Water Damage to carpets

[shaleejam]

After waiting 8 days for a plumber to fix a blocked laundry sink our washing machine overflowed and soaked the carpet at the entrance and also went through to the room next door and a cupboard adjoining the laundry.

It has all dried, the blockage fixed after some harsh words with agent (we are renters) and there is no noticeable marking on carpets - however I am really worried about the possibility of mould growing underneath.

Do I just leave it now, the agent is not overly concerned but did suggest we take photos. If mould grew later on could we be held responsible even if we are no longer tenants in this property.

We have no way of knowing if the land owner knows or even needs to??

 

[Goofy]

generally speaking the carpets should be ok. Just keep an eye on the affected areas.

As long as you have everything documented in writing then the agent wouldn't be able to hold you responsible at the end of the tenancy. If the situation to date has only been handled verbally then i would be shooting the PM and email detailing the full situation so that it is on record for the future

 

[K4K4M]

(we are renters)

If I remeber correctly you had problems with you rooftop antenne some time ago and you could not watch the TV AT ALL. Thanks to NBN.
Now you have this water worries - time to chage the prop.....

And Goofy has said well reg your current problem.

 

[Ausprop]

apparantly that mould can be seriously bad for you?!

 

[Mick C]

Carpet mould is one of the deadliest mould type; can cause a lot of respiratory and flu type problems....given that the mould is on dirty old carpets....

If the carpet has been soaking wet- you can not just leave it there and hope it dries....you have to lift it up and let it breathe + dry in the sun....

Just note carpet mould are hard to see- as you walk on it everyday so it doesn't give time for the mould to "cluster" but trust me it's there if it does form....it normally smells!

Not trying to scare you or anything, but when i worked in insurance claims...i seen plenty of carpet mould and it arn't pretty...

Regards
Michael

 

[Doovalacky]

I've found running a wet vac over the carpet to suck out the water really helps.
Had one of those flexible hose under a sink fail in ENS.

Then keep the room warm with some ventilation. Did take about 2 days but it was fully dry.

 

[shaleejam]

Thank you for the responses, yes we did have problems with the arial and other issues too but none of them were the agents fault as the house is new and the builders have taken care of fixing things, however the flooding laundry was something the agent was aware of but didn't get around to organising a plumber for us.

There is a chance we won't need to renew our lease thankfully.

I have taken photos and printed off the emails I sent informing the agent of the issues.

I hope the mould will not be a problem for future tenants (healthwise) and also for the landlord (who seems like a very reasonable person) but in the meantime if we notice a smell we will let the agent know.

Thank you again

 

[shaleejam]

Hi I am looking for some more advice regarding this issue that happened a few months ago, the carpets dried nicely and there are no marks but the inside of a linen cupboard where the water leaked into is now starting to smell as the weather warms.

We are moving out in 3 weeks, have taken photos of the water logged carpets and kept all email correspondence regarding the situation.

Should we ring and inform the agent about the smell? Can we be held accountable for the carpet replacement if it is from mould?

Any advice on how to remove the smell?

thank you for any advice that can be offered.

 

[petalop]

You might get the carpets steam cleaned and deodorised. Sprinkle bi carb on the carpets in the meantime, which should absorb the odour.

 

[Sez]

Try putting a disposable moisture absorber pack in the cupboard in question and yes, tell the agent. As the water leak wasn't actually your fault I think you would find it very, very unlikely that you would be held accountable! If the agent tries I think tribunal would rip the PM to shreads and then throw the case out. Inform your PM in writing, keep a copy for your records. Bi carb works really, really well on carpets!!

 

[lizzie]

Is there a possibility of their still being a leak somewhere?

I am surprised that after 3 months of "drying" the inside of the cupboard is smelling of damp. Usually only get the smell if damp/moist air is a continuous problem.