UK Landlord Forum / Life

We have a 1980's mid terrace 3 bedroom house we rent out in Nottingham, the tenant is saying we have a damp issue however we think it's a condensation problem, the agents have mailed her a checklist of things to do to try and stop it however it's becoming a problem. We have offered to buy a dehumidifier as long as she will use it for several hours a day as recommended by the manufacturer's. We haven't had a problem before and we think she isn't putting the heating on or drying clothes on radiators etc. a roofer is going at the weekend to check there isn't a problem and for our peace of mind.

Question is has anyone else had issues like this and what was the solution please.

Pics

What does your tenancy agreement (i.e contract) say?

From mine, for example:

Quote
9. Obligations of the Tenant

The following clauses set out what is expected of the Tenant during the tenancy in addition to the main terms found in this agreement. If any of these terms are breached, the Landlord may be entitled to deduct monies from the Deposit, claim damages from the Tenant, and/or seek the court's permission to have the Tenant evicted from the Premises because of the breach.

The Tenant agrees:
...
9.24. To take all reasonable precautions to prevent condensation and damp by keeping the Premises adequately ventilated and heated.

After your roofer has been, and assuming that a roof leak is not the problem, I would inform the tenant in writing:

1. They have an obligation under the tenancy agreement to adequately ventilate and heat the premises to avoid condensation and damp.
2. That no previous tenant has had this problem, and as it is not caused a leak from the roof, the damage is their responsibility.
3. That if they do not deal with the problem, then you will exercise your rights under clause of the tenancy agreement to claim damages.

If you have educated the tenant and they won't do the right thing to safeguard your property, then you need to go through with a Section 21 and find a better tenant.

You can try a dehumidifier,but tenants may not use them because they are quite expensive to run correctly.I agree with the advice from Handyman.

Lesstatt - I think this is a common issue Landlords face with tenants. On a recent inspection at my property my agent sent me the report with photos and said my property was nice and clean five stars no issues etc. However when I sat down and looked at the report and photos in more detail, I could clearly see the mould in the bathroom and in bedrooms around windows and above on the ceilings. When I contacted the agent raising this as a concern they weren't very helpful (not a surprise of course). I sent them instructions to contact the tenants to ensure the tenants were ventilating the property and purchase a mould spray (that I know works).

Long story short after a lot of hassle with the agents I visited the property myself (for a different reason) and met the tenants and went round the house with them whilst I was there. It turned out that because they were from a warmer climate outside the UK they were not aware of mould and how it builds up, condensation, and the dangers of mould etc.

So sometimes you have to explain the raw basics to tenants and simplify things to ensure they understand, without telling them how to live in the property. I went down to the level of how mould id created, what condesation is, how dangerous it is for their health, steps they can take to prevent it etc.

Thankfully on my side the tenants have made an effort to start treating the mould. My agent should hopefully doing another inspection at my request to ensure the mould has completely disappeared – I will be keeping an eye on this.

I also have ensured my roof has no leaks etc.

If you checked the structure of the property, you've educated the tenants of the issue and reminded them of the legal obligations, and you know there wasn't this same problem with other previous tenants at the property. It's highly likely it is something the tenants is either doing (or not doing) which is causing the issue. I'd agree with Handyman - and start the process of claiming damages from the tenants and/or start the Section 21 process.

From my situation I am re-thinking the use of agents – as it seems you pay expensive prices for another party to use their housing 'expertise' to manage your property, and they miss very obvious things. Then when challenged, they don't reply and make excuses. This isn't what I'm paying for so, I'd suggest if you're using an agent and you have to watch the agents like a hawk, it's not worth it and get rid of them too!