Advice on avoiding renting somewhere that suffers from mold?

Bootsy.

I'm on the hunt for a new place again and want to rent somewhere that doesn't suffer from mould.

I'm a veteran of about 20 rentals at this stage but the last few were plagued with very bad mould and damp problems. What are the signs I should look for to avoid this?

Also, I thought that the BER cert was now a legal requirement but very few places on Daft seem to show their rating which makes it difficult to check that.

BostonB

http://www.lifestyle.com.au/property/understanding-the-types-and-signs-of-dampness.aspx

Though I will add that sometimes damp is due to a lack of ventilation, I've seen some live in a house for years with no damp, only for someone else to move in and have damp problems within a few months. Get somewhere where theres lots of windows and where you can leave them open when you are cooking washing sleeping. Many windows have security fitting to allow them be left open slightly but still locked.

murphaph

BostonB wrote: »

http://www.lifestyle.com.au/property/understanding-the-types-and-signs-of-dampness.aspx

Though I will add that sometimes damp is due to a lack of ventilation, I've seen some live in a house for years with no damp, only for someone else to move in and have damp problems within a few months. Get somewhere where theres lots of windows and where you can leave them open when you are cooking washing sleeping. Many windows have security fitting to allow them be left open slightly but still locked.

Can only second this. I lived in my house for many years without a spot of mould, within months of renting out it had developed it in the bathroom. The tenants simply never opened the windows to let the poor house breathe!

odds_on

BostonB wrote: »

http://www.lifestyle.com.au/property/understanding-the-types-and-signs-of-dampness.aspx

Though I will add that sometimes damp is due to a lack of ventilation, I've seen some live in a house for years with no damp, only for someone else to move in and have damp problems within a few months. Get somewhere where theres lots of windows and where you can leave them open when you are cooking washing sleeping. Many windows have security fitting to allow them be left open slightly but still locked.

I definitely agree with BostonB here.

I think that you will find, in general, that older houses with poor insulation may cause mould as the walls tend not to heat up. Again in this type of property, often, tenants tend to switch off heating while they are out at work, again allowing walls to stay cold where condensation will set in either from drying clothes, steam from cooking and baths/showers and even our own breathing.

There is no sure way of knowing if there was previously a mould problem but try to examine the rooms thoroughly while viewing.

Yes, a BER cert is required by law when a property is "offered for sale or rent" and it is the landlord / agent who should show it to prospective tenants and not the tenant who has to ask for it. Unfortunately, the regulating that the law is complied with is down to local authorities and not to the body that organizes the certs, accredits the the BER licensees and receives part of the BER fee. The LA therefore have no incentive to go to the expense of employing people to check. Furthermore, I believe that before an offender can be brought to court, he has to be given the opportunity (28 days) to get a cert. All in all, another brilliant piece of Irish legislation!

On an aside note, I am currently trying to purchase a property and a month after agreeing a price, I pulled out of the purchase, one reason being that there was still no BER cert.