Damp, rented hose - causing so many problems :(

zoe88

@. well now my apartment is just covered in head to toe with damp, my daughter is now on steroids with her chest!!! I need to leave but cant without a deposit, and having trouble finding property in the location i want t live in!!! the doctor has given me a letter stating this enviroment isnt healthy for my one year old, i want to bring it into council see if they would do anything THOUGHTS?

djimi

What kind of a lease have you got?

Ray Palmer

Damp and mould 9/10 times is caused by how somebody uses a property. Drying clothes inside the most common cause.

I have rented place no problem for years and a new tenant moves in and there is suddenly a problem.

It isn't always the case but you should asses how you use the property.

edellc

my thoughts are this

firstly your child is the most important person in this situation NO ONE ELSE your only priority is your childs health

so as i see you have 4 options

1. stay where you are and see out the lease

2. go to the council with your letter and see if it will help you with social housing

3. ring the environmental health officer and get them to do an inspection of the place, if it is unfit for your child they will recommend that the landlord sorts out the issues within a time frame

4. My favourite, if you can hold your nerve, withhold rent for two months, giving you your mths rent in advance and deposit and get you and your daughter out of there

Yes yes I know number 4 is illegal blahblahblah and yes yes I know that damp can be caused by the tenant drying clothes in the property...it can also be caused by having no heating for a prolonged period of time in this wet and cold climate of ours...and thanks to our lax tenancy laws the reality of the landlord doing anything is other than playing the bullyboy is also near zero, but its a gamble.

So Op there are my thoughts but really its up to you to act and tbh the landlords rent, lease agreement whatever are a big fat zero on a list of priorities when your child is on steroids due to living in a damp environment.

earlyevening

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Damp and mould 9/10 times is caused by how somebody uses a property. Drying clothes inside the most common cause.

I have rented place no problem for years and a new tenant moves in and there is suddenly a problem.

It isn't always the case but you should asses how you use the property.

I agree. Try opening a window.

littleredspot

edellc wrote: »

4. My favourite, if you can hold your nerve, withhold rent for two months, giving you your mths rent in advance and deposit and get you and your daughter out of there

Yes yes I know number 4 is illegal blahblahblah and yes yes I know that damp can be caused by the tenant drying clothes in the property...it can also be caused by having no heating for a prolonged period of time in this wet and cold climate of ours...and thanks to our lax tenancy laws the reality of the landlord doing anything is other than playing the bullyboy is also near zero, but its a gamble.

Let me get this straight. You know that the most probable cause of the damp is the tenant, and you also know the advice you're giving is illegal and yet you'd still recommend that course of action? Nowhere did the OP mention there being no heating or the landlord being a bullyboy.

Thankfully the tenancy laws are way stricter than you imagine.

If the landlord is unwilling to come and check out your complaints OP then you should report the situation to the environmental health officer. They tend to be efficient and friendly, and will soon let you know if the problem is with the apartment. If it is, the landlord will have to sort it out or risk a hefty fine.

It's important to know that if you withhold your rent it's illegal and the PRTB or Threshold or anyone else won't be able to help you.

murphaph

zoe88 wrote: »

@. well now my apartment is just covered in head to toe with damp, my daughter is now on steroids with her chest!!! I need to leave but cant without a deposit, and having trouble finding property in the location i want t live in!!! the doctor has given me a letter stating this enviroment isnt healthy for my one year old, i want to bring it into council see if they would do anything THOUGHTS?

Did your doctor see the flat?

edellc

littleredspot wrote: »

Let me get this straight. You know that the most probable cause of the damp is the tenant, and you also know the advice you're giving is illegal and yet you'd still recommend that course of action? Nowhere did the OP mention there being no heating or the landlord being a bullyboy.

Thankfully the tenancy laws are way stricter than you imagine.

If the landlord is unwilling to come and check out your complaints OP then you should report the situation to the environmental health officer. They tend to be efficient and friendly, and will soon let you know if the problem is with the apartment. If it is, the landlord will have to sort it out or risk a hefty fine.

It's important to know that if you withhold your rent it's illegal and the PRTB or Threshold or anyone else won't be able to help you.

Like prtb, threshold help anyway they can recommend but have no actual power and it takes years to process complaints both are a complete joke

If the tenant IS NOT drying clothes inside then they are not the cause of the problem and if landlord is taking his sweet ass time to fix the issue if at all then yes the health of the child comes first and yes I would withhold rent on order to get my deposit back and move

If however the tenant is drying stuff inside then it has to stop and see if the situation improves if not contact LL to resolve issue if it does not get resolved in a timely manner then yes with hold rent and move

The only person who matters in this is the child, like I said and if the op is not the cause of the problem then you do what you have to, to resolve the issue quickly for the sake of the child's health...it is as simple as that IMO

ABajaninCork

murphaph wrote: »

Did your doctor see the flat?

Didn't need to. Obviously he saw the baby and diagnosed by what he saw.

Sometimes, it isn't always practical to open the window, given the fact the OP has a small baby with chest problems. What if she lives on the ground floor for example?

What is the position with the ventilation? Is it just windows to be opened, are there sufficient air bricks, and are there extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom?

Has alternative means of drying clothes been provided? It always makes me laugh when I read some posts telling people not to dry clothes indoors. Most apartment complexes will not allow clothes to be dried on the balconies (which is fair enough), but landlords won't provide tumble driers either. Hence the problems with damp and mold which are exacerbated by poor design and maintenance of the apartments.

OP, I would take the letter to the council. Are you already on the list? If you are, ask if they can push you further up the list due to the health problems with the baby. I would imagine you would be a fairly high priority for housing anyway.

Victor

edellc wrote: »

my thoughts are this

firstly your child is the most important person in this situation NO ONE ELSE your only priority is your childs health

so as i see you have 4 options

1. stay where you are and see out the lease

2. go to the council with your letter and see if it will help you with social housing

3. ring the environmental health officer and get them to do an inspection of the place, if it is unfit for your child they will recommend that the landlord sorts out the issues within a time frame

4. My favourite, if you can hold your nerve, withhold rent for two months, giving you your mths rent in advance and deposit and get you and your daughter out of there

Yes yes I know number 4 is illegal blahblahblah and yes yes I know that damp can be caused by the tenant drying clothes in the property...it can also be caused by having no heating for a prolonged period of time in this wet and cold climate of ours...and thanks to our lax tenancy laws the reality of the landlord doing anything is other than playing the bullyboy is also near zero, but its a gamble.

So Op there are my thoughts but really its up to you to act and tbh the landlords rent, lease agreement whatever are a big fat zero on a list of priorities when your child is on steroids due to living in a damp environment.

Surely solving the problem should be the first resort? Advocating dubious behaviour is not acceptable.

Moderator

edellc

Victor wrote: »

Surely solving the problem should be the first resort? Advocating dubious behaviour is not acceptable.

Moderator

Any chance you could actually scroll down and read the thread, As I said the child health is the only priority if the parent is doing something to cause the damp it needs to stop, if not then the LL needs to fix it asap if not then the tenant needs to do what they need to do in order to finance a move....as you can give all the excuses in the world it doesnt matter when your in the coroners court..the childs health comes first

murphaph

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Didn't need to.

I disagree (doctors will write all sorts if asked), but anyway.

The priority should be to fix the problems. Something is causing the mould. In most cases it is indeed the behaviour of the occupants that causes it.

You MUST ventilate properly in almost every dwelling in Ireland as very few have air exchangers (common in the US, for example). If clothes are being dried indoors (inadvisable) then ventilation is even more crucial.

The landlord possibly expects the tenant to use a launderette (common in Germany, used one myself for a good while before buying a machine).

ABajaninCork

Launderettes (usually coin-up) are common enough in London too. So what? They don't seem to be here. And you (usually) have to pay for a bag wash too which I think is expensive.

It is not practical for someone like OP with a baby to use one. Imagine the washing and the trips up and down. Hell, most people don't find launderettes practical which is why the majority of us have washing machines!!

Ventilation is very important which is why I asked what the arrangements were. It seems to be a problem with a lot of the (newer) housing stock here which in a lot of cases have inadequate ventilation. Damp coursing isn't something I see a lot of here either which is surprising to me given the damp climate. If the OP's flat is one of those, then she'll have problems whatever she does.

In the meantime, maybe she could ask the landlord to supply a small tumble dryer? Might go a long way to solving some of the problems.

DublinWriter

Have you opened the wall vents?

edellc

it is a condition that if there is no outside area to dry clothes then the landlord must supply a drying facility as in a clothes dryer

link below list what is required
http://www.environ.ie/en/Legislation/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,19142,en.pdf

in particular article 8

(h) Where the house does not contain a garden or yard for the exclusive
use of that house, a dryer (vented or recirculation type).

so there should in effect be no drying of clothes indoors period

ABajaninCork

edellc wrote: »

it is a condition that if there is no outside area to dry clothes then the landlord must supply a drying facility as in a clothes dryer

link below list what is required
http://www.environ.ie/en/Legislation/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,19142,en.pdf

in particular article 8

(h) Where the house does not contain a garden or yard for the exclusive
use of that house, a dryer (vented or recirculation type).

so there should in effect be no drying of clothes indoors period

It is not certain the OP IS drying clothes indoors (although likely). Neither do we know if the LL has supplied suitable drying facilities.

If he hasn't? Then the OP should hit him with the appropriate legislation and ask that a suitable dryer be provided, and action taken to eradicate the problem. Perhaps the landlord isn't aware of his responsibilities?? (Hmmmmm)

edellc

ABajaninCork wrote: »

It is not certain the OP IS drying clothes indoors (although likely). Neither do we know if the LL has supplied suitable drying facilities.

If he hasn't? Then the OP should hit him with the appropriate legislation and ask that a suitable dryer be provided, and action taken to eradicate the problem. Perhaps the landlord isn't aware of his responsibilities?? (Hmmmmm)

Oh I couldnt agree more with you, I am presuming nothing until the OP lets us know what facilities are supplied or not and if the OP is contributing to the problem or not...either way the childs health is the most important and a child should never have to live in such and environment and be on steriods for health issues due to damp..its ridicules

miller50841

Hi Zoe
It is a major problem in a lot of properties that are for rent as there is not enough insulation and the owner doesn't live there.

I was renting a cottage and it was just plastered over the stone wall and black mould everywhere and of course we were told its because of us breathing and not opening the windows.
We had to open them as the smell was all over us and clothes and throughout the house.
There was no damp course and there were cracks in windows and the front door.

We went through a lot and eventually left after getting enviro health over twice and got reports on how bad it was and pictures.

We were never shown or given a copy of the BER cert so we were able to break the lease and left got half the deposit and fighting through PRTB to get the rest.

1st contact Threshold then listen to what they say to do but make sure to ring Enviro Health Officer for your area and go from there

StillWaters

Even when a drier is provided, often tenants will still dry clothes on radiators or a clothes horse to save money.

ABajaninCork

StillWaters wrote: »

Even when a drier is provided, often tenants will still dry clothes on radiators or a clothes horse to save money.

This is true. If I had my way, any damp/mold issues caused by the tenant, fixing it would be their responsibility and would come out of the deposit. IF drying facilities were provided of course!

mikom

zoe88 wrote: »

Damp, rented hose - causing so many problems

In fairness, if your gonna live in a hose you gotta expect some dampness.

djimi

ABajaninCork wrote: »

StillWaters wrote:

Even when a drier is provided, often tenants will still dry clothes on radiators or a clothes horse to save money.

This is true. If I had my way, any damp/mold issues caused by the tenant, fixing it would be their responsibility and would come out of the deposit. IF drying facilities were provided of course!

Im yet to meet a tenant who could afford to run a tumble dryer as their only means of drying clothes...! Electric bills are high enough in apartments in the winter as it is given that most run off electric heating; add a tumble dryer being run every day into the mix and most would need a bank loan to pay the ESB bill!

Its far from ideal and I have no doubt that it contributes to problems such as damp but such is life.

ABajaninCork

djimi wrote: »

Im yet to meet a tenant who could afford to run a tumble dryer as their only means of drying clothes...! Electric bills are high enough in apartments in the winter as it is given that most run off electric heating; add a tumble dryer being run every day into the mix and most would need a bank loan to pay the ESB bill!

Its far from ideal and I have no doubt that it contributes to problems such as damp but such is life.

So what is the alternative?

djimi

ABajaninCork wrote: »

So what is the alternative?

Clothes on a drying rack in front of the sitting room window and then into the hotpress. It takes more time but I cannot afford to run a tumble dryer 7 days a week.

jam_mac_jam

Its not always from drying clothes. It can be from bad ventilation. My sister lived in a house where her clothes were destroyed with mould, it was the design of the house, nobody dried clothes inside. Its not always the tenants fault.

zoe88

OMG are some of ye actually serious? " open a window" jesus why didnt i think of that! It is not my fault the place is damp, or that my child is the one suffering from it! My lease is 12 months and up in march, and thanks for some of ye answers, they have helped, and ye have said some things i have though of dog, like not paying my rent and getting the hell out of here with my deposit in tow. My landlord has been told TWICE about these damp conditions and has done sweet f all about it. have to laugh at people blaming me here, i dry my clothes on line or dryer, thanks for the input though!!!!!!

zoe88

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

Its not always from drying clothes. It can be from bad ventilation. My sister lived in a house where her clothes were destroyed with mould, it was the design of the house, nobody dried clothes inside. Its not always the tenants fault.

Thank you!

zoe88

edellc wrote: »

my thoughts are this

firstly your child is the most important person in this situation NO ONE ELSE your only priority is your childs health

so as i see you have 4 options

1. stay where you are and see out the lease

2. go to the council with your letter and see if it will help you with social housing

3. ring the environmental health officer and get them to do an inspection of the place, if it is unfit for your child they will recommend that the landlord sorts out the issues within a time frame

4. My favourite, if you can hold your nerve, withhold rent for two months, giving you your mths rent in advance and deposit and get you and your daughter out of there

Yes yes I know number 4 is illegal blahblahblah and yes yes I know that damp can be caused by the tenant drying clothes in the property...it can also be caused by having no heating for a prolonged period of time in this wet and cold climate of ours...and thanks to our lax tenancy laws the reality of the landlord doing anything is other than playing the bullyboy is also near zero, but its a gamble.

So Op there are my thoughts but really its up to you to act and tbh the landlords rent, lease agreement whatever are a big fat zero on a list of priorities when your child is on steroids due to living in a damp environment.

Number 4 is also my favourite, have been thinking this myself!

zoe88

mikom wrote: »

In fairness, if your gonna live in a hose you gotta expect some dampness.

Yes "mikom" i also expect my one year old to be on steroids for her breathing is it? dont make me laugh

Wils110

Clothes dried inside the landlords favourite excuse if their was adequate ventilation there be no problem that doesn't mean opening windows proper vents

zoe88

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Didn't need to. Obviously he saw the baby and diagnosed by what he saw.

Sometimes, it isn't always practical to open the window, given the fact the OP has a small baby with chest problems. What if she lives on the ground floor for example?

What is the position with the ventilation? Is it just windows to be opened, are there sufficient air bricks, and are there extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom?

Has alternative means of drying clothes been provided? It always makes me laugh when I read some posts telling people not to dry clothes indoors. Most apartment complexes will not allow clothes to be dried on the balconies (which is fair enough), but landlords won't provide tumble driers either. Hence the problems with damp and mold which are exacerbated by poor design and maintenance of the apartments.

OP, I would take the letter to the council. Are you already on the list? If you are, ask if they can push you further up the list due to the health problems with the baby. I would imagine you would be a fairly high priority for housing anyway.

It has very poor ventilation, also has flooded 3 times my neighbour has told me, it is a risk in floods when cork is flooded.. also he has no fans, over head on oven doesnt work, he hasnt fix it, even though he was asked months ago, basically i am trying to get out, am heading to council first thing, only on list a year, they will prob keep me waiting!