LL and mould damage clothing costs

talking muffin

I've only now saved enough for the costs of moving (transport, deposit, etc) from a very dilapidated house. In writing and in person I've contacted the LL about a huge mould problem in the house (lack of vents in rooms, slugs and woodlice all over the kitchen counters, leaks, etc) but their response has been too little, too late to fix the problem despite being informed of it when I first moved in, and subsequently every couple of months after that.

Well the problem is my clothes, shoes and suitcases have visible mould damage. It's going to be a huge job to clean everything, some things will need to be thrown away (some suitcases), some shoes and clothes may need to be taken to a professional cleaner. My question is, since I knew there was a mould problem here shortly after I moved in, is it my fault that I 'allowed' the damage to happen by not moving out (even though I couldn't)? Or can any damage costs be remedied by the LL himself?

PS- I have wrapped clothing in plastic sheeting and have taken every step imaginable to reduce the dampness in the house.

Dredd_J

talking muffin wrote: »

I've only now saved enough for the costs of moving (transport, deposit, etc) from a very dilapidated house. In writing and in person I've contacted the LL about a huge mould problem in the house (lack of vents in rooms, slugs and woodlice all over the kitchen counters, leaks, etc) but their response has been too little, too late to fix the problem despite being informed of it when I first moved in, and subsequently every couple of months after that.

Well the problem is my clothes, shoes and suitcases have visible mould damage. It's going to be a huge job to clean everything, some things will need to be thrown away (some suitcases), some shoes and clothes may need to be taken to a professional cleaner. My question is, since I knew there was a mould problem here shortly after I moved in, is it my fault that I 'allowed' the damage to happen by not moving out (even though I couldn't)? Or can any damage costs be remedied by the LL himself?

PS- I have wrapped clothing in plastic sheeting and have taken every step imaginable to reduce the dampness in the house.

It was probably the plastic sheeting that did made it worse.
I would say you cant get the landlord on this one.
We had mold in our house before. After getting someone to investigate it, they said it was because we hadnt the vent open and also we werent heating the place enough. We used to leave the heat off or on low in a couplde of rooms in the house. When we started opening the windows and vents to air the rooms out and then actually used the heating in those rooms the mold went away.
Luckily we didnt need any building work.

Wabbit Ears

If you weren't insured for personal possessions and contents then you're out of luck. And by YOU I mean you need to insure your own stuff, this isn't the landlords responsibility.

talking muffin

Thanks for the replies. There isn't actually any vents in any of the rooms and I was heating the house using two fires for the Winter anyway. There was no drying of clothes indoors, etc. The house was flooded before I moved in, a fact a neighbour told me a few months into the rental period. Basically the house has a lot of structural problems and so it definitely isn't my own fault in causing the original dampness/ mould. I can't see how the solution to a bad house is to have the tenant insure their own possessions in the event the LL isn't willing to abide by the basic rules of renting out a property. Anyway, I may have to accept that this year was a learning experience!

athtrasna

talking muffin wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. There isn't actually any vents in any of the rooms and I was heating the house using two fires for the Winter anyway. There was no drying of clothes indoors, etc. The house was flooded before I moved in, a fact a neighbour told me a few months into the rental period. Basically the house has a lot of structural problems and so it definitely isn't my own fault in causing the original dampness/ mould. I can't see how the solution to a bad house is to have the tenant insure their own possessions in the event the LL isn't willing to abide by the basic rules of renting out a property. Anyway, I may have to accept that this year was a learning experience!

You can only insure what you own. You are responsible for insuring your belongings

Eldarion

talking muffin wrote: »

I can't see how the solution to a bad house is to have the tenant insure their own possessions in the event the LL isn't willing to abide by the basic rules of renting out a property. Anyway, I may have to accept that this year was a learning experience!

The state of the property shouldn't influence your decision to insure your belongings whatsoever.