Is this a leak?

Fecked2bits

Any wall experts here?

The paint seems to be lifting away from the wall as you can see in the pic. There's a ridge running all the way down, and has a different hollow sound when I knock on it compared to the surrounding area. Let me add that there is some mould at the top corner and bottom corner, but nothing in between.

Wabbit Ears

Paper jointing strip coming free it looks like. Sign of a bad plastering job.

Fecked2bits

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Paper jointing strip coming free it looks like. Sign of a bad plastering job.

But why is there mould above and below this ridge?

Ray Palmer

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Paper jointing strip coming free it looks like. Sign of a bad plastering job.

It could be that or/and a leak.

A leak can cause plaster to do this. The main issue is does it feel damp and cold. If so a leak.

Mind you a crack in the outside wall could also do that

Fecked2bits

Yes the room feels damp and cold. The apartment was built in 2005. The whole apartment is very warm and insulated except for this room which takes ages to heat up and is always cold.

By the way, the landlord has known about this for the last few months. So I want to send him an actual photo of it in an envelope instead of him just saying on the phone "ah yeah i'll sort it out now in a while".

I want to send him this photo but wanted professional opinions here before I did it, so I (look like) I know what I'm talking about.

This is not caused by the occupier (I'm doing this on behalf of my girlfriend) as she leaves the window open as much as one can without freezing to death, and there is adequate ventilation in the room. In fact right beside the mould in the corner is an air vent which is never closed. She does turn on the heating but probably not as much as she should, because the rest of the house is always comfortably warm (she's in a block of apartments) and it's really only her room that gets cold, so the living room would turn into an oven while her room is heating up. We would turn off the other radiators in the house except for her room, but the radiator knobs are broken (LL knows about that too)

It's just a big effing mess and I don't know what to do really. By the way my girlfriend has asthma and she sleeps under this.

foggy_lad

Fecked2bits wrote: »

But why is there mould above and below this ridge?

Because there is moisture in the corners because of damp coming from outside!

Fecked2bits

Her bed is becoming mouldy too. Photo attached.

What should I do?

MouseTail

I presume this is on an external wall? Have you had a look outside to see are there any visible issues?

Fecked2bits

We're on the top floor so above the bedroom is a rooftop garden with astro turf.

We're not allowed up there though in case we commit suicide so the gate to the garden is permanently locked. (yet there's a balcony in the apartment.)

runawaybishop

Fecked2bits wrote: »

Her bed is becoming mouldy too. Photo attached.

What should I do?

Notify a landlord of issues in writing giving a reasonable date for them to be fixed. Then if he doesn't fix it either get it fixed yourself and take the money out of the rent, providing receipts for all work or move out.

Santa Cruz

Bad plastering probably on a rush day or wet Friday evening as the lads wanted to get away.