Tenants and bathrooms

I hope the following helps answer everyone's bone of contention regarding condensation & mould.

We have experienced the same problem with tenants. We have Envirovent units & trickle fans where appropriate (by the way - we think E'vent are great) & have shaved all doors allowing for a 10mm gaps at the base to allow for air circulation & at the start of a tenancy agmt always, & if need be reissued during a tenancy agmt, a condensation guide (available if required) & in depth this guide is explained to the tenants & we have them sign it. After all this, if a property still has a condensation issue, we now feel confident we're protected based on the following clarification from My Deposits as follows:-

They said that if a dispute went to arbitration, it would be viewed "evidence" based only covering:-

- whether there's any evidence of structural fault in the property causing the condensation/mould (therefore you need to get the roof checked & walls for rising damp etc checked out)
- evidence that tenants were shown how to manage condensation & any resultant mould (eg our Tenant Guide on how to manage Condensation duly signed to)
- the inventory at outset to clearly state that in each room all walls, doors, window seals/frames (especially bathroom & kitchen) are clear from mould and duly signed to by the tenants​
- the AST has the appropriate clauses included (see examples below next para)

If there is mould at the end of a tenancy, this can then only be as a result of a tenant's negligence due to lifestyle eg drying clothes indoors, cooking without saucepan lids, bathing & not wiping down walls etc or without ventilating properly afterwards, and would therefore be deemed by My Deposits arbitration as the tenants fault.

Clause for condensation eg "Adequate Ventilation" as the clause title

- Keep the property adequately ventilated & make good use of extractor fans where provided so as to reduce the occurrence of condensation and wipe away any occurring condensation to prevent any resultant mould and damage to the property and its fixtures, fittings & contents

Whilst on the subject of clauses, add another to do with infestation which My Deposits advised on:-

Clause for infestation eg Preventing Infestation

- Not keep any refuse or rubbish on the Property and regularly dispose of same in polythene bags or other suitable receptacles to maintain acceptable levels of hygiene and prevent outbreaks of any infestation of pests or disease. Should there be an infestation within the property the Tenant is responsible for having this treated immediately via a reputable Pest Control Company. Once treated and should the Pest Control Company find that the infestation occurred prior to the start date of the tenancy the fee for the Pest Control Service will be refunded to the Tenant.

I know everyone will have an opinion on this & like others before us, we have researched this thoroughly as we are fed up paying for constant fungicidal cleaning & redecoration etc even when we've done everything we can possibly do ie had roofs checked etc & put in Envirovent units/fans and shaved doors to allow air circulation & paid for Mice treatment etc, BOT NOW we think if My Deposits would view this as a fault of the tenant, now is the time we as Landlords should.

I solve this problem by getting my 'spark' to replace the inadequate extractor fan with a Nuaire Genie-dc-xh
Set at: trickle B, Boost Max.
http://www.nuaire.co.uk/products/catalogue/residential/extract-fans/genie-dc/
They can be set up for kitchens too.
I expect similar products are also available...blar...blar.
The fan runs in background mode constantly (but still cheap to run), then boosts up to high speed for a pre-set time period. It's triggered by the inbuilt humidistat, or by the lighting circuit being switched on,
It solved a headache for me, worth every penny.

Reply to the comment left by "Ollie Cornes" at "12/06/2014 - 14:08":

I use Envirovent and find them very professional and competent. I have used other well known companies PV fans in the past, and had many problems. I also speak from experience as a retired air con and ventilation technician

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "12/06/2014 - 14:13":

I use Envrirovent, they are local to me. Expensive, but the job is always right an I never have an issue ever again, even in basement units. £1000 once or £2000 every couple of years to fix the bathroom (I usually link to the kitchen too to these days).

As a preventative measure, you can download a guide for tenants about how to avoid damp and mould in a rental property:

http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/utilities/action/act_download.cfm?mediaid=5420

This is a really useful guide and a good one to hand to tenants when they move in to your property.

Reply to the comment left by "Vanessa Warwick" at "14/06/2014 - 10:16":

🙂 Cheers

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "12/06/2014 - 13:55":

Hi Mark, can you please share with us type of hard-wired humidistat fans which you use and where to order them? Thank you!

knowing the law and enforcing not easy but always costs so for me it would come down to costs just have the repairs done. and to mention that if you have a bathroom toilet you should have by law a extractor fan that is automatic set to change the air every so often your local council housing will tell you what the requirements are.

Re problems with Envirovent.... the local rep was fine, until the installation wasn't done correctly, and then he was nowhere to be seen - he ignored communications and was frankly useless. He clearly just wanted to do the selling. He had no involvement in the five engineer visits (!) I had in around a month to install a single bathroom fan unit. They just couldn't install it so it worked properly. I dealt with Envirovent HQ throughout who were difficult to deal with, and slow. I was initially told "one of your best engineers" was coming to fit the unit, but the guy who came told me he was fresh with the company, he pitched to do work for me privately (!), and given the problems with the installation he hadn't been trained too well. Envirovent refunded half the cost of the unit, but I'd have preferred not to have wasted hours and hours of my time chasing them and attending engineer visits. Maybe I was unlucky, but HQ's approach to the problems didn't inspire or reassure me.

Hello I had the same Problem MOULD - but it was in quite a few of the rooms.

Even my Agent went and told them they must ventilate the rooms especially the bathroom .

The Tenants are from ukraine and portugul.

I got a painter in and he painted the BAthroom with Anti mould paint it has lasted over 12months