Coping with damp in a rented flat?

[John51]

I'm considering moving to a spacious 3 bed flat = 2 workshops

It was my son that put me onto it, him and his missus took a look and the letting agent gave them some spiel about the chimney needing work so there is a bit of mould on some of the walls due to the damp. Until the work gets done, the LL is only looking for £400pm, which is about the same as the LHA gets for my 2 bed shoebox.

The plot thickened when I mentioned the flat to a friend that lives in the same road. Her sister and bil viewed the same flat 3 years ago and were told the same spiel. So imo the chimney is never going to get fixed and afiak, it has been unoccupied for some years now.

My son reckons the damp is manageable, anti mould additives to paint etc. but with such a great knowledge base here, no harm in checking with you guys first.

Only 2 of the pics show mould, no idea when they were taken or how bad it is now but if a bit of work once or twice a year keeps it under control, I'm keen on the place even though it is 2nd floor. Then again, lots of stairs keep older guys like me living longer.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sod the damp. You're not buying the place.

 

[deserter]

IMHO that damp looks like exactly what damp is, and not mould. If it were black mould in large areas I'd keep away, they can be toxic.
But if its just damp patches like that, no problem, earmark £40 - £50 for a tin of Zinser and your laughing, anti fungicidal and stain covering in one primer, that is guaranteed to work.


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~

 

[Baldhead]

I would never rent from a landlord who is prepared to let out a property with obvious problems, he/she is letting out a property which is unfit for occupancy, if in the future the property suffers from some other fault do you think the landlord would rush to fix it? I fear not!

BH

 

[treeturner123]

John

Quite agree with others over issues with mould. However, it is not answer to paint over damp in the locations shown in your photos. Without any details on construction, roof, etc it is difficult to diagnose, but here are a few possibilities.

Chimney Breast Damp – Could be poor, damaged or missing lead flashings (no joke about Liverpool!). Alternatively, it could be damp in a blocked up chimney that is not ventilated. If anyone blocks off a chimney stack, there should be a vent in the blocked off former grates.

Damp by Velux window – Again possible problems with flashings round it, possible rain penetration especially as the roof seems to be a low pitch, or condensation running down the glass, over the timber and down the wall. Cure for this latter item is to make sure the room is not cold and then heated for short periods (also, avoid bottle gas heaters which give off huge amounts of water vapour as they burn)

Phil

 

[John51]

I would never rent from a landlord who is prepared to let out a property with obvious problems, he/she is letting out a property which is unfit for occupancy, if in the future the property suffers from some other fault do you think the landlord would rush to fix it? I fear not!

BH

I understand the logic but in Liverpool many private housing LLs are under the cosh at the moment. Last I heard about 35% of 'luxury' flats are vacant. Many of those are shoeboxes and they aren't going to be rented anytime soon. Understanding their plight does not make me sympathetic to the BTL brigade however.

I'm noticing a big slowdown in housebashing here, a skip outside a property is a rare sight. A friend rents a massive 1st floor flat owned by a property firm that have been his LL for over 20 years. They started renovating the ground floor flat and it's a patchwork job, maybe 30 man days in the last 12 months. This suggests to me that they have voids on some of their other properties and that there are cash flow problems.

My choice is between staying in this shoebox with a max 12' x 10' workshop with a LHA LL I can't fault, they're always finding new ways to spend their profits on the property or take on a LL who may well be poorer than me. As long as the roof to the main workshop stays on, I should be able to cope with most disasters as I have family in the building trade.

Good to know that damp isn't a problem per se. Maybe a Zen style waterfall. It's a feature.

 

[Mr_P]

Better the devil you know ?

What happens if you move in and discover that you have neighbours at home all day who don't take kindly to you and your 2 workshops ?

A terraced house might have two neighbours but a flat even on the top floor could have 5.

 

[John51]

I doubt that will be a problem, I knew a few people that live in that street and the houses are solid, good thick walls. I've never heard anyones music/TV when visiting.

Where I am now, the new tenant on the top floor has just asked me if I have a knife that will cut lead...

 

[sawdust1]

deserter, you are paying to much for zinsers at £40, Morrells 1Ltr £12 something plus VAT