Hi, I would appreciate someone’s advice on this issue here.
I live in WG and was away from the flat for over 2 months. When I came back, a lot of items in the flat were broken by my roommate. Additionally, the mold appeared in the bathroom which wasn’t there before I left. I tried cleaning it and scraping it off myself, however, it wouldn’t go away. Is the mold situation serious and should I inform the landlord about it?
Additionally, I will be moving out soon and I am worried that the landlord would impose all the bills for the broken items on me, although, I haven’t even lived in the apartment when the damages happened.
I don’t have a liability insurance either. Please give advice on the situation. Thanks!
by Different_Move1593
7 comments
I’m pretty sure this type of mold is the tenants’ problem, because it’s clearly the result of misuse. Meaning: Too much humidity from showering, not enough venting. You’ll need a dedicated mold remover/cleaner.
Same goes for the broken items. If they belong to the landlord, they’ll take the money out of the deposit – that’s what it’s for. Are you and your room mate both equals in the renting contract? Or is one of you a Untermieter (sub tenant) of the other? Do you have separate deposits?
Try a cleanser with chlorine
Buy a Schimmelentferner from a local supermarket like DM. Instructions are pretty straightforward and you should be able to get rid of it within a day.
Edit:
You need to do this in iterations
Give it a generous spray of that:
[https://hg.eu/de/produkte/hg-schimmel-vernichter](https://hg.eu/de/produkte/hg-schimmel-vernichter)
Or anything else with a similar chlorine content, and watch the mold fade away for good.
Silicone in the shower will eventually get moldy. It needs to be replaced regularly, every few years, that’s just the way it is. So I wouldn’t say too much about it. There are things you can buy to make it better but even they will eventually deteriorate the silicone faster. It can be argued that redoing them falls under “Schönheitsreparaturen” given the material cost of maybe 15 EUR plus 20-30EUR for the tools. That being said, get a hygrometer for the bathroom and try to get the humidity down after talking a shower by opening a window completely for 5 Minutes or leaving the bathroom door open the flat.
I got all the silicone changed last year, my landlord paid for it. When it comes to the tiles I use a remover and try to keep the area dry and I also have an dehumidifier
Besides all the advise regarding the mold get the insurance. It is not really expensive, like below 50 € per year.