A landlord’s guide to managing black mould

• Before a new tenancy begins
• When new tenants move in or current tenants complain
• Upskill yourself with a Safeguard CPD Webinar 

Who is responsible for ensuring properties are free from condensation and damp – the landlord or the tenant? The 2022 PCA Property Care Conference answered resoundingly – “It’s never user error”. Likewise, the 2021 Housing Ombudsman Spotlight on: Damp and Mould announced “It’s not lifestyle”. The housing industry demands more and more accountability from private landlords. What more can you do?

You’ve done it all – installed window frame trickle vents, ensured that bathrooms and kitchens are fitted out with suitable ventilation and gave your tenants all the tips they can handle – “don’t dry clothes indoors”, “air out the bathroom after showering”, “make sure air can circulate the room”. Everything is up-to-code and the home is properly insulated. Yet as soon as the cold creeps in, the complaints roll in. 

There has been lots of chatter around the modern landlord’s approach to damp and mould remediation. Current professional guidance places the entirety of the blame for black mould problems squarely on housing providers. New build homes and homes retrofitted with insulation are much more heat efficient. With that heat retention comes the danger of excess condensation and black mould growth.

You need to equip yourself with everything you can to beat damp and mould. Here are two things you can do before and during tenancies to safeguard yourself from black mould complaints and run happy mould-free homes.

Most landlords find themselves making touch-ups around their properties during a tenant swap. When you break the paintbrush out next, attack condensation and black mould at the same time.

You want neutral-coloured paint that can take anything your tenants may throw at it. Your properties need resistance against condensation and biocidal protection against black mould growth for 5 years. 

Dryzone Mould-Resistant Emulsion Paint is formulated for use in high-condensation areas like bathrooms and kitchens. Mould spores are invisible and all around us. Even with ventilation, it’s impossible to eliminate black mould growth. Invisible spores are always around us and always grow with sufficient moisture. Dryzone Mould-Resistant Emulsion Paint contains a layer of biocidal protection thats eliminate mould spores when they settle.

Dryzone Mould-Resistant Emulsion Paint is available in Brilliant White and Magnolia. Want to use any other paint but still protect your properties? Add Dryzone ACS Anti-Mould Paint Additive to the paint of your choice and enjoy 5 years’ peace of mind against excess condensation and black mould growth.

Alternatively, Dryzone Anti-Condensation Paint has been engineered with glass microspheres that warm walls and decrease condensation. Apply in humid rooms like kitchens and bathrooms for maximum effect.

Get yours from Safeguard Store

Tenants want to know that you’re doing everything you can to support the maintenance of their homes. Black mould is harmful to health, and it can be alarming to see it growing on the walls of your home. 

At the first sign of black mould growth, most tenants run to the supermarket for the latest viral £1 mould killer. Cheap bleach-based liquid cleaners do a great job getting rid of black stains. But they don’t kill the underlying invisible growth and leave surfaces wet. Effectively, all you’re doing by using these cleaners is feeding future mould growth. 

Break the cycle of constant spot fixes with a combination removal and prevention spray treatment. Wherever black mould grows on walls, ceilings and skirting boards, use the Dryzone Mould Eliminator to clean away black mould and leave the surface blemish-free. Spray the Dryzone Mould Sanitiser over the surface to kill the underlying growth and keep it away for at least 6 months. 

The Dryzone solution to mould remediation is a preventative approach that saves expensive call-out costs and in-person arguments about the causes of damp. 

Dryzone Mould Resistant Paint and Additive both help to prevent excess condensation and mould growth across the entire property. Dryzone Mould Removal and Prevention Kit puts the power directly in the hands of your tenants to eradicate mould growth as soon as it appears. This treatment method is recommended by the Centre for Sustainable Energy for condensation, damp and mould. Don’t give worried tenants a reason to blame you for mould this winter.