Black mold

freeze4real

Hi guys,

I'm housing sharing with the landlord and in my room there's severe case of black mold.

AFAIK this is not only appearing in my room but other rooms only.

Whats is the landlords responsibility here ?

odds_on

Have you told the landlord? It is his house and home- he should be worried about it in his house.

Aldi had a mould remover/cleaner, recently. I'm sure hardware stores would stock something similar.

Doom

Clean it.....
Its probably a cold wall, north facing, moisture in the air is condensing on this wall causing this mould....simply wipe it off, wear a mask and gloves
Is the property well insulated?

Mikros

There is no point just cleaning it unless you remove the source of the damp or else the mould will simply grow back. The mould is a potential health hazard as the spores produce allergens, irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances. Inhaling or touching mould may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

If you have mould you need to first remove the source of moisture - is there a leak anywhere or is there poor ventilation? Are you air drying clothes inside? Once that is solved you need to clean the mould that is there. Water and detergent will do the job but wear gloves, goggles and a face mask to minimise your exposure to any spores.

The landlord has a responsibility here to maintain the property in a sound state and a severe case of mould is not sound - I would be getting on to them myself. (edit: didn't read the bit where you are living with the landlord, in that case I'm not sure if he has any responsibility)

Some light reading on the subject here:
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html

djimi

As a licensee Im not sure that the landlord has any responsibility towards you.

Assuming the landlord in any way cares abuot their property it would be in their best interest to get it sorted however.

Doom

Only a couple of things can cause this problem. ...
Bad insulation/ inadequate venting- landlords problem.
Your living habits like not opening windows, blocking air vents, drying wet clothes inside- tenant issue

odds_on

Mikros wrote: »

There is no point just cleaning it unless you remove the source of the damp or else the mould will simply grow back. The mould is a potential health hazard as the spores produce allergens, irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances. Inhaling or touching mould may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

If you have mould you need to first remove the source of moisture - is there a leak anywhere or is there poor ventilation? Are you air drying clothes inside? Once that is solved you need to clean the mould that is there. Water and detergent will do the job but wear gloves, goggles and a face mask to minimise your exposure to any spores.

The landlord has a responsibility here to maintain the property in a sound state and a severe case of mould is not sound - I would be getting on to them myself. (edit: didn't read the bit where you are living with the landlord, in that case I'm not sure if he has any responsibility)

Some light reading on the subject here:
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html

The landlord only has a responsibility towards the condition of his house, not legally towards a licensee/lodger.

MicktheMan

Doom wrote: »

Only a couple of things can cause this problem. ...
Bad insulation/ inadequate venting- landlords problem.
Your living habits like not opening windows, blocking air vents, drying wet clothes inside- tenant issue

Add::)
inadequate heating system - landlords problem
adequate heating system used inadequately - tenant issue

freeze4real

If he has a responsibility to the house is r that connected to the habitants.

That's it's the landlords responsibility to ensure that his premises are safe to live in.