Mold (Schimmel)

Where mold turns up during clearances

Most often in cellars with raised humidity, behind furniture standing against poorly ventilated external walls, in bathrooms without adequate ventilation, and in apartments that stood unheated and unaired for a longer period — after a death, for instance, or a long hospital stay.

Affected material — cardboard, textiles, upholstered furniture, paper, mattresses, chipboard — can no longer be reused and has to be disposed of as household waste (Kehricht, the residual waste stream that goes to the incineration plant). Washing or drying achieves nothing, because the spores remain in the material.

Protective measures at work

Clearing out affected material releases considerable quantities of spores. Our teams therefore work with respiratory protection of at least class FFP2, preferably FFP3, and with gloves. The material is packed on the spot and carried out sealed, so that the spores do not spread through the stairwell and into other apartments.

Find the cause, or it comes back

Mold is always a moisture problem. The causes are: structural defects such as missing insulation and thermal bridges, rising damp in the cellar, leaking pipes or roofs, or user behavior — too little airing at too low a room temperature.

If only the visible surface is treated and the cause is left in place, the growth returns. For affected areas larger than half a square meter, it is worth having a specialist firm investigate before any remediation is carried out.

Mold and the tenancy — what tenants should know

Mold is a defect of the rented object (Mangel der Mietsache). Report it to the property management in writing without delay and keep the copy; the written notification is what triggers the landlord's obligation to remedy it. Do not simply paint over it. If the cause turns out to be structural, the cost falls to the landlord and a rent reduction may be justified; if it is clearly down to insufficient airing and heating, the tenant may have to bear the cost. In disputes, the tenants' association (Mieterverband) is the usual first port of call.