Damp, mould and the threat to health
Posted: November 16th, 2022, 9:40 am
A coroner has said the death of Awaab Ishak from prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s flat should be a “defining moment” for the UK’s housing sector, according to the Guardian newspaper.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ys-coroner
More specifically, I understand the intention of the coroner is that her comments should bring about change in the rental sector, and that landlords are to be held responsible for mould in their properties. This is a complete mare's nest as multiple issues are intertwined - damp can be from plumbing leaks, rainwater leaks, damp come up from the ground, from rain penetration through 100 year-old brickwork and can be exacerbated by lack of ventilation and/or heating. All are a matter of degree and all conspire to cause mould, and while some of these can be the landlord's responsibility, others are definitely not.
The worrying thing is that in some cases there is little or nothing the landlord can do about it. I had a modern build flat once which had a mild problem with black mould spots appearing the bedroom wall behind where tenants would put their bed. No cause could be found other than the tenants being reluctant to open the window. I sold the place in the end so now some private owner-occupiers have the problem sadly, but they will be far more likely to "own" the problem and open the window than any of my tenants ever were, who prefered to hold me responsible.
Anyway the point is, I can imagine this leading to even more rental properties disappearing from the market as landlords throw in the towel and sell up instead of attempting to deal with damp problems partly caused by tenants. Maybe this is a Good Thing as it raises the standard of rental property overall. Just thinking aloud really...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ys-coroner
More specifically, I understand the intention of the coroner is that her comments should bring about change in the rental sector, and that landlords are to be held responsible for mould in their properties. This is a complete mare's nest as multiple issues are intertwined - damp can be from plumbing leaks, rainwater leaks, damp come up from the ground, from rain penetration through 100 year-old brickwork and can be exacerbated by lack of ventilation and/or heating. All are a matter of degree and all conspire to cause mould, and while some of these can be the landlord's responsibility, others are definitely not.
The worrying thing is that in some cases there is little or nothing the landlord can do about it. I had a modern build flat once which had a mild problem with black mould spots appearing the bedroom wall behind where tenants would put their bed. No cause could be found other than the tenants being reluctant to open the window. I sold the place in the end so now some private owner-occupiers have the problem sadly, but they will be far more likely to "own" the problem and open the window than any of my tenants ever were, who prefered to hold me responsible.
Anyway the point is, I can imagine this leading to even more rental properties disappearing from the market as landlords throw in the towel and sell up instead of attempting to deal with damp problems partly caused by tenants. Maybe this is a Good Thing as it raises the standard of rental property overall. Just thinking aloud really...