Mold in apartment

angeldelight

Myself and my fiancé moved into an apartment in March, and signed a 1 year lease. When we viewed the apartment it was in the evening time, and it was dark. We decided to take it and signed the lease a few days later in the apartment, but the letting agent was in a rush so we didn't get to look around again before signing. Over the next few days as we moved our stuff in we became aware of a lot of mould in the apartment. It's on the wall and ceiling of the en suite, and all over the ceiling of the main bedroom and spare room.

The bed was broken by the previous tenant and I contacted the letting agent about this and also the mould. When the landlord sent his maintenance guy around to fix the bed he mentioned the mould to him on the phone again - I was standing right beside him so know he did. He said to cover it with anti-mould paint and it would be fine. We had intended on painting the whole apartment anyway but as we are currently working >50 hours a week we had to stop after getting the kitchen and sitting room done. We never intended painting the ceilings anyway so that was never going to be a solution. I have tried a number of mould-removing products but to no avail. As a result of this mostly, I can't stand the apartment. Is it possible for us to break the lease given the presence of th mould, and that nothing has been done about it? I 100% know we signed the lease and am not just looking for an easy way out but the smell when walking into the bedroom is sickening. I'm also getting concerned about clothes etc as I've noticed mould on the backs of the wardrobes.

TLDR: Lots of mould in the apartment, what are our rights?

up4it

Don't know about the legal stuff but the landlord should be painting the flat not you!

Meanwhile do not dry any clothes on radiators as that will only make it worse.

I did have some mould starting in my bedroom and I treated it with a mild mixture of bleach and water then repainted it. That was last year and it hasn't come back (yet)!

Most kitchen/bathroom emulsion paint has anti-mould properties so use that. As normal emulsion paint does not.

Esoteric_

I honestly don't know your rights but presume you're stuck there as you signed the lease. However, I'd give threshold a ring because the exact same happened to me a few years ago in Clontarf. I had been shown the apartment in the evening, with no lights on, and limited natural light, so didn't notice the mould. Being a stupid first time renter, I signed the lease then noticed mould everywhere.

Threshold ended up getting my deposit back and I moved out. That said, I developed pneumonia on top of another lung infection from the mould, so be REALLY careful and keep trying to get rid of it. Try bleach.

universe777

I would do everything in your power to break the lease legally and move out.
I lived in a modern apartment for nearly 2 years, it had a mold problem, we only noticed it long after moving in.
It had wooden windows and wooden slat blind things on the windows, the wood used in these blinds was unfinished, open grain which helped the mold grow & spread.
The mold got into the cushions of a sofa, onto the ceiling near the window in both livingroom and bedroom.
It had to be cleaned often, wearing a mask & gloves etc, mixture of bleach etc but one thing I noticed is that not all mold is black or colored, it can be invisible to the eye on a painted ceiling for example.

I have asthma and it made it a great deal worse living there, many hospital visits and sick days.
A property or apartment with direct sunlight into it during the day can help keep mold at bay, something my apartment didn't really have.

hohojojo

well to start get a good bleach spray or maybe oxiaction and spunge and spray it on and leave it for a few minutes and then wipe away it should wipe off if not or if it was painted with any kind of paint it will have been covered and harder to get off

but really you need to see why its there in the first place as mould can be a health hazard so i would contact your land lord to get it sorted or you'll have to move out and if he does nothing contact the ptrb they should be able to point you in the right direction

oh and anti mould paint just covers up the problem it doesn't solve it

just as a matter of interest how do you dry your clothes and is there a extractor in the shower room is there vents and if so are they blocked

i would say one thing as its the ensuite and the bedroom thats attached to it the door is probably been left when you are in the shower and the people before you did not leave the extractor on long enough afterwords to remove the steam it should be left for probably at least 10 min longer with the door closed and if you can always keep the ensuite closed anyway

hope that helps i know its a bit random

angeldelight

Thanks for the replies - the situation isn't getting any better - I've started to notice that clean clothes are beginning to smell a little musty and feel damp when taken out to wear and there's now also mould on the bedside lamps I'm going to contact the letting agent tomorrow, just wanted to know my rights beforehand so I can tell if he's trying to bull**** me!

Aprilmay

You do need to check vents etc and do not dry clothing on radiators- mould can grow in new and the highest of spec building sometimes it is down to a lack of ventilation in rooms. Open windows if taking showers or baths if there is no window,then check as already suggested if there any vents blocked. Moulds can grow from your own bacteria so cleaning as well as ventilation needs to be kept up -I'm not saying this is what's happening in your situation but just pointing out there can be other reasons rather than homes/apartments being old or not looked after.

angeldelight

None of the rooms have proper vents - they just have tiny slits above the doors (the bedroom and sitting room have external doors) which I've made sure are clear and open but they're only about a cm wide so are pretty useless. We cleaned out the extractor fan in the en suite, we leave the fan on for ages after having a shower, we don't dry clothes anywhere that's not ventilated, we can't leave a window open during the day as we're on the ground floor but when we get home we open windows/doors... I don't think there's much more we can do to be honest

Aprilmay

angeldelight wrote: »

None of the rooms have proper vents - they just have tiny slits above the doors (the bedroom and sitting room have external doors) which I've made sure are clear and open but they're only about a cm wide so are pretty useless. We cleaned out the extractor fan in the en suite, we leave the fan on for ages after having a shower, we don't dry clothes anywhere that's not ventilated, we can't leave a window open during the day as we're on the ground floor but when we get home we open windows/doors... I don't think there's much more we can do to be honest

I think it may be a ventilation problem by the sounds of things- those extractor fans are particularly crap IMHO - and if you and your partner are having showers daily the condensation must be seeping in around your place and then your going to work and it more than likely settling in the apartment because everything is closed up. Mould will build up in no time because of this.

angeldelight

Well I'm hoping to talk to the letting agent tomorrow, then give the landlord 2 weeks to sort it out and if not then 28 days written notice as per threshold website as he has failed in his obligation to provide a property which meets minimum standards. He probably will refuse to give back the deposit but we could go though the PRTB for it

wild_cat

angeldelight wrote: »

Well I'm hoping to talk to the letting agent tomorrow, then give the landlord 2 weeks to sort it out and if not then 28 days written notice as per threshold website as he has failed in his obligation to provide a property which meets minimum standards. He probably will refuse to give back the deposit but we could go though the PRTB for it

Post how you get on will you please.

I'm currently living in a furry castle myself. The inside of one of the presses is so bad that when you open the door it stinks out the sitting room even after being cleaned.

para45

angeldelight wrote: »

Well I'm hoping to talk to the letting agent tomorrow, then give the landlord 2 weeks to sort it out and if not then 28 days written notice as per threshold website as he has failed in his obligation to provide a property which meets minimum standards. He probably will refuse to give back the deposit but we could go though the PRTB for it

Hi I see that you mention Prtb. Did yuo and the Landlord register with them . Well I mean the landlord and did you get confirmation that he did.

The PRTB is a very good option . If Your landlord didnt register with them I would still contact them PRTB.They are there to help

Gilda Fortune

Get out of it as soon as you can.
mould is lethal not to mention dangerous.
i have lived lin a house for 1 year that had mould. like you i didnt realise till a few weeks in when it appeared. we have had constant infections and i have even been to the galway clinic as my breathing has been effected. some people are highly allergic to black mould spores.
we are in the process of moving out.

if the landlord does not fix the problem within 28 days your entitled to your deposit back.
mould will also grow in wardrobes and destroy your clothes.
is the place cold? or is the mould from no ventilation.
i would say get out and be really careful next time , quiz your next landlord about mould.
if your landlord gets smart threaten to report him to the local council. mould in rented places is illegal

good luck i feel your pain

Grolschevik

angeldelight wrote: »

None of the rooms have proper vents - they just have tiny slits above the doors (the bedroom and sitting room have external doors) which I've made sure are clear and open but they're only about a cm wide so are pretty useless. We cleaned out the extractor fan in the en suite, we leave the fan on for ages after having a shower, we don't dry clothes anywhere that's not ventilated, we can't leave a window open during the day as we're on the ground floor but when we get home we open windows/doors... I don't think there's much more we can do to be honest

Aprilmay wrote: »

I think it may be a ventilation problem by the sounds of things- those extractor fans are particularly crap IMHO - and if you and your partner are having showers daily the condensation must be seeping in around your place and then your going to work and it more than likely settling in the apartment because everything is closed up. Mould will build up in no time because of this.

These quotes sum up my experience. I hire a dehumidifier two or three times a year, leave it running for a few days, and it seems to keep on top of things...

That said, from your description, your problem seems worse than my experience.

BostonB

Gilda Fortune wrote: »

...mould in rented places is illegal...

How is it illegal? Its often caused by a tenant not opening windows to ventilate a place. (I'm not talking in general, not the OP).

BostonB

I think people have to distinguish between a problem with a property, like damp, or a design flaw with ventilation. A room with no windows for example. Or a tenant not ventilating a place, like opening windows after showers, or cooking etc.

Aprilmay

BostonB wrote: »

I think people have to distinguish between a problem with a property, like damp, or a design flaw with ventilation. A room with no windows for example. Or a tenant not ventilating a place, like opening windows after showers, or cooking etc.

I have to agree with you entirely I think sometimes the landlord gets the blame when basically a tenant can cause the problem themselves (when it is not a design issue with the Apt/House) in that case I think its unfair to expect the landlord to fix as the tenant has let this mould build up themselves and has damaged the property by their lack of maintanence I mean you can't expect your landlord to come in and open the windows for you- Tenants have to take some responsiblity for their own actions.

wild_cat

Aprilmay wrote: »

I have to agree with you entirely I think sometimes the landlord gets the blame when basically a tenant can cause the problem themselves (when it is not a design issue with the Apt/House) in that case I think its unfair to expect the landlord to fix as the tenant has let this mould build up themselves and has damaged the property by their lack of maintanence I mean you can't expect your landlord to come in and open the windows for you- Tenants have to take some responsiblity for their own actions.

I posted about some mould earlier in this thread.

I only have two working windows in my house at the front. I have no ventilation in the shower room or toilet room. The only window in the kitchen to extract steam etc is painted shut with bars on the other side. A small vent has been added to the glass.

There is damp on the wall in the sitting room. The two windows at the front.. the working ones.. are opened every day as we need to vent the cottage as its small and very old. Its embarrassing to bring someone in to your home and have it smell like moth balls and the aged. We also have turned on storage heaters to try get rid of the damp patch.

So in your opinion the damp and mould growing in the rented property is my fault?

BTW... I only found the mould in the press a week after moving in. I cleaned it myself and left the door open (the majority of people scrub new rents... just after they move in). So perhaps the previous tenant was at fault. So don't go around tarring us all with the one brush. My deposit means a lot to me so I'm not going to do anything that means not getting it back. The rent is cheap, its quant and its in a very good area, I'm tied to a lease so its going to have to do.

Aprilmay

wild_cat wrote: »

I posted about some mould earlier in this thread.

I only have two working windows in my house at the front. I have no ventilation in the shower room or toilet room. The only window in the kitchen to extract steam etc is painted shut with bars on the other side. A small vent has been added to the glass.

There is damp on the wall in the sitting room. The two windows at the front.. the working ones.. are opened every day as we need to vent the cottage as its small and very old. Its embarrassing to bring someone in to your home and have it smell like moth balls and the aged. We also have turned on storage heaters to try get rid of the damp patch.

So in your opinion the damp and mould growing in the rented property is my fault?

BTW... I only found the mould in the press a week after moving in. I cleaned it myself and left the door open (the majority of people scrub new rents... just after they move in). So perhaps the previous tenant was at fault. So don't go around tarring us all with the one brush. My deposit means a lot to me so I'm not going to do anything that means not getting it back. The rent is cheap, its quant and its in a very good area, I'm tied to a lease so its going to have to do.

If you look at the post I said where it is not a design issue and I stated previously in the thread to the OP that their problem is an issue with the design of their apartment with extractors and little or no ventilation - but I was merely agreeing with the previous poster that some people don't try to ventilate their place and dry clothes etc on radiators that even in most places mould will grow and then because of this bad practice they expect the landlord to sort it. So please read fully before jumping to conclusions I had already expressed my distaste for the crappy extractor fans in some Apt/house bathrooms. So offence wasn't intended but some people are careless and I wasn't tarring everyone

BostonB

wild_cat wrote: »

...
So in your opinion the damp and mould growing in the rented property is my fault?...

Sounds like you have woefully inadequate ventilation. You should have spotted that on checking the place out. Theres nothing you will do that will fix that. You'd be mad to stay there.

AMG86

Ventilation is the major issue. This has to be attended to. Will the landlord fit good quality fans.
A point you should make now to the landlord is that the apartment is not fit for healthy living. If opening windows will not solve the problem now what will happen in winter time.

BostonB

Personally i don't think fans are going to overcome the lack of window opening, regardless of how they are rated and measured.

maringo

A dehumidifer might be a good idea for the short term. Maybe you could borrow one, they can extract moisture from the air very effectively and be left on all day/night.

If you dont want to use bleach vinegar might work

http://www.ehow.com/how_5721902_kill-mold-naturally-vinegar.html