Some apartment residents are faced with such an unpleasant problem as the appearance of fungal mold. It can occur due to malfunction of the ventilation system, excessive air humidity, or be the result of dishonest work of the housing and communal services service.
Fungus on the walls of a house is very dangerous for the human body . It can lead to various diseases. In this case, the question becomes relevant: if mold appears in the apartment, where to go?
What is mold and why is it dangerous?
Mold is a fungus that forms in places with concomitant favorable conditions, such as high humidity, lack of air access and elevated temperature.
Mold can form from spores, the so-called “seeds”. Such a “plant” covers the growing surface at lightning speed and can sometimes be very difficult to get rid of.
At first, mold is not dangerous to humans, but later it will be very difficult to remove. It will also increasingly influence human health. So, if you notice mold in your home, then you need to solve this problem as quickly as possible, and we will help you with this. In this article you will find up-to-date information about mold, how to deal with it and where to go in case of violation of operating rules and premises development.
You can try to solve the problem yourself
It is normal that a house is built in the rain and without a roof. Any house is built not in a month or two, but much longer. Of course, no one is protecting the floors from the rain. This is technically impossible.
But by the time interior decoration begins in the house, it is usually already dry. If not, it is specially dried with heat guns. On the other hand, if the house has only three floors, it was probably built very quickly. Therefore, it may be that it did not have time to dry and the plaster was applied to damp walls.
Reasons for appearance
Mold mainly forms in corner apartments located on the first and last floors. Externally, it looks like spots of gray, greenish or black .
Mold loves moisture. High humidity is the main condition for mold to appear. At the same time, it is not at all necessary that dampness reign throughout your entire house; a damp wall or corner will be enough, and mold will grow there. Relative humidity greater than 65% is considered high.
Because of this, there are several options for where it can develop and why.
High humidity
It may appear due to poor waterproofing of the building, poor location of the house in relation to the wind, as well as roof leaks or excessive dampness in the basement. Also, dampness in the apartment may appear due to leaking roofs if you live on the upper floors.
Excessive freezing of a residential building
Mold can appear when a wall in an apartment freezes. This happens due to weak heating or improper sealing of the seams. Also, the formation of fungus can be affected by insufficient wall thickness or the use of low-quality materials during construction, which is entirely the responsibility of the developer.
Ventilation malfunction
In this case, the blame may lie not only with utility services, but also with the residents themselves. For example, disruption of air circulation sometimes occurs due to furniture tightly placed against the walls. In other cases, poor performance of the ventilation system is due to its heavy contamination with debris. The ventilation openings should be checked periodically. The frequency of checking smoke and ventilation ducts in an apartment building is carried out at least 2-3 times a year, the timing must be reflected in the contract
Poor heating quality
The situation is similar to freezing. Without heating there will be no heat, so non-provision of heat and poor service are grounds for appeal
Also, the greenhouse effect can be provoked by plastic windows, which increase the temperature and humidity in the apartment. Their high degree of insulation contributes to the disruption of air exchange between the street and the building.
ATTENTION! Ventilation requires periodic inspection, as well as cleaning and disinfection. Otherwise, disruption of air circulation leads to the rapid spread of fungus.
We should not rule out the fact that fungus may appear due to poor home maintenance.
Watch the video: Causes of mold in the apartment
Warm seam technology
The task of our craftsmen is not only to seal all the seams, but also to prevent moisture from penetrating inside. For this, a dense layer of insulation is used, which is able to stop moisture and cold air. After carrying out such work, you will be able to forget about high humidity and mold in the apartment.
When commissioning houses of type P-3M, P-44, P-44T, KOPE, I-155, P-3, sealing of seams must be carried out without fail. Only after this the façade is finished. Otherwise, problems with damp walls, mold, and peeling wallpaper will simply be impossible to avoid. This issue is most acute for residents of the first and last floors of the house.
Who is guilty
What to do if mold appears on the wall? Where should you go first? First you need to determine whose fault it was formed. Subsequent actions will depend on this.
Residents
The main reason influencing the appearance of fungus may be too much load on the apartment with household needs, namely cooking, violation of ventilation rules, too frequent washing, etc. In this situation, residents will have to eliminate mold themselves.
Neighbours
Sometimes a violation of the temperature and humidity conditions in a neighboring apartment can cause the spread of fungus to neighboring rooms. Who should remove mold if it appeared due to the fault of neighbors?
In this case, you will have to contact the management company .
She must record the fact of violation and draw up a special act. You can also invite an employee of an appraisal company to determine the amount of damage. In the future, you can ask your neighbors to verbally compensate for the damage caused or send a letter of notification. If they refuse to compensate for the damage caused to property, it is necessary to file a statement of claim with the judicial authority .
Read also: At what temperature will the heating be turned on?
Management Company
Maintenance of common property in accordance with the Housing Code of the Russian Federation is carried out by a management company. If there is a violation in the sealing of seams, poor waterproofing, broken gutters, as well as weak heating, which can provoke the formation of mold, then she is responsible for this.
Prevention
After cleaning the apartment from mold, it is necessary to ensure that it does not form again. To do this, there are a number of measures that will help protect your home from the appearance of fungus in the future. Necessary preventive measures:
- Regularly check the ventilation in the apartment and ventilate it systematically.
- Conduct thermal insulation of balconies or loggias.
- Ensure proper heating in the apartment.
- Provide wet cleaning. You can also treat the walls with a small amount of vinegar or citric acid.
- Proper care of home flowers, regular checking of the soil.
- Timely washing of clothes. This will help prevent the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms during the most favorable period for them.
- Proper care of pets.
- Constant monitoring of temperature and humidity levels in the bathroom, including periodic cleaning of the washing machine from accumulated dirt.
The main preventive actions are constant ventilation of the apartment and regular cleaning. Even if problems with ventilation or other systems are not corrected in a timely manner, such actions will help protect the apartment from the appearance of a fungus dangerous to health.
If problems arise with home maintenance and the housing and communal services do not respond to troubleshooting, do not be afraid to contact higher authorities, whose purpose is to control the work of utility services. They will help get rid of the inaction of the house management company, and will also help ensure comfort in your own apartment .
Drawing up a complaint
Before filing a complaint, it is necessary to conduct a certain examination. First, you will need to draw up an act on the condition of the residential premises, which must be signed by the owner of the apartment, as well as a representative of the management company.
An example of an application for the Criminal Code.
If no one from the management company appears, then the act is drawn up in the presence of two witnesses who also sign. Then the humidity level is checked. This is a paid service provided by regional hygiene centers and SES. If the utility company is proven to be at fault, the costs incurred will be reimbursed.
Mandatory points of the complaint
The next step will be to draw up a complaint about mold, a sample of which can be found on the government services website or drawn up yourself in free form. It mainly contains the following data:
- Initials, place of registration and contact details.
- The text must contain a description of the problem. The information is stated essentially without unnecessary details, since this is an official document.
- At the end there should be a request to identify and punish the perpetrators.
- Date and signature are added.
Example of a complaint
If the decision was made in favor of the residents, then the utility service must fix the problem within 45 days. Some citizens also require cosmetic repairs, which are necessary after mold removal.
You can also contact Rospotrebnadzor . This organization must respond to the appeal. The main thing is to record all outgoing documents from the applicant to avoid their loss. If none of the authorities has taken any measures, then it is necessary to go to court.
ATTENTION! Judicial practice in resolving such problems shows that the court mainly takes the side of the residents. However, when it comes to a new building and residents are suing the developer over mold, the case is not always resolved in favor of the apartment owners.
Applications
You can attach photographs or video to your complaint confirming the presence of fungal mold. If the management company is inactive regarding the elimination of fungus in an apartment or entrance, then residents have the right to call the state inspection, which will invite a representative from the management company and assess the current situation.
And if you go to court, for example, as in the example of a problem with a developer, then it is necessary to attach an expert report on the situation in the house. This document is important because the judicial authorities pay attention to this and without it it will be much more difficult to win a dispute.
Watch the video: Housing and communal services: your rights. Mold in the house
Voltage drops
Each of us has observed power surges in the network, many of us more than once. It’s good when such changes do not lead to breakdowns of household appliances, but are limited only by the blinking of light bulbs. But sometimes it happens that equipment burns out due to a power surge, and then a reasonable question arises: who is to blame and what to do?
The consequences of this problem are described in the following video from a well-known TV channel:
Where to go?
There may be three culprits:
- energy supply company;
- house management company;
- a third party (as a rule, these are neighbors connecting homemade electrical appliances or performing other actions leading to voltage surges in the power grid).
When the neighbors are guilty, everything is simple. Go to court and seek damages.
It’s another matter if the energy supply organization is at fault. Here Rospotrebnadzor will come to your aid. Write a complaint against the energy workers to this organization, not forgetting to first assess the damage at the service center. File a claim for voluntary compensation for your damages.
If the voltage drop is caused by poor condition of the wiring or electrical equipment inside the apartment building, then full responsibility falls on the management company. In this case, you will have to complain to the State Housing Inspectorate and the already mentioned Rospotrebnadzor.
Making a statement
We write an application to the housing inspectorate according to the model indicated in the previous two cases of disagreement with the housing department. The only difference will be the reason for the application. We make sure to refer to GOST 13109-97, according to which voltage drops and surges in the electrical network are not allowed.
And as we mentioned earlier, a complaint to Rospotrebnadzor is written in any order.
Main locations
In order to remove mold, you need to use special products and thoroughly treat all infected areas.
Most often, fungi are localized in:
- Bathroom.
- Plastic windows and doors.
- Corners of the apartment.
- On a wooden floor - most often in private homes.
- On the ceiling.
- In the ventilation system.
- In the kitchen hood.
- On the walls, wallpaper is often the most severely damaged.
To combat the problem, you need to find out exactly where the mold is located and what causes it to appear in an apartment or residential building.
Free legal assistance
If it happens that the roof begins to leak, you need to contact the housing and communal services structure that manages the house. This could be a management company, housing department, housing department, other housing organization, the name can be seen in the invoice for payment of housing and communal services. You must file a complaint as soon as a leak occurs or mold begins to form on the walls or ceiling. ... Dear readers! Our articles talk about typical ways to resolve legal issues, but each case is unique. For example, a claim against a management company should be filed for violation of consumer rights. This corresponds to the nature of the legal relationship and exempts the plaintiff from paying state fees. There are other nuances. I myself went all this way, won the court, received compensation for mold removal work and compensation for repairs. During the trial, a judicial construction, technical and mycological examination was appointed and carried out.
Sample application (complaint) if mold appears on the walls of the house
In accordance with paragraph 31 of the Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings adopted by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011 N 354, an organization providing utility services to the consumer is obliged, independently or with the involvement of other persons, to carry out maintenance of intra-house engineering systems with the use of which utility services are provided to the consumer, as well as recalculate the amount of payment for utility services, including in connection with the provision of utility services of inadequate quality and (or) with interruptions exceeding the permissible duration. In accordance with the Sanitary and Epidemiological Requirements for Living Conditions in Residential Buildings and Premises (SanPiN 2.1.2.2645-10), heating and ventilation systems must provide acceptable conditions for the microclimate and air environment of the premises, while the relative humidity in living rooms should not exceed 60% in cold season and 65% in the warm season.
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Sample application to the management company about mold on the walls
These may be owners or tenants of residential premises. Several years ago there was mold in my apartment. Here is just a small fragment: I wanted to bring the apartment into a condition suitable for living. The first step is to contact the management company with a request to conduct an inspection and draw up a report. I want to say right away that an application to the management company is not enough, since firstly, you need to remove the cause of mold (as a rule, these are bad interpanel seams), and secondly, remove mold from the walls of the apartment, and such work should be performed by specialists, and thirdly, determine the cost of restoration repairs through an examination. The whole plan looks like this: 1. Submit an application to the management company and the housing inspectorate with a request to conduct an inspection and draw up an inspection report. (Sample application number one, number two). 2.
Complaint to the management company - sample and writing procedure
The housing maintenance organization must ensure the good condition of building structures, heating devices and pipelines located in the stairwells, the required sanitary condition of the staircases, the standard temperature and humidity conditions in the stairwells, and illumination with artificial light. First of all, you should understand that a claim and a complaint are two different documents. If it is necessary to eliminate specific violations, the claim is sent directly to the violator. A complaint is a document that is addressed to a higher institution that can influence the current situation.
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How to file a complaint with the management company
You can make the repairs at your own expense, keep the receipts, and then recover through the court not only the amount of damage, but also the amount of costs spent on repairing the roof instead of the Criminal Code. At the same time, you can file a complaint about the illegal actions of the management company to the consumer rights protection society. According to clauses 18 and clause 21 of the Government of the Russian Federation Resolution No. 731, a written complaint must be considered within 10 working days, starting from the official date of registration of the claim. Don't believe them when they tell you they have to respond within 30 days. Norm Art. 12 of the Federal Law “On the procedure for considering citizens’ applications” does not apply to the activities of the Criminal Code.
How to clean an apartment from mold
- Chlorine solution. A strong toxic substance that corrodes the mycelium, is able to penetrate into deep cracks and cracks and remove mold growths. Perfect for treating rough surfaces around the house.
- Ammonia. Helps solve the problem with fungus while you are looking for an answer to the question of where to go if mold has appeared in your apartment. Alcohol should be diluted with water and treated the affected surfaces, then rinse with plenty of water and ventilate the room.
- Citric acid and vinegar. Mold is destroyed when exposed to high temperatures and acid. Lemon solution or vinegar will not only destroy the mycelium and prevent its growth in the future, but will also help eliminate the unpleasant musty smell in the house. In addition, a solution of citric acid can be used as a preventive measure against further spread of the virus by spraying small doses onto potentially contaminated surfaces.
- Fungicides from the store. The modern market for household chemicals offers a wide range of products to combat mold. Most of it contains special fungicide substances that effectively deal with any type of fungus and can clean even the most difficult places in your home.
- Hydrogen peroxide. The use of this bactericidal agent is possible both in the process of cleaning an apartment from existing mold, and as a preventive measure, since it is absolutely safe for the health of humans and pets.
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Complaint to the management company
In our house, garbage constantly accumulates in the stairwells and surrounding area, sometimes three times (!) we replaced light bulbs ourselves, despite calls and messages to your organization. The land near the house is also cleaned by the residents themselves. In addition, since November 2021, a window on the staircase between the 2nd and 3rd floors has been broken and not replaced, which violates the temperature regime. Based on the above, guided by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation and the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights, I demand that measures be taken immediately upon receipt of this complaint to eliminate the violations committed. Otherwise, in order to protect housing rights, I will be forced to file a complaint with the housing inspectorate, Rospotrebnadzor and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation.
