Sydney renters forking out thousands of dollars to deal with horror mould
Sydneysiders are living in dangerous mould-ridden homes amid the city’s rental crisis, forking out thousands of dollars to manage the mess.
NSW
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Sydneysiders are living in dangerous mould-infested homes amid the city’s rental crisis, forking out thousands of dollars to manage the mess themselves, with no help from their landlords.
Locals are living in harmful, mouldy homes, with the tight rental market seeing many choose to stay instead of joining the struggle to find another property.
Summer Hill resident Craig Michaels said his electricity bill skyrocketed by 85 per cent to $2400 a year as a result of running dehumidifiers in his home, which he claimed were installed to combat a mould infestation and flooding throughout the property.
“My bill says it should be a five-person house, but it’s just me – $694 for a quarter,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“The dehumidifier has 15 litres of water a day and I have to have the aircon going non-stop … I’ve had breathing difficulties, it’s really limited what I can actually do and it’s had a big effect on my livelihood.”
Former North Parramatta resident Taela Salton said she had no option but to leave her apartment due to water damage and mould.
“Every single time it rained, it would pour out from the top of the window and all through my bedroom,” she said.
“The only thing they (the property agent) said was to ‘put towels down’.
“Even the skirting was getting damaged, that had mould through it because it was consistent damage. You’re breathing that in, night after night, and wet carpet. It was not nice.”
Former Hurstville reisdent Lauren Hoad said her previous rental was “full of mould and the ceiling was completely black”. “I continued to complain directly to the landlord who said ‘it’s an old house, what do you expect?’,” Ms Hoad said. “I used to wake up with headaches every day.”
Mould spores can cause health problems if inhaled by people who are sensitive or allergic to them. NSW government advice warns tenants dealing with mould to “never dry brush a mouldy area or item of clothing as this can release spores into the air that spread the mould further and can cause an allergic reaction”.
Tenants’ Union of NSW chief executive Leo Patterson Ross said minimum standards should apply to rentals before a tenant can move in.
“There are two problems. Our minimum standards don’t address mould directly. They talk about ventilation, windows have to be waterproof, but fixing mould directly isn’t mentioned and the background problem is those standards only apply once you’ve entered into a tenancy contract,” Mr Patterson Ross said.
“In renting, you move in and the second before you sign the agreement none of those standards apply and you become the person who has to enforce it. Minimum standards should apply to a rental property before a tenant moves in and they should be checked by a third party.”
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Originally published as Sydney renters forking out thousands of dollars to deal with horror mould
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