Noisy Neighbours, Dampness & Mold

[Blue Crystal]

The landlords ( 2 partners ) omitted information about very noisy neighbours. My flat is a semi-basement. It is in underground on the side of the street but has access to a bent garden on the opposite side. On the first floor, right on the top of my flat there is a framing shop with a very noisy owner who drags heavy equipment and material and hammers its frames. As if it was not enough, the next shop, in the left side, is a butcher one. Its workers keep chopping bony meat with continuous noisy blows.

 

The flat does not have proper insulation against damp and as result the wooden floor is distorted ( due the expansion that damp causes in wood ) and form a huge bump in the middle that encompasses the entire extension of the living room. When I visited the flat in the first time before deciding to rent it, the bump was covered by a big removable carpet so I could not notice it. By the way, later on, I found out that the carpet had an unbearable smell of mold ( I had to remove it [ because I could not sleep in the night ], folded it and stored it in the small hall that access my flat. I also found out that most of the kitchen shelves have strong smell of mold as well so I cannot use most of them because it would spoil my food and cutlery.

 

I also found out that the landlords painted over the toilet walls to hide the mold but it showed up just few weeks after I moved in the flat. Mold was also found in the wall behind the bed and close to the floor. The internal dampness worsens each time it runs outside. A further indication that there is not proper insulation against dampness is that frequently I find snails wandering inside my toilet ( which is deep inside my flat and far away from the garden ) ! The only explanation for them is that there must be some channel or pipe underneath the floor that goes from the garden to the toilet which is either broken, has a gap or is plain open.

 

Since a have ulcerative colitis which bleeds frequently, my sleeping gets interrupted in the middle because I have to go to the toilet and then I take about one to four hour to sleep again. As result, frequently, I need to complement my sleeping up to midday. Due to unbearable noise of the neighbors it is impossible to do so which seriously worsen my health condition.

 

In short, I am in a living hell !!!

 

I would like to know if such awful living conditions allow me to terminate the rent agreement before its term.

 

Thank you in advance.

Edited July 28, 2010 by Blue Crystal

[Blue Crystal]

Gosh, is this question so difficult ?

[Aviva]

Did you really rent a property below a shop that makes frames and didn't think there would be any noise?

 

Shops and businesses can be very noisy during the day and anyone that needs to sleep during the day should not rent a property above, below or beside them. From what you have posted this sounds like regular noise that occurs from these businesses and so would not be seen as nuisance noise. This is not a reason for you to terminate your tenancy early.

 

Here is a link that gives advice about repairs in private lets. There is plenty of info on what you should do if your landlord does not want to carry out repairs and disrepair.

 

Shelter England - Repairs in private lets

[patrickq1]

just be careful not to disturb any black spores you know the ones that go all furry,as these spores are very very dangerous when released into the air and the damage to your imune system is serious, if you start feeling lethargic and listless tiredness and miserable, go see a doctor and explain you think it may be a result of these spores also you need to ask the council to send the enviromental health to come and inspect your apartment, i do not mean to scaremonger you but this black mold is dangerous ,

patrickq1

so see the council rent officer and they can then make moves in getting the landlord to put things right

[Blue Crystal]

Patrickq1 and Aviva, thank you to you both.