Cold and damp homes
Have you ever experienced cold and damp in your home? What steps do you take to make sure your home stays warm and dry?
The London Assembly Environment Committee is investigating cold and damp homes in London. Types of damp could include condensation or water that finds its way inside a home from the outside. This can be caused by bad weather, poorly installed or fitted insulation, a lack of ventilation, deteriorating houses or fuel poverty.
Have you ever experienced cold and damp in your home? What steps do you take to make sure your home stays warm and dry, especially during winter? What is preventing you from doing so?
The discussion ran from 22 November 2018 - 22 February 2019
Closed with follow up
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Community Member 5 years agoI am a newham council temprary B&B tenant from 2015.My house mamanged by first step property which is a agency.From last two months there was water leaking from roof and I immediately reported.Someone came to take the maintenance price two...
Show full commentI am a newham council temprary B&B tenant from 2015.My house mamanged by first step property which is a agency.From last two months there was water leaking from roof and I immediately reported.Someone came to take the maintenance price two weeks ago but still now no repair has been done.And more thana month ago we have damp wall and black spot in single and semi-double room.I reported in the beginning but still no action taken.Already called the agency few times still now no one came to fix.We have pest activity(mouse)issue as well.I spoken to the authorised person al,ost three weeks ago still now nothing has been done.
BMarlon
Community Member 5 years agoAll the above, have opened windows and had to leave heating on to dry out.RSL landords not doing repairs so had to aquire a lawyer to remind them of their obligations.
Peace
Marlon
BMarlon
Community Member 5 years agoWhen did RSL have the right to use grant aid for tenant development on Build to sell?.We cannot point fingers at the current elistist leadership this is transpiring in Labour boroughs, where cuncillers sit on many NGO boards...
Show full commentWhen did RSL have the right to use grant aid for tenant development on Build to sell?.We cannot point fingers at the current elistist leadership this is transpiring in Labour boroughs, where cuncillers sit on many NGO boards influencing in the devlopors favor.. Both parties policies of gentrification,classist opportunism have become uncomfortably blurred. Which is why we have so many homeless peaple and food banks in the UK . Same game different players
Peace
MarlonB
Show less of commentBrixhill
Community Member 5 years agoI own ground floor 1905 with floorboards. I have rising damp and impossible to heat in winter. I stay in one room with fire. I have mould. I have not enough money to sort it out. At least social and tenants can complain to someone. This...
Show full commentI own ground floor 1905 with floorboards. I have rising damp and impossible to heat in winter. I stay in one room with fire. I have mould. I have not enough money to sort it out. At least social and tenants can complain to someone. This maisonette eats my money. If I sell, where do I go?
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoYes. We are private tenants. To try to combat mould we:
- use bleach to periodically clean off large patch of mould which grows on wall, making sure not to disperse mould spores. wash clothes which have got mouldy. is depressing getting...
Show full commentYes. We are private tenants. To try to combat mould we:
- use bleach to periodically clean off large patch of mould which grows on wall, making sure not to disperse mould spores. wash clothes which have got mouldy. is depressing getting clean clothes out of a drawer to find they smell mouldy and need to be put straight in the wash.
- keep doors open to ventilate. keep in warmth with tin foil behind radiators and cling film over single glazing. No curtains or fittings provided so we make do with shutters.
- told landlord. given a dehumidifier which reaches capacity daily. windows changed to include vents but we do not open some as south circular outside, polluted and noisey. cellar floods regularly, we do not keep possessions in there as are ruined.
- walls may need proper damp proofing/investigation of rising damp but so far landlord has not.
- dry washing at opposite end of house/outdoors where possible. Difficult in winter as we only have a towel radiator we can use to dry laundry, there is no space anywhere else. Cleaning bedsheets in winter is a nightmare.
Specifically for cold we:
- wear fleeces etc inside over clothes ( "indoor coats")
- go to bed when cold as it is warmer under duvet and easier to be asleep
- better now large hole in wall fixed. For a year there was a gap between two walls in the bathroom and we could see daylight through it. very cold!! we were told to put duct tape on it...
- worry about putting heating on more due to cost/environmental impact of gas boiler.
Despite the above we see ourselves as lucky. When we have looked to move the only places we can afford are even mouldier!
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoI work for Secure Meters UK Ltd and we have been working on a project to help Housing Associations deal with damp, mould over & under temperatures using Smart Home Controls. I would welcome the opportunity of presenting our solution and can...
Show full commentI work for Secure Meters UK Ltd and we have been working on a project to help Housing Associations deal with damp, mould over & under temperatures using Smart Home Controls. I would welcome the opportunity of presenting our solution and can provide a demonstration.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoYES - Q-Bot is fighting this, starting in social housing, with an innovative, measurable and cost-efficient under-floor insulation technology. Please contact them at https://www.q-bot.co/.
Retrofit and energy-use reduction in old homes is...
Show full commentYES - Q-Bot is fighting this, starting in social housing, with an innovative, measurable and cost-efficient under-floor insulation technology. Please contact them at https://www.q-bot.co/.
Retrofit and energy-use reduction in old homes is a very large need to combat climate change but one with currently few viable / economic solutions.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoI have suffered condensation under my window ever since my landlady replaced the secondary double glazing with a modern window. Mould grew around the window, so I wiped it with bleach. The paint started coming off, so I scraped it and...
Show full commentI have suffered condensation under my window ever since my landlady replaced the secondary double glazing with a modern window. Mould grew around the window, so I wiped it with bleach. The paint started coming off, so I scraped it and found PAPER lining under the paint!!! I had to remove it because it was soaking wet and covered with mould. When I removed it, some of the plasterboard underneath crumbled and fell out! So I had to buy a bucket of plaster for £15 and replace the plaster. Then I painted all around the window with oil-based gloss paint, so that the condensation wouldn't get under it.
I open the fanlight window whenever I go out, even in the dead of winter. I use a bleach spray around the window from time to time. Still, condensation forms under the window.
Show less of commentTalk London
Official Representative 5 years agoThanks everyone for taking part in this discussion.
For those who are living in homes which have had energy saving measures installed, what has been your experience? Have you experienced damp appearing or getting worse after changes were made? Changes could include wall or roof insulation, boilers being replaced or new windows being installed.
Talk London
Faraway
Community Member 5 years agoI live in a flat in a converted Edwardian house which is crumbling all around me. It's a cold and damp place to live most of the year - during a hot summer, however, it's a pleasantly cool place to feel comfortable in. The windows are the...
Show full commentI live in a flat in a converted Edwardian house which is crumbling all around me. It's a cold and damp place to live most of the year - during a hot summer, however, it's a pleasantly cool place to feel comfortable in. The windows are the original Edwardian ones...they allow drafts and all sorts to seep through. Poverty - a reduction in salary over the past few years/no increase in salary for 10 years now/my young partner sadly dying suddenly and leaving me as a single mother - has left me unable to pay for proper maintenance of our home. These are old buildings which are full of character but require a lot of care and maintenance. I try my best to mend and make do, however, professional work would be better but would cost money, which I don't have. So, the flat keeps on crumbling, keeps letting in the cold and damp.
Show less of commentSophia Azzopardi
Community Member 5 years agoI think a good solution is to have a shared utility bill with the council, this takes a lot of worry and stress from the elderly. When they have paid their rent which has feul included, they can keep there home warm without worrying about...
Show full commentI think a good solution is to have a shared utility bill with the council, this takes a lot of worry and stress from the elderly. When they have paid their rent which has feul included, they can keep there home warm without worrying about huge bills.
Show less of commentTalk London
Official Representative 5 years agoThanks everyone for taking part in this discussion.
Older people and those living with a disability can be particularly vulnerable to physical and mental ill-health as a result of cold homes. What is your experience of living with cold with a disability/as an older person? Has this changed over time?
Talk London
livehere
Community Member 5 years agoIt seems clear from reading these comments that what legislation there is to make sure private, council or HA landlords provide dry, warm and healthy accommodation for their tenants simply is not strong enough, not sufficiently 'policed'...
Show full commentIt seems clear from reading these comments that what legislation there is to make sure private, council or HA landlords provide dry, warm and healthy accommodation for their tenants simply is not strong enough, not sufficiently 'policed', or non-existent.
Show less of commentlivehere
Community Member 5 years agoWe have paid for some relatively cheap secondary glazing for two rooms, cannot afford to do our bedroom which is freezing cold even with the heating on. Landlord did add dry wall boarding to one wall to stop the black mould, though; so far...
Show full commentWe have paid for some relatively cheap secondary glazing for two rooms, cannot afford to do our bedroom which is freezing cold even with the heating on. Landlord did add dry wall boarding to one wall to stop the black mould, though; so far this works. Also after over 20 years of residents' nagging, landlord had to replace all the ancient leaky windows. We might pay for a better radiator, as the current one is just a single, not adequate for a room with two outside walls and two large windows. Cannot afford any more energy price rises!
Show less of commentlivehere
Community Member 5 years agoFungi and damp, private landlord in Lambeth: a family members had to move out of their 1 bed flat in desperation as landlord would not repair the leaking roof. Water in the walls, huge great fungi growing out of the skirting boards, black...
Show full commentFungi and damp, private landlord in Lambeth: a family members had to move out of their 1 bed flat in desperation as landlord would not repair the leaking roof. Water in the walls, huge great fungi growing out of the skirting boards, black mould on the rampage. Bucket was needed to catch incoming water when it rained, to keep the bed dry. Lambeth Council no help at all - far too few staff and resources are allocated to this problem. This was not a cheap flat to rent. Landlord just threatened to raise the rent when the tenants complained.
Damp in flats, HA landlord. One of the London large HAs - water getting into flats in two blocks for years on end. Ever since roof was covered with insulation blocks and paving. For several of the flats, the landlord repairs contractors first try insisting that it is caused by condensation - too many people living in the flat (eg a flat with 1 parent & 3 children).
Finally getting renewed roof surfacing, after over 8 years of damp getting in to different flats on different floors. But non-landlord building contractors have said source of leaks is not the flat roof.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoIn any discussion where Fuel Poverty is on the agenda I think it's important to not overlook the rollout of Universal Credit. Many benefits including Housing Benefit, Tax Credits, income based ESA & JSA benefits are being replaced by a...
Show full commentIn any discussion where Fuel Poverty is on the agenda I think it's important to not overlook the rollout of Universal Credit. Many benefits including Housing Benefit, Tax Credits, income based ESA & JSA benefits are being replaced by a system that requires the claim to be submitted online. Complexity of using a website is made worse by "prove your identity" requirement. US government statistics via Electronic Frontier Foundation show that half of people on lowest income (below $25K yearly) have no internet access. Without "hands on" help and access to a computer many people will be unable to make their online application. A situation made worse by up to 5 weeks delay in someone getting money after successfully making a claim. Many people don't have the luxury of one month's redundancy salary, especially those released from prison https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/universal-credit-prisoners-being…
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoI live in a private rented flat in north London with no prospect of ever making a home here. One winter several years ago in previous accommodation, the casement window in my bedroom literally broke off (the wood was rotten, and the hinges...
Show full commentI live in a private rented flat in north London with no prospect of ever making a home here. One winter several years ago in previous accommodation, the casement window in my bedroom literally broke off (the wood was rotten, and the hinges snapped). The room was already very damp (the walls were streaming with water in the winter) and full of black mould. The fabric of the building had been entirely neglected by the landlord who was well aware of the state it was in. The letting agency likewise knew all about this but deliberately ignored it. I asked them repeatedly for permission to have free insulation put in (it was available through British Gas at the time), but they declined. When the gas central-heating was on full power on the coldest days, it still felt icy and was always draughty.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoFor dealing with mould growing on kitchen or bathroom walls you can buy paint from a decorating supplier like B&Q that prevents mould growth. An ingredient called fungicide is what makes this different from normal emulsion paint. The paint...
Show full commentFor dealing with mould growing on kitchen or bathroom walls you can buy paint from a decorating supplier like B&Q that prevents mould growth. An ingredient called fungicide is what makes this different from normal emulsion paint. The paint I used was "mould guard" made by Crown decorating products (website www.crownpaint.co.uk) and this product has worked excellently to prevent regrowth of black mould on my bathroom wall. As a water based paint brushes are easy to clean and little smell of the drying paint
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 5 years agoIn my previous flat, the single glazed windows would be completely damped every morning. Steps to deal with this: dry it out with a sponge and a bucket... then leave the windows open for 5 minutes... this everyday...
Show full commentIn my current flat with...
In my previous flat, the single glazed windows would be completely damped every morning. Steps to deal with this: dry it out with a sponge and a bucket... then leave the windows open for 5 minutes... this everyday...
Show less of commentIn my current flat with double glazed windows, this problem is less visible, but is still there. The walls are not-insulated bricks, so water condense on the corner and edges and mold forms... Step to deal with this, clean the mold as soons as possible with bleach, open the windows everyday for a couple of minutes. I also bought a dehumidifier, but this ends up running all the time and costing electricity and not solving the problem...
The most problematic rooms are the bedroom and bathroom.
BobbyB
Community Member 5 years agoPosted again as there were typng errors in my initial comment.
I have been in my 2 bed council flat for approx. 20 yrs. My children have grown up in this flat. I have not been able to afford to buy my own house.
My flat has suffered from...
Show full commentPosted again as there were typng errors in my initial comment.
I have been in my 2 bed council flat for approx. 20 yrs. My children have grown up in this flat. I have not been able to afford to buy my own house.
My flat has suffered from damp, condensation and as a subsequence of the two, mould growth, since moving into the property in1998.
I have had the council surveyors around on several occasions to investigate the primary cause. The flat has had a new kitchen and bathroom installed a few years ago as part of the Decent Homes Scheme, but this has not helped I have also had a moisture extractor system installed again without resolution of the problem.
Every spring my wife and I have to clean all affected walls and windows with bleach to remove the mould, which I believe is unhealthy.
I have been trying to bid for a larger more modern property for the past 8 years without success.
We need quality homes that are sustainable and low maintenance not cheap homes built quickly to alleviate the housing shortage in London.