As editor of ByeMould.com I have read a lot of blogs, forums and articles about mould. It seems to me that the portion of the population with the largest mould problems are tenants.
My biggest concern is that tenants are uneducated regarding mould problems so I contacted leading industry experts to see if my views were supported.
As anticipated all respondents stated that most, if not all, tenants are unaware of the relative humidity (RH) levels of their property. This is true until black mould appears at which point the tenant may realise that the humidity levels are too high. Mould generally grows at 68% RH whilst healthy RH levels of a home should be around 55% during normal temperatures or even 45%-50% when it is freezing outside.
At ByeMould.com we recommend that tenants check their current properties, and any new properties that they may move into, with a simple hygrometer
All respondents were also in agreement that a dehumidifier could help when mould problems occur. As mentioned above mould occurs at 68% RH. A dehumidifier brings the RH down to healthy levels thus preventing mould of the ability to grow.
Two respondents commented that a dehumidifier should only be used if the properties are properly ventilated. We are in agreement with this however tenants may block the vents or dry clothing indoors which leads to excess moisture in the property.
Finally we asked if the respondents would recommend ByeMould.com to landlords and tenants. 7 respondents replied that they would. 2 respondents daid that they may refer people to ByeMould. Of course these people had not heard of ByeMould previously so it is no surprise that they took a cautious stand.
The consensus of particpants were that tenants were largely uneducated about mould issues and that a dehumidifier could help them combat mould. Read more about mould and rental properties here.
ByeMould would like to thank the following property experts for participating:
