Strange coincidence with some social housing apartments in my complex

TrampFighter

5 social housing apartments in my complex have recently had to be renovated, all of them stripped back to the bare concrete walls and completely redone.

All of the residents were complaining of the same thing, black mould.

The complex is only 12 years old. I was one of the first to move in, I was lucky enough to have been able to buy mine. I’ve never had an issue with mould and neither have any of my neighbours, strange thing is the only people that I know of who have ever had issues with mould are people who have been provided with their apartments through social housing.

I’ve also noticed that the builders have drilled massive vents in the walls of each apartment, it couldn’t just be something as simple as lack of ventilation? As I said I’ve never had an issue with mould, but I open windows during the day and use extractor fans when showering and cooking.

Allinall

how do you know they’re social housing?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122186939#Comment_122186939

they have lived there for 12 years.

why feel the need to be awkward and ask a question just to be a dic

Allinall

They could all own the apartments.

Just wondering how you know they’re social tenants. Also wondering how is it relevant to the thread subject.

TrampFighter

have lived here for 12 years, kinda know everyone here at this stage.

Strangely enough unlike other apartment complexes, we know a bit about our neighbours.

_H80_GHT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122186963#Comment_122186963

It's relevant as it's only social apartments that have been renovated free of charge due to them all having mould.

You live in a place long enough it's very obvious who bought and who was given a home.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122186975#Comment_122186975

how do you know they’ve been renovated free of charge?

Victor

What is likely to have happened is the council identified a mould issue, whereas other owners / residents haven't. This doesn't mean there is no mould elsewhere.

As social housing tenants are often clustered together in one block in a development, it could easily be that that block has issues that other blocks don't.

TrampFighter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122187001#Comment_122187001

it’s all in 2 blocks, 2 ground floor in one, 2 ground floor 1 1st floor in another

oceanman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122186975#Comment_122186975

giving a home…..or are renting a home?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122186991#Comment_122186991

Jeepers you really are in question mode this evening. Zero value add just questions trying to trip up the op.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122187026#Comment_122187026

yup.

OP has an agenda, and just wondering how they know- apartments are social housing, and how they’re getting renovations for free.

Fair questions I would have thought, given the OP thinks there’s a strange coincidence.

TrampFighter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122186991#Comment_122186991

well, they have all been moved into new apartments down the road, while the social housing provider has builders in renovating them.

the original tenants aren’t coming back, they’re being renovated for new tenants.

Wouldn’t say for free, I’m sure the taxpayers are on the hook for this one.

mickdw

The coincidence would be down to user behaviour.

Place occupied all day, lack of opening windows and drying cloths Indoors.

Jizique

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122187039#Comment_122187039

I wonder who has the agenda here?

tabby aspreme

Just about any house or apartment can develop a black mould issue if vents and windows are continuously closed particularly if clothes are being dried indoors , I've had this problem with people renting over the years.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122187068#Comment_122187068

Nail on the head there. That and possibly blocked vents.

suvigirl

Whats the strange coincidence

Firblog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122187156#Comment_122187156

Quite possibly that the 5 apartments were all social housing..

Have to say I didn't think the OP was saying anything negative about the people occupying those apartments or anything negative about social housing.

Perhaps the build of the apartments being given to social housing was inferior to the others? I know from personal experience that parts of an estate allocated to social housing can be constructed differently to the others in the same estate.

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122187080#Comment_122187080

Quite many houses develop mould issue which are cleaned quietly using regular solutions...

Since this is free money they can afford to redo the whole house !! its a Win Win for builder companies and house occupants ..tax payers are the losers

Hontou

This is an unapologetic rant. My tenants never opened windows, were there all day, blocked the vents and the place got covered in mold. They called the council and threshold to complain about the mold without contacting me! I got a letter from the council to fix it at my expense. Repeat. I gave them their notice and they refused to move out. Eventually got them out. Rant over.

shimadzu

Black mould is quite preventable if its not caused by structural issues. Heat and ventilation work wonders, cleaning the affected area if it does appear will prevent it spreading. You primarily hear of it in rental and council properties because tenants couldn't be arsed taking the measures to prevent it as they can call on somebody else to rectify it when it does occur. Used to house share with a guy that worked in the council house maintenance division and the stuff they used to have to do for people was ridiculous mainly due to laziness and not wanting to spend their own money on making sure they had a comfortable existence.

spaceHopper

If I was you I'd get to know the builder and get them to check your apartment for issues too. Never mind who is paying for the work on the the other apartments you none of your business

SharkMX

A friend was a landlord up until last year.

He lived in his apartment for 4 years (I attended many parties there. Nice place.) When his wife got pregnant they decided to buy a house and rent the apartment.

He had a couple from Slovakia live there for about 1.5 years and then they moved home. Then he had an Irish couple move in who were a nightmare. They were there for 2 years and the place was covered in black mould. I used to work for a cleaning company in my youth so he asked me to look at it. The place was destroyed with it. Vents were blocked up. Water running down the walls from boiling stuff and drying clothes.

Advised him to bleach the whole place regularly. The couple wouldnt move out for another 2 years and the place was like a mould factory the whole time. Kept blocking the vents and turned off the new mechanical ventilation because it was "eating their electric". They only moved out when they got a council house.

He basically fumigated it and replaced everything. Rented it again. There had been 3 or 4 different couples in it since and no issues with damp or mould at all for at least 5 or 6 years at which point he sold it.

Heres the kicker. He got a call from the former residents about 6 months after they moved out and they were looking for any post that arrived. He called in to the new tenants collected a bunch of post for the old tenants and drove to the house of the old tenants to give them the post. They invited him in for a cup of tea while he signed some forms for them. Guess what the kitchen, living room and hall were covered in?

What I do know about mould is that 95% of the time its lifestyle and I also know that damp companies and builders will let you spend 10s of thousands on an issue that can be fixed by lifestyle changes and education.

ballyharpat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122186991#Comment_122186991

will you stop, for the love of God, you'd f up a w*t dream….

Fiona

I lived in an apt for 6 years and dried my clothes inside, never once had an issue with mould. Heat and windows used in correct moderation. An uneducated lifestyle causes it.