Problems with mold during renovation, incorrect or insufficient heating

Hello everyone,

I am reaching out to ask whether I can get rid of this mold in our future house with "simple means," meaning sanding it off with coarse sandpaper and treating it with a chlorine-based mold remover. The house will only be rented by us, so no renovation is planned.

In many rooms, paneling was installed (both on walls and ceilings), which I have now removed piece by piece, and in some places, mold has been revealed. An elderly couple used to live in the house, and electric fan heaters were installed in both rooms (bathroom and guest toilet). I assume that heating costs were to be saved and heating was only used when needed.

The pictures show a large bathroom, a guest toilet, and a dressing room (a separated area between the bedroom and the large bathroom). The previously large room was divided by a partition wall made of two panelings.

I look forward to your feedback and thank you in advance for it.

I wouldn’t even move in there without proper professional renovation, even if I were paid to do so. That looks to me not only like a cosmetic issue but also a potentially health-hazardous problem.

The house is only supposed to be rented by us and therefore should not be renovated.

You can't be serious, can you? Without investigating the cause AND fundamentally removing the mold, I don't see any chance for a healthy life there. I also know simple living, but this is not simple, it's unacceptable. What do your roommates say about it or what do you tell them about these obvious dangers?

Normally, the landlord has to commission and pay for professional mold removal here. I wouldn't even stay there for free before that.

YOU want to SAND these spots? And hold your breath for half a day doing that??

Two points.

1. The landlord owes you a habitable, intact apartment. Therefore, he must take care of mold removal. Regardless of whether it is done beforehand or after you have already moved in (then it becomes difficult, renovating "while in use"). Severe mold infestation results in a 100% rent reduction, simpler cases in several rooms usually around 25-50%. The question of fault does not matter here, since you would be moving in with mold present. No landlord wants that either.

2. The house or the construction was predestined for mold. Old uninsulated house (old windows - 80s early 90s?) and then also suspending the ceiling (above it is even colder). High humidity on cold surfaces = mold. Without paneling and with correct ventilation and heating behavior, it can also go well without mold. But point 1 applies beforehand.