Regulator report “Mould – It’s not Lifestyle”?

Regulator report “Mould – It’s not Lifestyle”?

0:01 AM, 7th February 2025, About 5 days ago 17

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Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak of mould-related illness, the housing regulator went after landlords with a brutal attack supported by their headline 2021 report. Mould – ‘Its not lifestyle’. This post is in no way meant to dismiss all mould as a landlord’s responsibility, but it appears wholly unacceptable to blame Landlords in the way the ombudsman has.

Similar anti-landlord conclusions were reached by the coroner who investigated the death and landlords have found themselves on the defense against tenants claiming detriment due to the mould.

Further, financial penalties are being applied against social housing providers who are no longer allowed to mention lifestyle as a factor. It appears some tenants are using mould as a way of reducing rents.

I had a tenant who was a ‘lettings agent herself’ who denied me access to a property yet alleged mould to a rent tribunal and council without my knowledge. I believe she did this to try and secure a lower rent. She falsely claimed the heating wasn’t working when she had state-of-the-art electric storage heaters. It took two years to see some form of justice, remove her from the property. After many visits to court, I secured a section 21 eviction. My section 8 had repeatedly failed on discretionary grounds due to judges being compassionate towards her. She denied me access to my own property making evidence impossible to gather and the law supported her in this.

Her actions follow the ombudsman’s report Mould – it’s not ‘Lifestyle’. But I believe this unsafe assumption should be debunked right here.

It is fact a building left empty and unoccupied may well become damp and mouldy. This is due to a lack of heating and ventilation. Since TENANTS and NOT LANDLORDS usually control heating and ventilation it is absolutely the case that lifestyle can cause mould and courts in Australia recognize this. ‘Mould is not a geographical phenomena.’

Further I believe the coroner who determined lifestyle wasn’t a factor in Awaab’s death didn’t determine the actual cause of the mould. She simply appeared to make a subjective decision it wasn’t lifestyle and I felt this was unsafe and I wrote to the chief coroner but received no response.

I feel given such a widespread impact on the landlord community, the cause of mould should have reasonably been determined before action taken.

I am writing this following a detailed study of publicly available information and coroner report and ombudsman publishings and I would call for action to be taken against people who fall below standards. This isn’t always just landlords! What does the property118 community think?

Paul


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Seething Landlord

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JohnCaversham

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11:06 AM, 7th February 2025, About 4 days ago

I agree Paul-i see it time after time, extract fans blocked up or switched off at the isolator, washing drying inside, heating low or off..I'm firm with my tenants, and issue a great Local Authority guide on mould prevention, it still doesn't stop me from being concerned about the day the authorities come knocking. We are now in the process of insulating external wall internally where we can, underfloor too, but even though we document our upgrades when EPC time arrives generally surveyor will dismiss any evidence we provide as he can't see it..... The whole system is not fit for purpose in any shape or form..We now install 2speed extract fans which have indeed helped, they run on a constant low speed 24/7 then boost to max when the light is switched on.

David

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11:32 AM, 7th February 2025, About 4 days ago

Easy way out for them to make all "landlord's" or "housing providers" totally responsible for mould and give tenants, especially bad ones, yet more rights .

Private Housing Provider

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11:48 AM, 7th February 2025, About 4 days ago

Hi Paul,
Of course lifestyle can lead to mould in a property.
I had a tenant did exactly the same thing, deliberately harboured an environment to encourage mould growth, not advising me of this then approached the environmental health office of claims that I was neglecting the property.
The officer wrote to me to attend to it.
I contacted the tenant the same day I received the letter for access to inspect and take any necessary actions, but she would deny access for months making up excuses after excuses.
It eventually had to go through the housing tribunal in Scotland for 11 months before the tribunal members approved access with them, then she fled abandoning the house making multiple further claims.
I also had a guy advertising to offer end of tenancy clean up stating in the advert 'we help you to get your deposit back from your landlord'. I contacted him for a quote to clean out a flat and he said to me on site during the conversation about what is needed without using his brain, that he helps all tenants to make claims against landlord for mouldy properties and making out it is easy online process than can reap high compensation for the sake of suing for money not because it is a real mould problem.
This is only 2 cases I came across where tenants and some others are trying to maliciously sue or claim for money or get landlord in trouble through badness.
We really need to get together as a community to address those malicious intentions.

Darren Sullivan

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19:18 PM, 7th February 2025, About 4 days ago

High energy bills are seeing lots of people switching their central heating off for long periods creating mould issues.

JamesB

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19:54 PM, 7th February 2025, About 4 days ago

30 years experience across numerous properties tells me that mould is very much a lifestyle issue.
If it is not, how come a house can get mouldy with one set of tenants, but not a hint of mould with another? I have had this on a few occasions over the years.
This even happened to my former family home that we had lived in, with 4 children, for 13 years with no hint of mould whatsoever. It was a beautifully done out 3000 square foot detached property but I wasn't ready to sell it, so I let out just 4 rooms for a short time. One girl moved in, and within a couple of weeks she had a lot of mould in her very large spacious room. I was genuinely baffled. She got quite stroppy. "Why are all rentals rubbish and mouldy?" she asked. "I only moved here from my flat because I couldn't stand the mould there." I really didn't like her or her attitude so I told her to leave. Seems the mould left with her never to return.
What exactly would the authorities/experts have had me do to that property?

Paul Smith

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9:06 AM, 8th February 2025, About 3 days ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 07/02/2025 - 11:04
Yes there is plenty of information in here which shows tenants do have responsibilities for mould. Why oh why would the ombudsman get away with writing a headline report demonizing landlords and blaming them for all mould and falsely writing it can't be "lifestyle". This report appears to deliberately incite hate and discrimination towards landlords. It's not OK,we need a Landlord equality bill that is fair and just and prevents this type of discrimination.

Judith Wordsworth

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9:42 AM, 8th February 2025, About 3 days ago

Mould IS more often than not caused by lifestyle.

Lifestyle can cause (excess) condensation. Mould can then grow from not regularly opening windows, taping up passive air bricks and window vents, boiling and cooking food without putting lids on, not using extractor fans in kitchen and bathrooms, not wiping down tiles/screens etc after showering, drying clothes on radiators and clothes-horses, not adequately heating rooms, and more importantly not wiping away mould when first seen using easily bought mould cleaning products etc etc.

1 adult causes 1 pint of breathed out moisture per 24 hours.

Seething Landlord

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10:28 AM, 8th February 2025, About 3 days ago

Reply to the comment left by Paul Smith at 08/02/2025 - 09:06I have had a quick look at the housing ombudsman's report and am not sure what part of it you are complaining about, particularly in view of the fact that it relates to conditions in the social housing sector rather than the PRS.
Is there another housing regulator that you are referring to?

Paul Smith

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17:01 PM, 8th February 2025, About 3 days ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 08/02/2025 - 10:28
Hi Seething, the title "Mould, it's not lifestyle" isn't a question it's a statement from the ombudsman. The regulations are being expanded to PRS and lifestyle is being cancelled from the enforcers dictionary; with penalties for those landlords who mention it.

Perhaps the title "Mould and it's causes - Landlord and tenants responsibilities? Would be less discriminatory? What do you think?

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