Have landlords tried dealing with mould the German way?

Have landlords tried dealing with mould the German way?

9:17 AM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago 25

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Although I’ve been a landlord for over twenty years, I only recently came across luften, the German way of dealing with mould.

Briefly, the householder opens all the doors and windows in the morning. They are left open for five minutes in the winter, ten minutes in spring and autumn, and fifteen minutes in summer. This ensures a complete change of air in a property, replacing all the warm moist air with clean fresh air.

I read about this in an article by Kirsty Allsopp, and she has a video about it on YouTube.

In Germany, tenants can be required to do this in tenancy agreements, and any mould formed is attributed to their failure to comply with the tenancy agreement. Obviously, this description of the procedure is short and simple, and many questions are raised, but I advise landlords to find out more about this.

Has anyone else come across luften before?

Thanks,

Tom


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Cider Drinker

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10:14 AM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

I’ve known this for decades.

Sadly, landlords cannot go into the property to open all doors and windows. Tenants are like teenagers and know everything about everything so won’t listen.

Reluctant Landlord

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12:34 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

Explained all this to one particular tenant ...

The reply.

'I don't live in Germany. Its cold. I'm not opening the windows it lets cold air in. You don't pay my bills'

Alan

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13:45 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

Yes repeatedly even provided literature
But people in UK prefer not airing.
In Germany we air even on the coldest days - just a few minutes and it has a huge impact

Lee Chapman

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13:54 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

You wont get tenants to do that im afraid

Derek t

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14:12 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

Tenants won’t open windows we fit positive pressure units these seem to work well

NewYorkie

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14:29 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

I remember my Mum coming into my bedroom of a morning, and throwing the window wide open, whatever time of year, whatever the weather. It's what we used to do before we had central heating. We knew a few things back then.

TheMaluka

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14:56 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

Reply to the comment left by Derek t at 26/03/2025 - 14:12
An expensive way for the tenant to avoid black mould, both in the cost of electricity and extra rent. If that is what tenants, and Shelter, want, then I am happy to give it to them.

PH

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20:15 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

Why anyone wants to live in yesterday's dirty stale smelly air is beyond me...dirty !

Lup

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23:00 PM, 26th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

first of all uk houses are not build the way german houses are. second the "lüften" concept is taught from Kindergarten,

Judith Wordsworth

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8:55 AM, 27th March 2025, About 4 weeks ago

It’s not just a German thing. Most European continental Countries do this.

Well before the UK started using duvets, instead of sheets, blankets, eiderdowns and bedspreads, households in Europe not only opened their bedroom windows every morning but also hung their duvets over the open window’s cill.

UK homes used to be built with high level air bricks to passively vent rooms. But nowadays these are plastered over or not even installed and double glazed windows are the norm. Sealed boxes with moisture laden air.

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