A damp flat or just poor ventilation?
We carry out lots of damp surveys for landlords. Often this is due to complaints from tenants about damp and mould. This video is a walk around a typical upper floor apartment of the sort we visit.
The ‘damp’ actually turns out to be mould growth. Now of course there can be no mould without damp. However, mould can develop when the only source of moisture is water vapour.
Our surveyor demonstrates the importance of good mechanical extraction in the ‘wet rooms’. These are the bathroom and kitchen. Without good extraction the levels of water vapour in the air can be excessive. When these levels are reached, cooling the air by just a few degrees can cause condensation and mould. How is this cooling achieved? Well in this case the design of the house leaves some ‘cold bridges’ such as closed cavities at window reveals. In addition some of the loft insulation has been disturbed too. The small reduction in the surface temperature of these surfaces leads to the perfect conditions for mould growth. It doesn’t help that the tenant also dries lots of clothes on racks around the house too.
It is not a damp flat. No damp proofing is needed. However a few hundred pounds on better extraction will work wonders here. A chat with the tenant is also worthwhile, to help them understand the importance of the extract fans – they are no good turned off at the isolator switch!
If you are a landlord and have received complaints about damp, call in a real specialist. Call us on ;Leeds 265 2752 York 566577 or Sheffield 224 5121 or email us via our contact page
Why not look at our homeowner damp and timber surveys and our condensation page?
