Damp in a house, am I being taken for a ride?

[badabec]

Hello, I own a house in Cleaveleys, near Blackpool. Despite the tenants opening windows (well, they say they do) there is a lot of damp and mould. I asked the letting agent to arrange a damp survey. They have suggested the damp is caused by the insulation in the cavity walls and that I should have it removed,
"chronic condensation attributable to cavity wall insulation".

All the mould is at ceiling height.

I think I'll get someone out to look at the roof and gutters first.
I've never been convinced that rising damp actually exists, certainly not 20 feet up. I've had cast iron gutters rot out on the wall side, soaking the wall and causing damp.

What do the brains trust think?

 

[123hotchef]

condensation is my first thought

 

[123hotchef]

if it was my rental id be up there to check it out for myself mate why rely on these people who will rip you off

 

[brightspark]

rising damp can go up to 3 foot and that's it id suggest getting a timer fan in the bathroom and give them a dehumidifier , normally tenants will not open the windows and have the heating on because it costs them money I see it all the time on rentals. if theres a timer fan worked off the light in bathrooms with an isolation switch the punters turn them off so I don't fit them . then they run tumble driers and put wet clothes over radiators and after all that they blame the house and want something done about it

 

[jimbo84]

Have a look for the nuaire drimaster or a similar product, simple to install and they work wonders for damp caused by condensation.

 

[gaz1]

Hello, I own a house in Cleaveleys, near Blackpool. Despite the tenants opening windows (well, they say they do) there is a lot of damp and mould. I asked the letting agent to arrange a damp survey. They have suggested the damp is caused by the insulation in the cavity walls and that I should have it removed,
"chronic condensation attributable to cavity wall insulation".

All the mould is at ceiling height.

I think I'll get someone out to look at the roof and gutters first.
I've never been convinced that rising damp actually exists, certainly not 20 feet up. I've had cast iron gutters rot out on the wall side, soaking the wall and causing damp.

What do the brains trust think?

suggested and photos are 2 different things

have you got any supplied ?

im with bright spark and im also one that does away with the timer however i vent my houses

cavity insulation can cause a problem depends on where it is

 

[slimjim]

I had this in the bungalow i now live in, but rented out,

The problem was not very good loft insulation, and tenants drying clothes on radiators,

The radiators would dry the clothes, and the moisture laden air would condense on the ceiling where the insulation deficiency meant the plaster boards were cold, it was quite bad, and the agent at one time suggested that there must be a leak in the roof, but the loft was bone dry,

We don’t have the problem, one because we don’t dry clothes on radiators, and the wife likes ventilation

 

[badabec]

if it was my rental id be up there to check it out for myself mate why rely on these people who will rip you off

I'm in Essex. This letting agent has always been very good in the past, unlike one I used for a another property in Accrington. I can't stand talking to tenants!
I received photos, black mould all around ceiling edge, mainly on the ceiling, worse in the bathroom. They were sent as a .ps format so I can't download onto here.

 

[Hopefuldave]

I'm in Essex. This letting agent has always been very good in the past, unlike one I used for a another property in Accrington. I can't stand talking to tenants!
I received photos, black mould all around ceiling edge, mainly on the ceiling, worse in the bathroom. They were sent as a .ps format so I can't download onto here.

On the ceiling and the edge sounds like condensation to me too, get them to open some windows! How well's the loft insulated (you said it's 20' up, so unless it has Really High Ceilings...), and is it double glazed with no trickle vents?

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[Olderisbetter]

I had tenants in a house that i had rented out for 5 years to a previous tenant that suddenly had damp all over the place, when i went to look i noticed a tumble dryer outside waiting for the scrap man and inside they had 2 washing machines, It took me a few minutes but i clicked they were doing lots of washing and drying it all over the house on the radiators.

 

[Gareth J]

There's a system that I always thought would be good for rented accommodation called (I think) positive stack ventilation, or similar. You basically put a 4" chimney through the loft and let the natural draw extract. Much like an old open fire would. On the opening/s probably in bathroom, you get a non electric, humidity controlled vent so it stops drawing if it's not moist inside.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Depends what insulation has been used...companies used to pump all sorts of rubbish into cavity walls in the 1980s. If it's breeched the DPM it's possible.

Maybe worth just pulling a brick out and taking a look for yourself.

 

[Kayos]

Cavity wall insulation is bad, I know of 2 firms that used to fit it and they now specialise in removal

Are the tenants drying clothes on the radiators? Seems to be a common cause of mould in rented houses

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I remember my dad having a go at someone who was trying to sell him cavity insulation. He used to design houses...basically he called the bloke an idiot and shut the door in his face.

From what I gather the risk is that the fill material just falls to the bottom of the cavity and compacts down....this can form a bridge between the inside and the outside walls of the house allowing damp to transmit. Also having the cavity filled prevents circulation too....be easy to check for this by removing a brick and seeing what's behind.

Worth checking that you do actually have cavities of course....my house is 1930s and its solid brick....

 

[rtcosic]

Maybe worth just pulling a brick out and taking a look for yourself.

Or drill an 6mm hole through a mortar line and insert a cheap inspection camera?

My vote would be condensation.

In a rental I would have some form of ventilation that the tenants cannot turn off.

Either a 100mm duct fan running continuously or passive ventilation.

Don't forget to ventilate the kitchen as well as the bathroom. I cannot get the mother-in-law to run her cooker hood and her kitchen windows are rotting due to condensation pooling at the bottom of the glazing.

There's a system that I always thought would be good for rented accommodation called (I think) positive stack ventilation, or similar. You basically put a 4" chimney through the loft and let the natural draw extract. Much like an old open fire would. On the opening/s probably in bathroom, you get a non electric, humidity controlled vent so it stops drawing if it's not moist inside.

 

[badabec]

Thank you for all your suggestions. It is a 1920s or 30s house so I doubt it has cavity walls. All the damp is in the upstairs bedrooms and bathroom (hence the 20 feet up from the ground).
I also think it is condensation from poor ventilation. Tenants NEVER open windows and judging by the gardens, aren't too fussed about upkeep.
Further investigation is needed. Positive or passive ventilation seem good ideas.
Thanks
Peter

 

[gaz1]

I'm in Essex. This letting agent has always been very good in the past, unlike one I used for a another property in Accrington. I can't stand talking to tenants!
I received photos, black mould all around ceiling edge, mainly on the ceiling, worse in the bathroom. They were sent as a .ps format so I can't download onto here.

just so you know pc,s have a snipping tool that takes a shot that you save and upload

i can also tell you that is caused by not airing the property, using dryer/drying clothes on rads is one of the mai causes of that statement

hot air meets cold black mold

There's a system that I always thought would be good for rented accommodation called (I think) positive stack ventilation, or similar. You basically put a 4" chimney through the loft and let the natural draw extract. Much like an old open fire would. On the opening/s probably in bathroom, you get a non electric, humidity controlled vent so it stops drawing if it's not moist inside.

its good but not, i disconnected mine always blew cold air on top of stairs hated the thing

trying to keep it warm not get bloody cold air in house, however having a bathroom air fan lets the heat out of it and timers bug me when ya go to toilet its how/why i disconnect them

 

[pedrobedro]

They'll just block the vents if it's letting heat out or draught in and if it uses electricity they will switch it off. Someone I knew from ages ago is a letting agent in Blackpool and did a TV programme a while back and some of the stuff was horrendous.

 

[hunter27]

We have had to deal with similar problems,
Due to roof shape it is often difficult to get loft insulation right into the edges/corners and you end up with a cold spots.
Also some/most types of cavity insulation settle down or aren't done well enough in the first place so the top of the walls get missed also causing cold spots, the condensation has to go somewhere so it heads for these places.
I think it will have a cavity at that age, lots of late 1800 houses have them, as already said better ventilation,insulation and less moisture inside the house is what it needs.

 

[armalites]

You may be able to tell if it has cavity walls by the brick pattern.