Mould - DIY Fix or Mould Specialist ?

[Hobieyak]

Tenant in my 3 bed house reported a mould problem in the south facing bedrooms a couple of months back. The house is probably 30 yrs old, brick veneered and built on piers. The soil in the sub floor area was damp so I put in drains along the southern (high) side and improved the underfloor ventilation (basically replaced a number of bricks with grates). The subfloor now appears to be completely dry. I'm also in the process of installing both ceiling and subfloor insulation.

I had a mould specialist inspect the place and they have produced a report recommending a range of measures, i.e.
Installation of sub floor ventilation fans;
treatment of internal surfaces and furniture;
structural drying of southern walls;
fogging of entire house to kill spores;
fogging of subfloor cavity to kill spores;

This would add up to a hefty cost ($2.5 to $3K) and I'm wondering if its really worth it. I noticed some posts where people have had success with DIY measures such are paining with Dulix mouldshield.

I am interested to know if any forum members have also experienced this dilemma and what their experiences were.

Thanks.

 

[Angel]

I would agree that repainting with mould resistant paint is a positive measure, but only after you have completely eradicated the mould in the first instance. You have to completely get rid of the spores or the mould will just return.

 

[Sez]

I second that Angel, if the spores haven't been killed then you're spending a lot of money for the mould to come back. The professional mould companies are better able to ensure all spores are killed then any DIY measures.

I would recommend a DIY approach for smaller and more common mould issues such as a bathroom ceiling with no exhaust fan that wasn't painted with a mould resistant paint . Sounds like yours is fairly large scale.

 

[Scott_Snap]

Back in the mould guy. You have made good progress with the drains and vents it may be enough but you will not really know till you have dried and treated the areas. Problem with the paints it's only on one side and the spores will be in the cavity's and void areas so mould happily growing away and releasing more spores for later. If the structural frames are still damp internally you will get fungus growing and rot on the wood and that will in time be a lot more that than 2.5 K to replace the timber in the walls. At the end of the day mould can kill so I would ask if you would let your kids sleep in that room after the DIY or would you rather a professional do it before they did.

 

[KathrynF]

Mould is an investors worst nightmare.

Tenants can be really precious about it and if not treated properly, you could be facing civil action by your tenants claiming that their health etc has been compromised.

A handyman I know was called in to a property to clean mould off, he wore the protective gear etc etc and he ended up in hospital with a Staph infection from the mould spores. Apparently.

There's a real grey area on mould for legislation but I think it's best to cover your bottom and do it properly. That way if anybody ever tried to make a claim against you, you have that thorough work to prove that you remedied the problem.

All of the best. I hope you get it sorted quickly and with not a lot of expense.

 

[Propertunity]

Common household vinegar is supposed to kill mould spores - and its dirt cheap.

 

[Scott_Snap]

Vinegar will kill some moulds and mosses great for cleaning paths and pavers. I have never figured out how to get down the 40mm wide cavity in the house tho

 

[abra]

Mould is a problem in the area I live even with cross ventilation. I ended up searching the net and found a product called curtain magic mould remover. I have used the product on five different houses (ceilings and walls) and also on curtains. Not to sure what is in it but the mould does in fact disappear with no scrubbing. Heavier mould staining might take a second dose. Hasn't come back so far (6 months).

 

[moridog]

Read Shannon Lushs advice about mould. She recommends oil of clovesfor mould spores in showers for example. interior condensation, use sticks of chalk in the runners of sliding windows. Low cost strategies that are well worth a try, good luck.

 

[Scott No Mates]

Read Shannon Lushs advice about mould. She recommends oil of clovesfor mould spores in showers for example. interior condensation, use sticks of chalk in the runners of sliding windows. Low cost strategies that are well worth a try, good luck.

Eye of toad, ear of newt etc.

 

[moridog]

All good frugal, environmental, non toxic, tips. Newts eyes have to be extracted though.............

 

[crest133]

Mould is an investors worst nightmare.

Tenants can be really precious about it and if not treated properly, you could be facing civil action by your tenants claiming that their health etc has been compromised.

We're all precious about our health, especially those who have suffered ill health. Tenants deserve and have the enforceable legal right to live in a healthy environment free of the danger of mould induced infection especially killers and maimers like staph. This condescending attitude to mould, health and "precious" tenants could use a checkup quite frankly. If a tenant makes a health claim, it could be backed up by medical evidence to prove their suffering, which could be ongoing for years of compensation, so try to think about human safety and avoiding suffering before your precious investment vanishes with their precious health.
Cheers
crest133

 

[impala67]

Had my unit treated and fogged, some structural repairs done, dehumidifier installed (or is about to, arrives tomorrow) all by a professional, and a new bathroom fan installed. The report suggested all the above, also I looked online with the REA to get the same suggested dehumidifier $100+ cheaper.

The tenant tried to treat it for two months+ with DIY measures already mentioned, but never brought it to my agent's or my attention, and wanted to walk away from lease after seeking advice (previous tenant never raised any problems in a full 14 month lease previous to current one).

All resolved now within a month since raised (reliant on tradespeople). That was/is my only experience with it Hobieyak.

I would go off the recommendation of the professional, case to case via their report. I'm sure their report would be quite detailed as mine was. Good luck with it all.

 

[Hobieyak]

Thanks Impala67 and everyone else for feedback

The drainage, ventilation and insulation work (both ceiling and subfloor) appears to be having an effect. Tenant has reported no further incidents of mould and the dehumidifier I supplied is now only extracting half the amount of moisture it was earlier. Tenant also reports the house is warmer and has less condensation evident on windows in the morning.

Still a little undecided about the fogging - if there were mould spores still present shouldn't we be seeing some evidence of them on walls, etc. ?

I'm willing to spend more money if its necessary - but I'm wary about some of the sales pitches I got from mould specialist who obviously want to sell their product.

My tenant is happy with this approach and has agreed to try oil of cloves as part of the normal cleaning process.

 

[8fold]

Hi all,
I have a mould problem in my PPOR, can anyone share a good effective de-humidifier? My daughter suffers from asthma and its a constant battle to keep the mould under control (although as mentioned above clove oil seems to do a search and destroy on it).

Thanks
Scott

 

[flyhere]

mould is an investors worst nightmare.

Tenants can be really precious about it and if not treated properly, you could be facing civil action by your tenants claiming that their health etc has been compromised.

A handyman i know was called in to a property to clean mould off, he wore the protective gear etc etc and he ended up in hospital with a staph infection from the mould spores. Apparently.

There's a real grey area on mould for legislation but i think it's best to cover your bottom and do it properly. That way if anybody ever tried to make a claim against you, you have that thorough work to prove that you remedied the problem.

All of the best. I hope you get it sorted quickly and with not a lot of expense.

Ｔｈａｎｋｓ　ａ　ｌｏｔ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｇｒｅａｔ　ａｄｖｉｃｅ！

Ｍｙ　ｉｎｖｅｓｔｍｅｎｔ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｉｎ　Ｐｅｒｔｈ　ｉｓ　ｃｕｒｒｅｎｔｌｙ　ｓｕｆｆｆｅｒｉｎｇ　ｓｅｒｉｏｕｓ　ｍｏｕｌｄｓ　ｂｕｉｌｔ　ｕｐ　ｂｙ　ｔｅｎａｎｔ，　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ｍｅｎｔｉｏｎ　ｉｔ　ｔｏ　ｍｙ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｍａｎａｇｅｒ　ｓｅｖｅｒａｌ　ｔｉｍｅｓ，　ｔｈｅ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　ｔｉｍｅ　ｓｈｅ　ｓｕｇｇｅｓｔｅｄ　ｍｙｓｅｌｆ　ｔｏ　ｇｅｔ　ａ　ｈａｎｄｙｍａｎ　ｔｏ　ｃｈｅｃｋ　ｉｆ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｗａｓ　ａｎｙ　ｌｅａｋｉｎｇ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｏｏｆ　ｃａｕｓｅｄ　ｍｏｕｌｄｓ　ｏｎ　ｃｅｉｌｉｎｇｓ，　ａｌｓｏ　ｓｈｅ　ｓｕｇｇｅｓｔｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｒｅｐａｉｎｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｅｉｌｉｎｇｓ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｗａｔｅｒ　ｒｅｓｉｓｔｅｎｔ　ｐａｉｎｔ，　ｉｆ　ｓｕｃｈ　ｉｓｓｕｅｓ　ａｐｐｅａｒｅｄ　ａｇａｉｎ　ｉｎ　ｆｕｔｕｒｅ，　ｔｈｅｎ　ｉｔ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｎａｎｔｓ　ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｉｂｉｌｉｔｙ　ｔｏ　ｆｉｘ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｕｌｄ，　ｂｕｔ　Ｉ　ｎｅｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｄｏ　ｉｔ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｎａｎｔｓ．

Ｉ　ａｇｒｅｅｄ，　ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｈａｎｄｙｍａｎ　ｔｏｌｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｍａｎａｇｅｒ　ｔｈａｔ　ｈｅ　ｄｉｄ　ｎｏｔ　ｂｅｌｉｅｖｅ　ａｎｙ　ｌｅａｋｓ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｏｏｆ　ａｔ　ａｌｌ，　ｈｅ　ｔｈｏｕｇｈｔ　ｗａｓ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｖｅｎｔｉｌａｔｉｏｎ．

Ｔｈｉｓ　ｔｉｍｅ　Ｉ　ｔｏｌｄ　ｍｙ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｍａｎａｇｅｒ　ｔｈａｔ　Ｉ　ａｃｔｕａｌｌｙ　ａｓｋｅｄ　ｍｙ　ｇｕｔｔｅｒ　ｃｌｅａｎｅｒ　ｔｏ　ｃｈｅｃｋ　ｉｆ　ａｎｙ　ｌｅａｋｉｎｇ　ｔｉｌｅｓ　ｅｔｃ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｆｉｘｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｅ　ｗｈｅｎ　ｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ｄｏｉｎｇ　ｇｕｔｔｅｒ　ｃｌｅａｎｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｅ，　ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｇｕｔｔｅｒ　ｃｌｅａｎｅｒ　ｓｅｎｔ　ｍｅ　ａ　ｒｅｐｏｒｔ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｎｏｎｅ　ｌｅａｋｉｎｇ　ｔｉｌｅｓ．　Ｓｏ　ｈｅｒ　ｈａｎｄｙｍａｎ　ｐｒｏｖｅｄ　ａｇａｉｎ　ｎｏｎｅ　ｌｅａｋｓ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｏｏｆ，　ｎｏｗ　ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｉｂｉｌｉｔｙ　ｔｏ　ｆｉｘ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｕｌｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｅ．

Ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｍａｎａｇｅｒ　ｔｏｌｄ　ｍｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｎａｎｔ　ｋｅｐｔ　ｃｌｅａｎｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　ｄａｍａｇｅｄ　ｃｅｉｌｉｎｇｓ，　ｔｈｅ　ｅｘｈａｕｓｔ　ｆａｎ　ｏｎ，　ｄｏｏｒ　ｏｐｅｎ，　ｗｉｎｄｏｗ　ｏｐｅｎ，　ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｕｌｄ　ｓｔｉｌｌ　ｃａｍ　ｂａｃｋ　ａｌｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｉｍｅ．

Ａｆｔｅｒ　ｒｅａｄｉｎｇ　ａ　ｆｅｗ　ａｒｔｉｃｌｅｓ　ｈｅｒｅ，　Ｉ　ｒｅａｌｉｚｅｄ　Ｉ　ｈａｄ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｎｄ　ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ　ｅｍａｉｌ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ＰＭ　ａｎｄ　ＢＣＣ　ｈｅｒ　ｂｏｓｓ，　ｔｏ　ｌｅｔ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｋｎｏｗ　ｓｕｃｈ　ｍｏｕｌｄｓ　ｉｎｓｉｄｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｈａｄ　ｂｅｎｎ　ｂｕｉｌｔ　ｕｐ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｔｏｉｌｅｔ　ｃｅｉｌｉｎｇ　ｏｎｌｙ　ｄａｔｅｄ　２５Ｆｅｂ　２０１４　ｎｏｗ　ｅｘｔｅｎｄｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｂａｔｈｒｏｏｍ　ｃｅｉｌｉｎｇ　ａｎｄ　ｂｅｄｒｏｏｍ　ｏｎｅ　ｃｅｉｌｉｎｇ　ｆｒｏｍ　２３　Ｊｕｎ　２０１４　ｉｎｓｐｅｃｔｉｏｎ　ｒｅｐｏｒｔ．

Ｉ　ａｔｔａｃｈｅｄ　ａ　ｓｐｒｅａｄ　ｓｈｅｅｔ　ｃｏｍｐａｒｉｎｇ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｅｉｌｉｎｇｓ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｇｏｏｄ　ｃｌｅａｎ　ｔｏ　ｂｅ　ｄａｍａｇｅｄ　ｉｎ　ｗｈｉｃｈ　ａｒｅａ　ａｎｄ　ｗｈａｔ　ｔｉｍｅ，　ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｗｅｒｅ　ａｌｌ　ｉｎ　ｇｏｏｄ　ｃｌｅａｎ　ｃｏｎｄｉｔｉｏｎ　ｂｅｆｏｒｅ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｍｏｖｅｄ　ｉｎ．

Ａｌｓｏ，　Ｉ　ｔｏｌｄ　ＰＭ　ｔｈａｔ　ｓｈｅ　ｓｈｏｕｌｄ　ｇｅｔ　ａ　ｐｒｏｆｅｓｓｉｏｎａｌ　ｍｏｕｌｄ　ｔｒａｄｅ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｎａｎｔ　ｔｏ　ｇｅｔ　ｒｉｄ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｕｌｄ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｍｙ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｗｉｔｈｏｕｔ　ａｎｙ　ｄｅｌａｙ，　Ｉ　ｄｏ　ｎｏｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ｉｔ　ｇｒｏｗｉｎｇ　ｆｕｔｔｈｅｒ　ａｎｄ　ｆｕｒｔｈｅｒ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｗｈｏｌｅ　ｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｙ　ｆｏｒ　ｈｅａｌｔｈ　ｒｅａｓｏｎ，　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｉｔ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｇｅｔ　ｍｅ　ｃｏｍｐｌａｉｎｔ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｆｕｔｕｒｅ　ｔｅｎａｎｔ　ａｎｄ　ｂｉｇ　ｍｏｎｅｙ　ｌｏｓｓ　ｔｏ　ｆｉｘ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍ　ａｎｄ　ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｂａｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｕｒｒｅｎｔ　ｔｅｎａｎｔ　ｈｅａｌｔｈ　ｔｏｏ．

Ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｅａｎｔｉｍｅ　Ｉ　ｔｏｌｄ　ＰＭ，　ｗｈｅｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｌｅａｓｅ　ｅｘｐｉｒｅｓ，　ｎｏ　ｍｏｒｅ　ｅｘｔｅｎｄｓ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅｍ，　ａｎｄ　ｉｆ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｃａｎｎｏｔ　ｆｉｘ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍｓ，　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｎａｎｔ　ｃａｎｎｔ　ｇｅｔ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｂｏｎｄ　ｂａｃｋ．

Ｈｏｐｅｆｕｌｌｙ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｄｏ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｔｉｍｅ，　ｎｏｔ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｔｏ　ｐｌｅａｓｅ　ｍｙ　ｔｅｎａｎｔｓ．

 

[Sez]

The mould started in the toilet and spread to the bathroom and you want to blame your tenants? Glad I don't rent from you!!

Mould is a result of moisture, it is pretty hard for tenants to cause the kind of mould you are describing. There are LOTS of causes of mould. As the handyman said - ventilation (this is your responsibility not the tenants) I have also seen houses where the roof tiles were so old with no maintenance done on them (I would hazard a guess that this may be the case here) that they are soaking up any rain, this then soaks through to any insulation in the roof which then sits on the ceiling space and causes mould.

Get a professional to inspect and report on the cause of the mould. If it turns out to be the tenants fault then charge them, otherwise, it sounds like something you should be taking care of immediately to prevent further damage to your property and potentially having to pay your tenants compensation for not meeting your legal obligations as a landlord.

 

[vaughan]

The mould started in the toilet and spread to the bathroom and you want to blame your tenants? Glad I don't rent from you!!...

I've got mould complaints from my tenants. I went around recently to do some repairs, and the whole time I was there the place had all windows closed despite people being home and it being a nice day.

So yeah, it can be the tenant's fault.

 

[Sez]

I agree that tenants can exacerbate the problem by not doing the right things but it is normally because of an underlying cause that the mould is there. I actually have a letter that I send out to tenants after a routine inspection if there is mould in the property detailing the correct steps to take to remedy the mould problem and if it continues to let us know so we can investigate any underlying causes. It puts some responsibility back on them but I think LL's also need to know that 9 times out of 10 the tenant isn't actually the cause of the problem.

 

[moridog]

My Daughter and partner have just left their (new) apartment rental following end of lease. There was a terrible mould issue there, all her clothes and shoes were covered in mould. They rented from the owner who subsequently engaged a PM, they consistently blamed them for it, at one point telling them not to use a heater, ever. I told them it sounded like a structural issue, the builder came out a couple of times and told the owner it was their fault, dunno how. Finally, they sent a painter out to paint over it, he mentioned as he left that now he was off to paint the others in the complex too. Another non toxic tip for condensation on window frames, put a stick of chalk in the runner of the window, it will absorb the moisture, put it in the sun to dry it out and reuse.