Mould issue in new apartment

We moved in to a brand new apartment almost three months ago, and for the last two months mould as been growing in the bedroom and wardrobe.
There are small patches on the ceiling, but my biggest issue is mould growing on clothes in the wardrobe. It is starting to grow on everything.
I plan to take everything out, wash all the clothes, clean the wardrobe and put DampRid or similar in the wardrobe. Does anyone else have any experience with similar issues?

I believe there is a ventilation issue in the room, as every morning the window is so wet from condensation pools of water form on the window sill. This happens regardless of whether we sleep in the room at night or whether the we have the airconditioner on (cooling). There are no heat sources in the room (other than my partner and I). Would running a dehumidifier in the room reduce the issue?

34 (2) by Art Vandelay posted 2nd Oct, 2015 at 4:24 PM

34 (3) by Art Vandelay posted 2nd Oct, 2015 at 4:24 PM

 

We can't access the photos Art.

This may be due to a defect in the building eg membrane failure & covered by warranty.

 

In Brisbane @wylie
We own the apartment and have raised it as a defect with our solicitor who has passed it on to the developer.. no word back yet. Original defects list was issue over 2 months ago with no actions to date, a second update that included the mould issue was issued 3 weeks ago now.
Also attached a photo of a pair of jeans that I took out of the wardrobe this morning.
We've also raised it with the onsite manager. No other mould issues have been reported, however he has said he will raise it with the builders.
Disclaimer - we definitely don't live like pigs .. we're both neat freaks and the mould is obviously a massive issue for us.

IMG_20151002_173822332 by Art Vandelay posted 2nd Oct, 2015 at 5:44 PM

 

I had a similiar mould issue in a rental years ago. When it had been had renovated, they had bricked up the ventilation under the house and we were unknowingly living above a mini lake. Mould grew on clothes, on the bed linen, over stereo speakers - everything! The biggest thing was the constant sore throat we had. We were very unwell for the months we lived with mould. Definitely agree with @wylie - get onto it and push the health perspective!

 

Talk to the neighbours around your apartment to see if they have the same problem.

 

Thanks for the replies.

We have followed up again with our solicitor. If we don't get an acceptable response back from the builder/their solicitor, we will follow up with the builder directly. Failing this we will get the QBCC involved.
Will post the outcome once it's resolved.

 

I have same issue (only in one of the smaller rooms) at my current place that I am renting ....

Throughout the recent winter months, mould grew heavily at the bottom of one of the walls, some patches in one corner of the ceiling and in a few lugage bags kept in the wardrobe..... havent checked the clothing, but will do so today...

I thought the mould occurred because of no ventilation in the room and kept the only window mostly closed due to the cold winds....

I cleaned up all the mould twice during the winter by scrubbing the walls using Dettol Surface Spray (transparent) and kitchen towel.... Fortunately, the wall paint is good and allows easy cleaning....

But cleaning the luggage bags is hard, as mould is sticking onto the luggage hard cloth surface...

Glad that I came across this thread....

I will raise the issue with my landlord, though I am anyways moving out in couple of months....

 

Sad to hear about this, unfortunately it is going to spread and become dangerous, I have a 'mould and spore eradication company' in Brisbane. We see this so often , there is only one reason why it's happening to you , your apartment has no ventilation causing dampness for mould to grow on, if possible open all windows and doors as often as possible, I hope they have security screens, and security doors, to prevent dampness the property needs air circulation, if this is impossible to do, I would with a group of you contact the builder and engineer, unfortunately there is no laws about installing ventilation BAB call ventilation windows. I wouldn't use a dehumidifier, heater is better, however you probably live in a warm climate. In Qld dampness in properties is caused by humidity mainly moist damp air, and this needs to escape, in winter also there is condensation, if it's on your windows it would be on the walls plus. With the clothes it would be on all of them it shows up more on darker clothes.

You could have the property professionally cleaned by a mould expert, however if ventilation doesn't occur new mould will form.

Diane

 

Just had a look at the pictures - I have concerns about moisture in the walls / floor through a fault. You need to get a claim up against the builder asap. The builder needs to be notified within 3 months (under the defects).

They need to put a moisture meter on the wall and floor.

 

Check if your a air con has a dehumidifier setting, might help a fraction. I would be escalating this so fast, your health is critical. Mould does some bad stuff!!!

 

that's a terrible mould problem. A dehumidifier would definitely help as will opening a window even slightly at night. I would keep the window open and wardrobe door open whenever you can. Make sure there is a bit of room for air to flow between your hanging clothes. Take lots of photos and keep hassling the PM to sort the problem out.

 

could be many issues, a leaking pipe which can also cause allergies. I had one leaking AC and had to get the installer back to rectify.

you need to check the ceiling in btw the plasterboard and the concrete above - it is possible that the duct for the bathroom or the rangehood just goes into the ceiling as opposed to a dedicated outlet. I have seen it before in many places where they take shortcuts.

 

Steve from Ausinspect has a device that he uses to check for water damage - some kind of thermal inspection tool. Maybe give him a call if you're in Sydney.

Probably best to check with your neighbours too next door and above to see if they have the same problem.