ᐅ Moisture Issues in Basement Apartment

Created on: 20 Aug 2017 13:26
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R.Hotzenplotz
Hello,

my tenant sent me the following photo from my basement apartment. Apparently, there are moisture problems.

This concerns an exterior wall.

What is the correct procedure here (four-family house with four owners)? Should I first hire a building expert at my own expense to determine the cause (it could also be due to incorrect ventilation, etc.)?

How would you proceed in this situation?

Moisture and mold on interior wall corner next to electrical outlet
A
aero2016
21 Aug 2017 19:54
Proving a tenant has "ventilated incorrectly" is likely to be quite difficult. As far as I know, the prevailing judicial opinion is that normal ventilation should be sufficient. If moisture still accumulates, it means the wall is not insulated well enough. Basically imposing a ventilation plan on tenants is nearly impossible nowadays, unless the tenant is cooperative.
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Steffen80
21 Aug 2017 19:56
tomtom79 schrieb:
Never tilt windows open.
At least 3 times a day, open all windows fully to create a cross breeze.
Room temperature must be at least 19 degrees Celsius (66°F), so cold sleepers might have problems here.

Again and again this myth... funny that we have NEVER had mold problems. We NEVER ventilate with short blasts and like to dry laundry indoors (which makes the air quite humid).

No sorry... but that’s nonsense! To actually cause mold yourself, you really have to be careless...
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R.Hotzenplotz
21 Aug 2017 19:57
That would mean the apartment is practically unrentable, or you have to jump through hoops every time someone doesn’t cooperate...
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ypg
21 Aug 2017 19:57
R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
He doesn’t heat in the summer.

You can’t blame him for that. Who does?
But don’t let it cool down in spring — not going from 0 to 100 suddenly — that’s understandable...

Good luck!
tomtom7921 Aug 2017 19:57
Well, in summer you don’t need to heat since it’s already above 19°C (66°F), but warm air holds a lot of moisture, and that needs to be regularly ventilated.
You’ll definitely notice this once you get the screed installed.
And yes, tenants can be very, very demanding—that was also one reason I decided to sell my condominium.
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R.Hotzenplotz
21 Aug 2017 20:00
I have now told him to do quick ventilation three times a day. Hopefully, he will follow that.

However, he wasn't pleased about not leaving the windows on tilt anymore.