Social Landlords: Protect Housing Stock Against Condensation & Mould

Social Landlords: Protect Your Housing Stock Against Condensation & Mould

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

If you are a social landlord and want to ensure you are maximising profits and protecting your investment, we can help. As we strive to make our properties more energy efficient by keeping in the heat, we are losing fresh air and ventilation in our homes. Poor ventilation coupled with condensation and moisture can mean mould and damp problems, creating issues that could affect the health of your tenants and the value of your property. In this post, we look at why it is so important for social landlords to continually review the ventilation and energy systems in their properties, in order to maximise their profits, and minimise their problems.

Condensation and mould inside houses and flats

Condensation dampness will normally arise where a property is not equipped to handle normal levels of water vapour. This is usually as a result of poor ventilation, heating or insulation. Condensation dampness and mould can appear in any room in your property. This could be in the bathroom, around window frames, ceilings and floors and even on personal possessions (particularly soft furnishings). Whilst you may have poured a lot of time, money and effort into keeping your property in a good state of repair, the appearance of unsightly and foul-smelling mould can be very off-putting to prospective and current tenants, and could be costing you money.

In addition to the aesthetic and structural problems mould and damp may cause, there is evidence to suggest that mould can be bad for your health. Mould may cause headaches, breathing difficulties, nausea and fatigue and may even act as a trigger for respiratory illness such as asthma. As a landlord, it is your responsibility to ensure your property is suitable for tenants to live in, including making sure the property is not significantly affected by mould and damp. Failure to do so may allow the tenant to terminate their lease, and they may even make a claim against you for personal injury compensation if they suffer illness as a result of your failure to address mould in the property.

Fortunately, condensation dampness is surprisingly easy to prevent and resolve. Envirovent provides innovative solutions to damp problems for landlords, helping you keep your property in top condition, and your profits high.

Do I need a new ventilation system?

As can be seen from the outline above, it is incredibly important for landlords to review their ventilation systems which affect condensation and mould in the properties they own. There are many signs which may indicate that you need to update your ventilation systems in the properties you own. These include:

• Damp patches on walls particularly in corners or behind pieces of furniture
• Black around window frames
• Streaming windows
• Black or green mould appearing on ceilings, floors and furniture and around windows
• Mould or mildew appearing on soft furnishings

You should routinely check your property for signs of condensation dampness and mould and take action if you notice any of these signs. Noticing these indicators at an early stage allows you to easily remedy your condensation dampness problems, saving you time and money in the long run.

Improving ventilation systems will ensure you are not negatively affecting the health of your tenants, and greatly reduce maintenance costs on your properties. It will also free up the time of any repairs personnel as greater ventilation should mean that they will have to revisit affected properties less frequently.

Here at Envirovent, we feel strongly about providing high-quality indoor air and providing permanent solutions to condensation and mould problems. We have a wide range of innovative and energy efficient ventilation systems which can provide fresh filtered air to your property.

Poor ventilations and energy systems – false economy

It is not only good practice to routinely check for mould and dampness, it is also part of your obligation as a landlord under the law. Failure to adhere to legal housing standards may mean that you are no longer able to rent your property, and your tenants affected by the mould and damp may be able to bring a claim against you. This can greatly affect your rental income and the value of your property over time if not addressed. In order to adhere to the law, you should review your ventilation strategy in each of the properties you own.

You are obliged to keep all parts of the property in a reasonable state of repair – this obligation is made much easier where you have a strategy in place for doing so from the outset.

You should check your property for potential problem areas. All habitable rooms should be easily ventilated by an opening window. However, where a room does not have a window, it will be more susceptible to condensation, dampness and mould. It is essential that these rooms are provided with a proper insulation system to avoid mould and dampness problems going forward. This will typically be kitchens and bathrooms, and such rooms should be provided with adequate mechanical ventilation. Even where windows can be opened in kitchens and bathrooms, it is highly recommended that you also provide a mechanical ventilation system to remove moist air. As you can imagine, kitchens and bathrooms typically have excess moisture as a result of showers, baths, sinks and cooking. Envirovent can assist you in identifying the right type of ventilation system to suit your needs and help you prevent mould and dampness in your properties.

Envirovent offers effective ventilation solutions for landlords

Envirovent is passionate about helping landlords provide fresh air and ventilation in the properties they own, protecting their investment and the health of their tenants. Envirovent systems can prevent condensation, streaming windows, the appearance of mould and damage to property or personal belongings. We are the UK’s fastest growing ventilation company and pride ourselves on creating energy efficient and sustainable ventilation systems. We not only want to protect your investment but increase your profits too. We can help you spend less time fire-fighting mould and dampness problems with temporary fixes by providing a permanent and cost-effective solution to your mould and condensation dampness difficulties.