When condensation and mould is caused by the tenant?

Reply to the comment left by PH at 27/01/2024 – 11:22Yes, well your derrière might get well and truly kicked if you go into court with that attitude.

There have been some comments on this forum re piv. I have tried one in a communal block with the piv in the loft space above the stairs and landing. The consequence was a very cold spot on the landing from cold air. I spoke to a representative of Envirovent regarding this who said that there are models that heat the air. I have researched these but not all reviews have been positive. What have others found?

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 27/01/2024 – 11:27

I helped them until I could do no more then I realised I was being took for a mug . I then changed my attitude which had the desired effect. All signs of mould miraculously disappeared and the house is now spick & span . Treat them how they deserve and they soon realise that with a bit of compromise everything ticks along smoothly. We get on amazingly well now .

The tenant is entirely responsible.Refer them to the How to Rent government produced guidelines, which landlords have to it seems waste time issuing to tenants.
It is beyond your control how the property was constructed and tell tenants they must wipe off condensation and dry bathrooms daily, like every responsible owner occupier does.or LEAVE the property.
Landlords must fight back on this.

Reply to the comment left by David at 27/01/2024 – 16:30
Absolutely. I molly-coddled tenants for too long . The more you do for them the more they want. Stop pandering to their every needs . They are adults. What happens if you treat them like kids ? Yes exactly.

i have been a landlord for 28 years with numerous properties – all old character places. I have had mould from time to time and EVERY time WITHOUT FAIL it has come and gone with the tenant having the problem.
This even included one of my former immaculate family homes that we let for a while before selling. It sold for over a million, 8 years ago, so this was no dump. We had lived there for 13 years with 4 children and not one hint of mould. Within a month of being tenanted a bedroom had mould all over it and the tenant moaned that all rentals were like that and that the place she had moved from had been just the same – lol, the irony.
I had a similar experience at a property I let as a family house after letting it as an hmo without issues for 20 years. A month in and the whole place was damp including all the timbers in the loft! A little bit of investigation and I discovered that she was cooking day and night for her brother’s restaurant.
I am sick of the blame the landlord idea. What absolute rubbish. Last year I had to evict a family through the courts for non payment that then tried, with the help of Shelter, to attack me for damp. How can people seriously do that when you could barely get in the place for the hoarding,- 3 floors rammed with rubbish, and it stunk from their lack of cleaning of anything, ever? Guess what. I refurbished the house throughout and let my own daughter live there now whilst she is studying in central London. Not a hint of any mould btw and she adores the house which looks like something out of a magazine. I didn’t need to make any damp repairs or structural alterations and the same extractor fans are in place.
I do agree with PIV suggestions. They do help. I have them in 2 hmos. They are supposedly heated but I have never felt the heat though.

I am a member of this club too – victim of the lifestyle choices of people who decide they don’t want to follow clear guidelines given by my letting agent
I’ve had to replace windows in one property because they rotted repair done, new tenants, no problems

another problem I face is when tenant left and I claim deductions, this was first rejected by tds because contractor invoice not state how mould came about. the next tenant again issues, my contractor note on his invoice that mould caused by lack of ventilation and heating which also caused peeling of paint. This was again rejected on the basis I don’t have specialist report stating mould caused by lack of heating and paint peeling off ceiling. Tds is a joke. we are better off using the tenant in court

Reply to the comment left by lyn tee at 11/02/2024 – 04:56Why do you think you would be any more successful in Court?

We had the opportunity to visit our rental a year after installing positive input ventilation (PIV) – on all the time, quiet, creates movement of air. The property is Victorian solid wall, windows upgraded. Tenant sensitive to mould – 2 young children. We measured last year – condensation, some mould, some rooms over 55% moisture. Looking for 45-55%..
This year, all 45-55%. No mould, no condensation.
This is issue is behind us.
We appreciate landlords are getting blamed also for poor understanding of condensation management by tenants. But this legislation is clearly coming. Landlords the target., as is removal of Section 21. Just deal with it and move on.