Mould And Pest Control In Rental Property
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Mould And Pest Control In Rental Property
I have asked my landlord to deal with the removal of cockroaches in my room. As to date, nothing has been done. This has been going on for several months. Who do I report this to?
ANSWER 1:
Your local council will have an enforecement department. They will come out, inspect the property and serve a notice on the landlord which they must adhere to.
Our bathroom has black and white mold (damp). The landlord has said that our property is "untidy". Is the landlord legally obliged to sort out the damp problem even if the property is "untidy"?
ANSWER 1:
It is most likely that the black mold in the bathroom is caused by condensation damage. This is very common in rented accommodation, especially student accommodation. The Untidy aspect of the property is unrelated to the mold issue. However he can come back and say that the mold is cause by those living in the house.
The mold is caused by central heating and water vapor (mostly form the steam in the shower) settling on an outside wall.
He can complain if the house is unsanitary, if the condition you are keeping it in may cause damage to his house, but not just because its untidy.
I would suggest, wiping the walls down with bleach and water, making sure the bathroom is properly ventilated after having a shower and wiping down the walls.
That should sort it.
The windows in my flat has black mould in the bathroom due to lack of ventilation, what are the landlords responsibilities regarding this?
ANSWER 1:
Two issues here. If the windows are painted shut then they constitute a fire hazzard especially if on the first floor of a property as they do not allow a means of escape. This brings into question which windows are correct. Ideally the windows in a bedroom (of any house) should afford a means of escape by allowing a side opening or a bottom opening that is large enough for you to escape the property. Certainly as a Landlord you should consider fitting at least one to the top floor of your property given the fact it would be cheaper than being sued or prosecuted by a potential victims family. Fire escape windows are a building regulations requirement for new build properties, extensions and most councils demand at least one as the minimum for a property in the private rented sector. If in doubt ask your local council for their advice.
As to the problem with mould this is covered by various acts but it is not an easy problem to solve due to the fact that the Landlord AND the Tenant have responsibilities. The Landlord should provide adequate ventilation and ensure that the properties structure is sound but if the Tenant then fails to adequately ventilate the property or ventilates in the wrong way the problem will become worse. Ventilating a steamy bathroom in the winter by opening a window will increase th eproblem due to the fact that as soon as the warm vapour hits a cold surface condensation will form and if this is not wiped away - in time mould will form.
Councils in the UK have fact sheets on mould and condensation and they should be downloadable from your local councils website. There are proceedures in place to force Landlords into reducing mould but it is very difficult to enforce. The best way to kill mould is to use either bleach of hydrogen peroxide - this will kill the mould spores and help prevent re-growth. If the mould has dried out it is important to wear a mask or respirator when taking down old wallpaper or plasterboard as the spores will become airbourne and could be inhaled leading to breathing problems.
More information may be found here http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/pdf/Mould.pdf
We discovered we have rats in the basement of our rented property. Whose responsbility is to arrange and pay for the pest control, ours or the landlord's?
ANSWER 1:
If it isn't obviously caused by your own rubbish or left out food, then it is the landlord's responsibility. If he doesn't want to do it, then environmental health might come round to sort it out for free, or your council might force your landlord to do it.
The property I rent has bedbugs and cockroaches. Whose responsbility is to handle this, mine or the landlords?
ANSWER 1:
The general rule is that the landlord is responsible if the infestation was there at the start of the tenancy. If the infestation starts during the tenancy, it is normally the responsibility of the tenant (unless it is due in some way to the landlord, for example, as a result of essential repairs not being done). If your landlord is refusing to pay, the only way you will actually get it done is to pay yourself, unless the local authority is willing to do it for free.
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