UK Landlord Forum / Life

This time last year I had a very lengthy,not to say hysterical,email forwarded via the L.A.The tenants's stepmother/guarantor claiming that the level of damp and condensation in the house was giving the tenant and her housemate chest problems,and that the list of remedial suggestions given by the agents was totally outrageous.This was the latest in a list of issues with this very needy young lady.

.The house had been decorated throughout,new carpets,and numerous small repairs carried out before they moved in.Nevertheless,a steady stream of complaints came in,some reasonable,many non-urgent or not within a landlord's responsibility.All were dealt with promptly,at  considerable expense.According to this letter,I am some sort of Peter Rachman,profiting from poor tenants.Photos  were attached of mouldy shoes,the tenant looking consumptive huddled under a blanket.

The previous tenants,a Polish family,had a daughter with serious lung problems from birth.They lived there without any issues for 7 years,only moving when they had another child and got a council house. Extensive research  (Googling) showed that mould and damp are nearly always caused by lack of ventilation,insufficient heating and indoor drying.Pints of water get into the air from a rack of wet clothes.
This is the second winter with the next tenants living there,and so far no complaints reported.Before you rush into getting "surveys" done,or paying for pointless treatments,look into the lifestyle of your tenants.

 

And breathing-out.

Creates a lot of moisture.

I know,but you try telling the tenants that.The  crafty buggers know their rights.

Yeah, from my experience, it's almost always due to lifestyle.

It's amazing how many people don't open a window after a hot shower/bath and/or try their clothes inside without opening a window.

I agree with this also, almost always 90% of the time its becuase they don't open the windows.
If the problem is on the outside wall on the ground floor, then maybe give it some investigation.
Otheriwse I would quiz them about how often they ventilate the place.