ACORN renters union says there should be financial consequences for landlords who refuse to deal with mould and damp in their properties.
Most of the cases they deal with relate to this issue, and they claim they’re receiving calls on a weekly basis. Dan Snipes, who works for the union, said there is often tension between renters and landlords over who should be removing the mould.
For Dan the issue is simple, he said “there is someone responsible for that, at the end of the day, and it’s usually the person getting the money.”
He said he has experience with this in his own rental home. One of their rooms is apparently “completely unusable” because of mould. He believes this is a result of the way the property was built.
Dan says he and his partner have tried everything to clear it and it was very expensive, with purchases like sprays and dehumidifiers.
“We are paying a lot of money for rent where we live. We both work long hard hours and a lot of our money is going towards this.”
According to ACORN, 40% of rented accomodation in Cardiff has damp and mould problems.
Dan added, “having to deal with the stress of that, having to deal with the cost of it, and the physical effect it has on your health, is normalised to the point where it really shouldn’t be.”
He said he would like to see landlords funding the clear up, rather than leaving it to their tenants. If those don’t work, then he said the structural problems with the properties should be dealt with.
In cases where property owners continue to neglect maintenance issues, Dan said “financial penalties are probably the best thing for landlords.”
Government guidance is that tenants are entitled to repairs for issues with damp and mould. Landlords are obliged to provide homes that are fit to live in and don’t pose a threat to health.
Dan said ACORN has won several cases in the past with damp and mould issues for their members.