Damp patches high on wall

Chenbas32

Hi,

I'm renting an old terrace house. I've noticed some large damp patches on the upper wall near the ceiling. I read that in this position, it's likely they're as a result of water penetrating from the outside, is that correct?

In my contract it says to notify landlady if there's damp, but I would prefer to fix it myself if possible. I have dried washing in that room, but always had window open. I don't have a garden or any outdoor area. I have mould remover spray for smaller mould spots, would this or another product work on a larger patch? I also used this spray on some minor mould elsewhere and I think it may have made that part of the wall worse, as it started flaking a bit.

Advice appreciated, thanks!

Private Joker

Chenbas32 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm renting an old terrace house. I've noticed some large damp patches on the upper wall near the ceiling. I read that in this position, it's likely they're as a result of water penetrating from the outside, is that correct?

In my contract it says to notify landlady if there's damp, but I would prefer to fix it myself if possible. I have dried washing in that room, but always had window open. I don't have a garden or any outdoor area. I have mould remover spray for smaller mould spots, would this or another product work on a larger patch? I also used this spray on some minor mould elsewhere and I think it may have made that part of the wall worse, as it started flaking a bit.

Advice appreciated, thanks!

Can you post pics? Hard to diagnose from what you described. Are your gutters clean, was the house recently insulated, is there ventilation in the room, is there condensation on the windows? Drying clothes indoors definitely doesnt help with condensation.
Also what floor is it on, is there a chimney near the patch?

Chenbas32

It's second floor out of three, no chimney nearby. I'm not sure about the gutters and insulation. There hasn't been condensation on windows in that room. I did have heating on for 2 hours every day but stopped recently, maybe that could be linked.

I always have windows open everywhere when I'm in.

How do I embed image?

Thanks

Private Joker

Chenbas32 wrote: »

It's second floor out of three, no chimney nearby. I'm not sure about the gutters and insulation. There hasn't been condensation on windows in that room. I did have heating on for 2 hours every day but stopped recently, maybe that could be linked.

I always have windows open everywhere when I'm in.

How do I embed image?

Thanks

Dont think new members can post pics. I think you're better off contacting the land lady especially if it's part of your contract.
The root cause could be anything. I'd suggest not drying clothes in the room and put the heating on for a couple of hours a day to see if that clears it up. If the relative humidity of the room was high you would see condensation on the windows. High humidity is from drying clothes and/ or inadequate ventilation, this would also manifest as mould where the walls and ceiling meet and especially in the corner of the room. This could also be caused by cold bridging if there was inconsistencies in the insulation.
Visible Damp patches could be anything from a leaking sink or shower on the above floor ,cracks in the exterior wall or a leaking heating pipe in the floor above.


In other words I dont think it was household management that caused the issue.

handlemaster

Photo would help

Doop

Start with the easiest things, and work through the options as a process of elimination..
Firstly ...as mentioned... check and clear the gutters.