Letting agents blame tenants for damp and mould in rental homes

One room I have had to be cleaned and repainted twice in one year because the tenant did not do what is needed to prevent mould. She left. The next tenant did what was needed and there was no mould whatever after two years. Same room, susceptible to mould. Entirely down to tenant

Reply to the comment left by Ross Tulloch at 18/09/2024 - 11:24
I have experienced this too, it is very common.

I would have no problem hiring a specialist as long as the cost of this is allowed to be charged to whomever is proven to be responsible/at fault - be it landlord or tenant.

I have watched the Ombudsman's webinar and their own survey of tenants reveal high numbers admitting to Not heating their properties because of energy costs.

We can call this Tenant responsibility, abiding by the Terms of their contract - Tenancy agreement - ( Lol ) Lifestyle, or whatever term you wish, but its a fact of life that the sad death of Awaab, won't change.
Yes there are properties that have building - fabric issues to address, but these are in the minority in any credible study that has or would be carried out.

The Ombudsman claims to want to look at the problem 'holistically' as in considering everything, behaviour fabric etc. However, holistic should also include historic.

What previous issues ( or lack thereof ) have occurred at this property by other occupants.
Or put another way, what other properties has the occupant complained of mould ( which has actually been of their own making.

Holistic - historic needs to be longer term focus, but then nobody is interested in finding or attributing the cause to tenants !

Seems to be a lot of buck-passing in this article where agents are leaving landlords to 'diagnose' the problems - even when they are the ones doing the regular inspections!

So how is it the landlords responsibility if, for example, the inventory shows no signs of mould at the start of the tenancy, or after years of renting it out there have been no complaints by previous tenants or mentions of it being seen at end of tenancy check outs. At what point is it deemed that it is down to that particular tenant's lifestyle or refusal to heat/ventilate the property and not dry clothes over radiators? Why should landlords have to take responsibility for tenants lifestyle or their inability to afford to pay their energy bills? If the property is provided to a good mould free standard that can be evidenced on inventory then I'm afraid tenants should shoulder the cost of remedying any damage/defects caused through their negligence. I don't dispute that in poorly maintained/damp properties but it seems like once again the heavy handed approach penalising the majority to target the few.

Some tenants cause damp. Some properties are more prone to damp.

Modern living makes older houses unsuitable for tenants.

Showers create much more moisture than baths. And people shower twice per day rather than bathing twice per week.

It would be better to keep homes at a constant temperature. Instead, we heat our homes to boiling point and warmer air contains more moisture. Then, we turn the heating off and the moisture finds cold spots where it forms condensation and eventually, the dreaded mould.

Many of the older properties have been insulated so much that they can no longer breathe.

Insulating lofts and walls is like you wearing a big coat and hat. Unfortunately, you can’t take it off in the summer. Just as we weren’t designed to wear a big coat and hat, it’s not good for buildings that weren’t designed to be insulated so much.

I had a tenant report of mold in a property that never had such a problem earlier. I then got it surveyed by a specialist company and the report stated it to be condensation due to lifestyle. I then got it treated but the tenant refused to do the airing as they had a young child, and they would not use the dehumidifier I gave them saying it would lead to higher electrical bill. But having said all this, it is always the landlord who gets blamed despite doing everything.

"The Renters’ Rights Bill will apply Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector and apply a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time."
So the How To Rent guide must be updated with lifestyle behaviour best practice on ventilation otherwise it's yet another unfair government initiative.
Every Tenancy Agreement must cover the Awaab’s Law risk with the Tenants obligations.

Moisture and Temperature sensors for rational recourse...

There’s still no clear definition on what constitutes adequate measures for landlords to take.

What happens when there’s damp/mould, landlord investigates and finds no defect with vents etc. surveys diagnose as condensation. Tenant says they open windows all the time and heat adequately…

What then? There’s still no actual clarity except LL having to keep running around and treat the damp that keeps appearing out of thin air (literally).

It’s such a grey area. How long’s a piece of string.