What are management co responsible for

[ULS]

Hey I have just been up to my rental property to find a corner of one of the rooms is damp, mouldy,black and cracking in places.

This has only appeared in the last week. I called in upstairs and there is no leaking that I can see from upstairs. The problem area is on an external wall and the bathroom and kitchen for my apartment is on the far side of the apartment so it is not coming from there.

I phoned my management company and surprisingly enough they fobbed me off and told me that it was internal so not their problem. I feel that it is either coming from outside ot the upstairs apartment as I have checked out the obvious places from my apartment. The management company told me they would see if they might be able to check it out! I did phone them on Friday evening at 6pm which was the time I found the problem which was just unfortunate.

My question is who is responsible to check this out and where do I go from here? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[shesells]

I guess you phoned your management agent? As an owner you're part of the management company that employ the agent to manage day to day running of the development.

Is there anything obvious from outside that room on the external wall? If so then it's a management company issue as long as it's not an overflow from your apartment. If there isn't my guess, is it has to do with poor ventilation and is an internal issue and thus your responsibility.

 

[gladiator]

Is your Builder registered with the Homebond Guarantee scheme.

Homebond is a service provided by the National House Building Guarantee Company Ltd which offers added security in the form of specific guarantees to purchasers of new privately built homes.

Homebond provides 3 principal guarantees:

1…Your home against major structural defects for 10 years
2…Your home against water and smoke penetration for the
first 2 years of the warranty period.
3…Protection against loss of deposit or stage payments before
your new home is completed.

These guarantees are only available through builders registered with the National House Building Guarantee Co Ltd

 

[Yorrick]

Shesells mentions poor ventilation as a cause and that is possible particularly if tenants leave the house during the day and have a tumble dryer on or alternatively have a few showers in the morning and leave the house without a window being left open. These could cause the dampness, mustiness etc.
However if this is not occurring and you have eliminated othe internal possibilities it is an external problem which is the responsibility of the Management Committee. There could be some leakage from a flat roof or poor insulation on the chimney stack allowing rain to penetrate. Keeep a record of all actions. The cost of repainting etc could be the liability of the management Company. Unfortunately with this type of problem it can be very difficult to pinpoint where the water is entering.