier.

Your situation sounds horrendous.

@TobyHouseMan Haha thank you Toby! That was a blast from the past from my old 'understanding weather' uni module I do know what condensation is, thanks. But the moisture in the air, I believe originates from the damp walls/wooden window frame anytime there is any sort of warmth, which a house needs to be!

@missl1 thank you, you know what, mutual anger really does help it makes me feel like I'm not some over reacting about something that IS common, but seriously not in this case. No one I know has this level of mould and condensation. Im getting an environmental health officer out and ill explain all to him.

@mencken I am SO desperate to leave!! Im doing all I can right now with my limited resources. Yeah I am going to talk to the environmental health guy about the EPC, I might ask the landlady but I am not sure if I should, I'm kind of scared of her!!

@BabyDavid I went on the council housing list back in August 2018 the day after the flat was robbed!! But only recently put in medical points for my son as I am doing two full-time courses, one at college and one at home with the open uni, my son is only in nursery two mornings a week (id miss him otherwise and Id rather give him his med than trust anyone else with it) so I am just so busy and only after Christmas time and spending more time in the house was it a wake up call that I need to do something about it. For so long I've just been sweeping it under the rug and getting on with it, but now I realise how sad it is for my boy to grow up in such a shitty place, I'm just trying to do the best for him, I wouldnt be so urgent or worked up about it if it weren't for him.

@BabyDavid sorry I think I went on a tangent with that last reply.. I mean theres not much I can really do, I applied to the council and several housing associations, both of which I have points for. For one housing association I am on '01 urgent direct' and I emailed back and fourth about a house that is untenanted right now, just down the road from my mum, where I grew up and just two doors down from my support, with the number of bedrooms I'm eligible for, and it would just be PERFECT. But after emailing back and fourth taking it to the manager (my Karen came out) I got nowhere.

forget the landlady and concentrate your energies on getting out of this shithole. Report all the illegals to the council, if nothing else it may stop her renting it to anyone else.

I wonder if you could try some window film over the windows? I have done that in the past and it really helped the situation.

Move.

It is unsaveable. Why on earth would you stay somewhere so awful? What's keeping you there? If money for deposit is the problem, beg borrow and scrape from family, take out a

I don't think you should spend any more money on solving the problem. I think you should use your money to move away from the problem.

Loads of good advice here. Follow the cheap, free and easy stuff to do. Save what you can and move on. Get advice from Shelter as to what your landlord should be doing.

I don't think you should spend any more money on solving the problem. I think you should use your money to move away from the problem.

Loads of good advice here. Follow the cheap, free and easy stuff to do. Save what you can and move on. Get advice from Shelter as to what your landlord should be doing.

Also see if there's a tool library near you. You might be able to borrow a dehumidifier. Would save you money on heating, dry the property and dry your washing. A triple win.

If you can’t yet stretch to a proper dehumidifier, I bought some disposable type ones from eBay, they worked really well. If you search dehumidifier for home/car they should come up.

does the property have an epc?
for new tenants from april this year needs to be e or higher (still pretty bad, but better than what you have right now)