How do I solve this mould problem?

Question

Before I get down to details I just wannna say that we are in UK and unable to go anywhere else as of financial issues.

We've been living and renting a bottom floor flat for 4 years and it's been total nightmare. We been doing fine. Its just that the mould has gotten best of us. Before I list the rooms with problems just want to note that the house is quite old and way it was built was poorly done when looking from outside brick work. Apparently flat above us have same problem but instead the owner wishes not to fix it as it requires money and time. We also know that the roof has a leaking but we are unsure if it is the cause of it. Another thing to note that inner walls of our flat are perfectly fine but it's the outwalls that anything touch are the big problems.

For better understanding of our situation I'll list rooms and the conditions that they are in.

1. My dad bedroom is worst one of them all. there are 3 outer walls that are damp and have mould at bottom of them. We've tried everything to get it fixed such as Bleach or allowing some air to flow through.

2. My bedroom has 2 outer walls and 2 inner walls. The 2 outer walls are fairly wet sometimes but show no signs of mould.

3. Living room/ lounge has 2 out walls that are wet also.

4. Kitchen is unsure but there has been signs of mould on things such as dining chairs.

I read a post on this site about people suggesting to get anti-mould paint and some sort of spray to stop it or keep it at bay. Knowing this is great because I didn't know there was such a thing, but problem is still there as it catches onto things and just destroys it. Today I wanted to listen to music but when I open the case my headphone with leather padding were covered in mould. I understand it is bad for our health but having no where to go or if we did it would be a struggle.

Answer 1

You don't need a DIY forum, you need a lawyer or a politician. Your landlord is breaking the law. Good luck getting this resolved!

Answer 2

Be careful with removing construction materials without property protection or disposal. A professional remediator would install a barrier and set the affected area under a negative vacuum in order to collect all spores floating in the air. As you start removing construction materials, spores become airborne and can continue spreading throughout the property. You should first identify the source of moisture before painting over the mold, if the moisture is not taken care of, mold will never stop growing.

Answer 3

You may be on a tight budget but I know here in the US we have products for basements the prevent water from entering. If you have a brick/cement wall and cement floor, and access to it, you could always clean up the space and roll on some Drylok. Its a masonry membrane product. There may be something different/better in England, but this might be something to consider.

drylok: http://www.lowes.com/pd_255229-96-28615_0

Answer 4

Stop the water first, then remove all mould by replacing with new materials. Do not try to just cover it up or live with it.

Answer 5

I'm very sorry but, your "good friend" Landlord hasn't consulted anyone! A bad brick job is fixed in a weekend with just a painted-on sealer! Get a quote from a painter yourself & demand that the Landlord have it done in 20-days AND finally start removing walls.

Or, you finally get a Lawyer that puts all rents in escrow or more correctly files an injunction that stops all rents from being due unless & until the place is completely corrected & habitable. By all rights the building should be condemned & someone should start reading their leases!

Answer 6

I believe the problem is caused by high humidity within the wall.

A friend of mine was having this issue in his house, 2nd level in a 10 storey building, and i helped him to rid it once for all at lowest cost. This happened in Malaysia.

What we did was we searched for contractors who can inject polyurethane foam into wall. We called in the cheapest contractor. He drilled about 15 holes on outer walls from inside of the house. He pressure inject the foam into each holes.

After this is done the problem totally gone.