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Students: There is an easy cure to improve the damp in your student house

Damp and mould can be harmful to your health and for students living in privately rented accommodation, they can find themselves readily exposed to it. It’s important to check your accommodation for damp and mould and to understand the implications it can have for your health and well-being. It’s also important to understand the steps you can take to prevent and to remedy damp and mould in your student accommodation.

Back to Uni: Did you know how unhealthy your accommodation could be?

The return to uni is always hugely exciting, with the buzz of seeing friends, hitting the student social scene and getting stuck into another year of your degree. It's easy to get swept up in the adrenaline and forget to keep a close eye on your health. But when it comes to black mould and damp, you really cannot afford to be complacent. 

Some student accommodations are notoriously unhealthy if they aren't properly maintained and cared for, and both damp and black mould can become a problem. Think this is just unsightly or a bit of a pain? Think again, as you could find yourself at risk of serious health complications if action isn't taken. Our guide will tell you more.

When did you last review your ventilation strategy?

When it comes to ventilation, many landlords have no strategy at all. This is strange because damp is a widespread problem. It not only affects tenants, who have to put up with the musty odour and unsightly black patches, it affects the landlords who will have to repaint, refurbish, or even re-plaster the walls where it is particularly bad.

Without proper ventilation, you are inviting damp into your property. During the winter, the temperature difference between the interior and exterior causes water to condense. This is why damp is most often found surrounding windows and doors – these areas are where warm, humid air meets a cold surface, causing pools of water to collect.

By creating a strategy, you can overcome the tendency of homes to become muggy and stale smelling during the winter. For the best results, start early, and try thinking long-term. 

Landlords: install a permanent solution before winter

Thinking about the winter months leaves most landlords cold. Many do not think to plan ahead. Others trust that circumstances will resolve themselves. To most, the months of blazing summer heat do not lend themselves to thinking ahead to burst boilers, faulty thermostats, and permafrost pipes.

Yet, by thinking now, landlords can leap the savings curve and increase the returns on their properties by reducing energy costs over winter. Landlords can make their properties more energy-efficient – and therefore economical – by starting in the summer. The services of plumbers, contractors, and even the price of fixtures will be cheaper when there is less demand, i.e. during the summer. Furthermore, by starting now, they have more time to brainstorm and get truly creative about their solutions.

Landlords: Help your tenants save money this month!

September is not the usual time of year we associate with the landlord’s nightmare that are high energy bills. However, from proper ventilation to fridge care, there are always a few things that can be done around any property to keep it in optimum shape and save money. You might think that these kind of tips might bore your tenant to death at best, or be flat out ignored at worst, but you'd be surprised how much of a motivation money saving is for many people!

Make your home a healthy home

When the phrase ‘air pollution’ is mentioned, most people immediately think of traffic fumes, smoke from incinerators, or emissions from industrial plants or factories. Indoor air pollution in your own home doesn’t immediately spring to mind.

There are various reasons for poor air quality in the home, but many people have no idea that this can be a factor that if left unchecked, can, sometimes severely, affect the health of the occupants.

Did you know household chemicals and products can pollute indoor air?

Your home is almost certainly the place where you feel at your most relaxed and most comfortable, and yet there are all sorts of hidden dangers lurking in some of the most unexpected of places. We all know that most accidents happen in the home rather than at work or when out and about, but beyond the trip hazards, faulty electricals and cooking nightmares are the things you can’t necessarily see which may be affecting your health.

Why we should be paying more attention to VOCs?

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are contained within many of the products and items we are surrounded by day to day, and are carbon-based chemicals which evaporate at room temperature. The list of products which contain VOCs is extensive, but among some of the most common household items to contain these potentially harmful chemicals are carpet adhesives, paints, upholstery fabrics, air fresheners, disinfectants and cosmetics. 

With so many household products containing VOCs, the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risk estimates that there are up to 900 chemicals in the indoor air we breathe. Staggeringly, that means that the air in our homes may in fact be up to 70% more polluted than the air outside, with airborne irritants significantly impacting our overall health and physical wellbeing. 

Why energy efficiency matters

Energy efficiency matters now more than ever. Despite a global recession and public spending cuts across the board, global warming remains one of the biggest threats to the planet and those who dwell on it. Put simply, energy efficiency is the attempt to reduce the amount of energy used to provide everyday products and services by making improvements to technology and buildings.

It's not just top athletes who need a good quality supply of air...

With the 2016 Olympic Games set to open in Rio de Janeiro on 5th August, excitement (and nerves) are building and sports fans are talking of little else. The quality of the air we breathe has a major impact on our body’s ability to circulate oxygenated blood, vital for physical activity and, indeed, overall health and wellbeing.