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09 Nov 2023
In our series, Kingfisher Customer Stories, today we hear from a landlord navigating the uninvited tenant everyone fears - MOULD!
Embarking on the landlord journey, I was ready for leaky taps and creaky floorboards, but nobody warned me about the uninvited guest named mould. Along the way I've learned some crucial lessons—hence, these straightforward 'landlord tips.' Read on to discover the advice that could've spared me a few battles with the elusive mould menace.
1. Underestimating the litigation risk
Remember the PPI scandal where banks and insurance companies had to refund £millions to customers? Well, there is a new breed of gunslingers in town, “personal injury lawyers” and they have landlords firmly in their sights. Claims against landlords for harms arising from “disrepair” are on the rise, with damp and mould claims leading the charge.
It is early stages, but industry experts expect this to be a growing issue in the coming years, following high profile cases reported in the media, including the fatality of a child.
Pro Tip: Learn the difference between “tenant lifestyle” driven condensation and “rising / penetrating damp” and keep on top of maintenance issues as they arise. Cover yourself by keeping a journal of all calls from tenants regarding maintenance and write up a note of the corrective action for each one. Doing the right thing is not enough, you need to record it.
If you need free advice on damp and mould issues, call our friendly technical team at Kingfisher on 01229 869 100.
2. Cleaning with Bleach
Bleach kills germs, so it must kill mould too, right?
Not necessarily! Bleach is not a targeted fungicide and therefore does not kill all types of mould, especially on absorbent materials. Additionally, bleach applied neat, can damage porous surfaces including some plasters.
Pro Tip: Always pre-treat mould with a targeted fungicide. Kingfisher’s Mould Cure Bio-Wash is HSE certified and targets all the mould types which commonly occur in U.K homes. You should re-paint with a premium anti-mould paint, such as dual action Thermapaint Anti-Mould Paint which stops the mould re-growing and reduces condensation on the absorbent surfaces where mould normally thrives.
3. Not addressing ventilation issues
Contrary to popular belief, structural failures and “damp” are not the main cause of mould problems in our homes. The main culprit is condensation or more precisely a lack of free air movement through the building which prevents moisture from evaporating safely outside. Make sure that kitchen and bathroom extractor fans are checked regularly and that trickle vents above windows are open in winter. Make sure that in properties with brick vents that these are not blocked accidentally by furniture being placed in front of them. An often-overlooked maintenance point is to check that all the window mechanisms & latches operate correctly, so that they are easy to open and close when extra fresh air is needed.
Pro Tip: Some properties may need additional ventilation equipment, especially in high occupancy scenarios. Excellent systems from Nuaire etc. remove high volumes of humidity without taking heat out of the property and are relatively inexpensive to install.
4. Blaming the tenant - It’s a lifestyle issue
Okay, there is no doubt that some tenants make choices that do not promote a healthy living environment. Drying clothes on radiators without opening windows, instead of in the tumble dryer doesn’t help air quality, nor does taking the fuse out of the extractor fans to “save electricity”. However, some education and making it easy for them to make better choices will cost you less in the long run. Also, bear in mind that external waterproofing needs to be maintained – painted masonry or render will typically require to be re-painted every 10 years or so and most brick or stone-faced properties will benefit from a clear water repellent like Kingfisher's “Extreme Climate”.
Pro Tip: Have a rolling programme of planned maintenance that goes beyond the basic legal minimum. Purely reactive maintenance (only responding to complaints) sends a message that you don’t really care about the property and your tenants will inevitably emulate you in their own behaviour.
5. Believing “nothing works, it always comes back”
There is no doubt that mould can be a formidable foe, especially if it has been allowed to progress unchecked. Once the fungus is embedded in wallpaper, paint, curtain linings and a host of other porous materials it is very hard to shift. But it can be done providing you approach it systematically. If you ignore the ventilation issues, anti-mould paints, surface biocides and airborne disinfections alone, will not solve the problem. And the flipside is also true. That improving ventilation will not eradicate rampant mould established on multiple surfaces throughout a property. You have to make a plan to deal with all the issues in a logical sequence and that almost invariably means starting with the ventilation.
We hope you found these landlord tips useful. Don't forget there is loads of free advice at www.kingfisheruk.com or contact one of our friendly technical team for a chat. You can also see more home protection tips on our Facebook page.
