Everyone is familiar with the heart-breaking stories of black mould causing serious illness, and even death. The UK’s ancient housing stock, and low standards of housing regulation (particularly in social housing) are regularly blamed. We are certainly not going to argue against these statements.
A lesser observed problem though, is lack of ventilation.
How important is ventilation? Here’s a real life example:
A 3 bedroom apartment (rental) was built in 2014. Regulations around insulation were pretty current. There were no issues with damp or mould for the first 10 years, and then new tenants moved in. Within weeks, mould appeared in the ensuite bathroom. A smell of gas was present. The tenants were (understandably) concerned.
After 2 very expensive plumber call outs, the problem was identified as a lack of ventilation in the ensuite. Some mould smells deceptively like gas, it turns out. But what had changed? Previous tenants had showered with the window open. They probably had less hot, shorter showers. The new tenants were showering with the door and window closed, and taking long and steamy showers.
Often there are simple fixes to problems, that cost nothing, or very little. Understanding the need for a property to breathe, and for everyday vapours to be allowed to exit the property through some form of ventilation can, in some cases, be enough to avoid mould developing.
If you are considering any form of wall ventilation it is even more important to understand how to effectively ventilate your home. Speak to your Retrofit Assessor in detail during your property survey for more information.