Does mould make a house legally unliveable?

exaussie

14 June 2017 11:14:19

Hello! This is my first post. I'm a 26-year-old Australian self-employed wife and mother of one. We're renting a house in a small village, we intend to stay for a long time, but the house has a lot of problems and the landlord/real estate agency is not very good at getting back to us about repairs.

This morning I was sweeping in the master bedroom and found a small amount of mould growing near the skirting board in the corner. -sigh- I know from experience that by the time mould is visible, it's almost guaranteed to be a huge problem. We already have crows nesting in our roof, which the landlord/agency has not yet dealt with. We let them know when we notice the loose tile - that was months ago, and the crows have moved in and almost raised their babies by now, and they keep falling down the inside of the walls.

I've had a bit of a search on Google but I can't seem to find the criteria for what makes a house unliveable in Denmark, which is frustrating. Does anyone have a good link for this, or could explain to me what does or does not constitute a legal reason for breaking a lease? We have been here since October, our contract is for 2 years but if the landlords don't sort out the roof and the mould it's going to be tough to stay here.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Nellie Berg

15 June 2017 12:47:01

1119

Hillerød

There are many kind of moulds. Some of them are pretty harmless, others the opposite. I don't know whether it will make sense or not to test your mould, but just to let you know that it is possible to buy a do-it-yourself test
http://skimmelsvamptest.dk/

You are always welcome at the local Advokatvagten's wherer epresentatives from the local law firms take turns to advise people. They cannot help you much, but they can tell you if you 'have a case' or not. If you have, they'll recommend you to see a lawyer. The help at Advokatvagten's is free. I am not sure how great a help they can offer, but it is of cause worth trying as it is free.

The best advice, I can give you is to become a member of Lejernes Organisation.
http://llo.dk/
It is an undependant organisation which offers advice to all renters. You have to become a member, and it will cost you about 420 kroner a year. If you 'have a case', they'll sue the landlord, they can tell you if you are entitled to give up the lease etc., etc. They are specialists within that field so you'll be in good hands. However, as a new member you shall expect to pay further 420 kroner if you need their help within the first three months, but still it is very, very cheap. They might also tell you whether your rent is reasonable or not.
LLO has several local offices around in the country.

If you need my help to find your local Advokatvagten or LLO, do feel free to send me a pm.

And good luck,
Nellie

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