Rented Accommodation and Dampness/Mold

cherrytaz

Hi all,

Moved into rented accommodation in October 2010 and apartment initially seemed fine. Myself and a friend signed a 1 year lease. However after a month or so dampness began to appear in the corner of my bedroom and initially thought it was due to the poor circulation etc. However this has continued and I have notified the landlord a number of times but was basically brushed aside. However it has gotten so bad that I took a number of pictures and emailed them to Landlord who eventually sent out a civil engineer to inspect it. I am sure his report will take a number of weeks to be complete but I'm just wondering what is usually the procedure in a case like this. Am I expected to just wait it out with the wall in the current condition or should I hold back paying more rent until the problem is resolved.

Any info would be appreciated.

Cherrytaz

Oh and heres a pic or two of the problem which results in me getting the flu overnight..

antocann

thats a bad damp probem , by looking at it im 100% certan the owners cleaned it before you moved in

probly didnt have money to repair it , and waiting til they leased it out

jimbob11

Hello
This is not dampness, its condensation. My cousin had the same problem with his ceilings and walls and he was getting a lot of flu-like symptoms. I happened to run into him one day and asked him why he was wheezing so much. To make a long story short I explained to him what he should do. My friend had a similar problem, until she found this website www.insulatewithinsuladd.com. You have to clean down the condensation first, then you put on two coats of this insulator mixed with paint, its been about six months since the walls were painted, my cousin has had no problems since. Hope you have some luck with this.

cherrytaz

Thanks for the reply. The engineer could clearly see the problem. From the outside of the building there is clearly a crack visible in the wall and whenever it rains it soaks into the crack and down the wall plus there is also condensation and he suggested (as I had suspected) that there is no insulation in the external wall and the room is extremely inefficient in retaining heat. Still waiting to see what the Landlord is going to do about the issue and the smell of damp in the room is now horrendous.

jimbob11

Hello
I would venture to say that your engineer is mistaken. try cif cream [a cleaning agent found in any supermarket] see if this will remove the black condensation on the walls, if it does, its definitely condensation and not caused by incoming water. It would have to be a very bad crack in the wall for the water to get to the inside. Condensation will cause a bad smell, you should ask your Landlord to try what I have advised even as a temporary measure, if it does'nt work it will not have cost him very much. we breathe out about a litre of water every night as we sleep, if windows are kept closed this will increase the problem of condensation. You should do something quickly or your health may disimprove.