The Rot Sets In

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Community Action Tenants Union [CATU] write:

A CATU member in Tallaght is currently dealing with Ray Cooke Lettings‘ inaction on an out-of-control mould situation in an apartment, which is causing serious health problems for the tenants.The situation has been ongoing for the last three years. The letting agent is refusing to carry out inspections due to Covid, despite the fact that Ray Cooke is currently taking bookings for house viewings.

CATU Ireland (Facebook)

Lois McGrath writes:

This is my Daughter’s apartment which she pays a fortune for every month only to live in a slum. Disclaimer: no shes not a lone parent no she’s not on social welfare no she doesn’t get HAP. She just a hard working mother.

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32 thoughts on “The Rot Sets In

  1. Conski

    Could you not clean it? If I get a bit of mould at home, I clean it.
    it looks like its from behind the curtains which might have v little air circ around it. Ventialtion and a bit of cleaning would sort that at a guess. It doesnt look like dry-rot, thast something quite different

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      that kind of mold always comes back even if you bleach it, the walls are obviously damp,

        1. millie bobby brownie

          Just have to add, scottser, Nancy Birtwistle of GBBO winner fame has just brought out a book of household tips in this very vein, using baking soda etc for chemical-free and eco friendly cleaning. She really knows her stuff.

          1. Hank

            There is very little other than perhaps a broken heart that vinegar and baking soda can’t fix. Unblocking the drain of a sink with them is very therapeutic when you get the little volcanic explosion the moment the vinegar comes in contact with the baking soda!

    2. goldenbrown

      Conski
      (without the benefit of inspecting it personally)

      this looks to me beyond a simple interior decorating/cleaning issue

      it’s a symptom of something more difficult, those walls look wet, usually something that bad has some sort of civil engineering problem going on behind it, all the fancy cleaning solutions and Zinsser paint in the world won’t fix it

      1. Kolmo

        Combination of poor quality construction (possibly no damp proof course, vapour barrier), lack of ventilation or proper heating system – looks very hazardous to health.

  2. Broadbag

    Is she waiting for the letting agent to come and hoover it for her too?

    Dirt aside, it’s disgusting and negligent, had a much smaller mould issue at a place I was renting years ago and the landlord eventually got some builders in to fix it, no-one should have to live like that, but the disclaimer that she’s not on HAP, a single mother or on benefits suggests the author thinks the mould is less disgusting or less of a health hazard or that they are lesser people, not a great tone to the post.

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      +1
      limited means does not mean limited pride or cleanliness, often the inverse,
      as my granny said everyone has water soap and elbow grease

    2. millie bobby brownie

      I would say she’s pre-empting an attack on her daughter, á la the journal and the hatred of those dependent on social welfare or assistance.

  3. millie bobby brownie

    It’s an absolute disgrace and not surprising at all that the property management company are shirking their duties. Once a property is let, they see the tenants as nothing more than an inconvenience.

    In the short term (and I’m sure someone has already suggested it) if she can get a dehumidifier to help keep it at bay if she cleans it away. Of course, it shouldn’t have come to something like this and I’m sorry that she’s in this position.

  4. Bothar na Sabrina

    I own my own house also in Dublin 24 and I have the exact same mould on the back (east facing) wall.
    The area is damp because we’re all just below the foothills, the house is old (1970s pebbledash), and the mould comes because it’s a room I probably don’t heat enough and there’s a curtain up against that part of the wall causing a lack of ventilation. Same thing beside a shelf in the kitchen on the same side of the house. I treat them with milton and it keeps it at bay but it comes back eventually. Lack of modern insulation and old buildings seems to be the problem so government grants to help all of us, owners and renters (via their landlords presuably) alike, to get some retrofitted insulation would be the fix. I don’t know what a letting agent could do, surely the landlord is the one responsible for upgrading the house and right now there’s no insentive for them to do it.
    Any tips for keeping this black mould down welcome. It’s a curse.

  5. RT

    Should get in touch with Dublin Rental Watch @DubRentWatch & Dublin Renters Union @union_dublin to highlight this on their social media pages

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      ah stop, if you are paying to rent something it should meet certain health standards,
      landlords get away with murder here

    2. Liam

      I’m glad your mould is gone, but it’s not because of that Aero360 yoke – they’re literally designed for cupboards and empty caravans. The amount of moisture they absorb would be less than a single person exhales in a day.

      The original poster above should buy a dehumidifier – €150 for a decent one and a few cents a day to run.

      1. Gavin

        Not sure, it does seem catch a lot of moisture.

        Janet all I’m saying is why sit there and let it affect your health, stop looking to others that have no interest in helping you, they should address it themselves and bill the landlord for it.

  6. H

    I have the same issue in my home which I own, which was an energy efficient new build when I bought almost 25 years ago.

    I’ve been told that it is caused by condensation which is exacerbated by how efficient double glazing is these days and the best solution is to open the windows each day for an hour to air the place.

    The last time I had the place repainted, about 5 years ago, the painter used special mould retardant paint in the worst affected areas.

    In my bedroom it has worked a treat but this may be also due to the fact that I now keep a window very slightly open all year round, unless there is nobody at home.

    My top tip for cleaning it is don’t waste your money on expensive mould remover, Mr Muscle window cleaner does a better job without the stink.

  7. Geraldo

    Clean the mould, open a window every day for an hour and stop drying your clothes in the room.

    Landlords are not responsible for tenants behaviour. I had this issue in a rented property, turned out the tenants were drying clothes on the storage heaters and they had blocked up the window vents.

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      was there a laundry on the road or a washer in the flat and no dryer ?
      people live in places they rent

      1. Cian

        True, but if you dry your clothes indoors AND don’t air the rooms – you will get mould.

        Not the landlord’s fault – the tenant’s fault.

        1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

          rooms should always be aired,
          I don’t see why there isn’t an état des lieux here,
          it’s basically a checklist detailing the EXACT status of the apartment at the beginning of the stay, paintwork, tiles floors, contents etc , signed off by both parties, at the end of the stay any discrepancies come out of deposit to repair.

  8. Kingfisher

    “Disclaimer: no shes not a lone parent no she’s not on social welfare no she doesn’t get HAP. She just a hard working mother.”
    Does that mean that if she was on social welfare or receiving HAP it would be ok for the landlord not to treat the mould?

    1. Tarfton Clax

      Nope. It means she is forestalling the usual attack dogs of the idiocracy who will focus on those three things first instead of dealing with/referring to the substantive issue.

      There will be others who will tell her it is her own fault for a number of reasons, (which may indeed be true or false, fair or unfair) but these are the usual go to dog whistles that those who wish to attack those who are not home owners employ first.

      It is a sadly necessary defense mechanism and is no slight on anyone on social welfare or receiving HAP. well… not from her. But you can be sure that the usual suspects on social media would use those things against her if they could.

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      you can do both until the cows come home, if it’s badly built or the last renter added to the problem, you are screwed until it’s properly treated

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