Honourable and personal residential letting experts

Given the health risks of mould, Owners must now ensure they make sure they can demonstrate there are no aspects of the property that may be causing condensation and mould before they blame resident lifestyle.

What are the causes?

Most cases of mould in domestic properties are caused by moisture. It will usually appear as black growth in crevices, corners and around the edges of fittings, such as baths, windows, cupboards etc., but can appear anywhere.

Happily it is very rarely caused by ‘damp’ from the ground.

Occasionally it is caused by some leak, e.g. a roof, or a gutter.

In our experience by far the most common cause of mould growth is condensation from inside the property linked directly to the people living in the property.

Without clear evidence all aspects of the property that may be causing mould have been addressed, the Owner may be vulnerable to an accusation of exposing residents to mould.

Mould Cause Assessment Report

Given this major change in emphasis, where there is a report of condensation, damp or mould we can do a detailed assessment of the property to identify:

the scale of the problem
whether all reasonable ventilation and extraction is in place
whether there are any faults within the building which may cause the issue
the degree to which resident lifestyle may be part of the problem – Obviously we also refer your resident to our Condensation and Mould page, so they can follow the advice.
Where appropriate we will also arrange an external damp survey, if one has not been done

We can then discuss with you whether any additional steps are needed and agree an action plan. This should demonstrate you have taken all reasonable steps to provide a safe home.

You can see a sample of the report here.

What happens next?

Where we have completed this report we have rarely found significant works required by the Owner, however the report allows the Owner to eliminate causes other than lifestyle.

By sharing the findings with the residents we usually see significant improvements. They can see the Owner is taking the issue seriously and that all things they think may be the cause have been addressed, or explained.

As a result this drives a change in resident behaviour, reducing the condensation and mould. We have even seen residents who’d served notice to leave the property withdraw their notice.

When an aspect of the property may have contributed to the mould problem, we have qualified contractors who can deal with the issue and protect your interests.

Given the time needed to complete this comprehensive assessment, plus the various follow up communications, particularly with residents, and subsequent visits, we unfortunately need to charge for this service at £175 for a 1-2 bed property + £25 for extra bedrooms (inc VAT).

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Maxine Lester

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Roger Steel
Landlord

All staff at Maxine Lester Residential Lettings are trained to a high standard and I have always found Lisa Gadsby very efficien

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Landlord

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Landlord

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