Apartment and Rental Properties - Steaming up a rental

Okay. We learned about smole. Now what about damage to windows, sills, and mold and mildew growth in and on walls, etc., because tenants cook and bathe too much? Do you know this also can cause exterior paint to peel prematurely in older homes that do not say have Tyvek?

Can one institute a relative humidity rule?, where they have to honor your wishes and turn on bath and cooking fans even not when needed for that particular task? And then come and check with a humidity gauge?, or go by if your glasses steam up,and stay steamed up for 15 minutes, when you go in, and threaten to have them move out if they do not comply?

This is nto theory. Two similar newer condo rentals with same construction and identical wood low-E thermopane windows. One house with steam has so much ice on the windows plus melting water running in cracks in the sill and into the wall cavity, and discoloring/ruining the beautiful wood, that was just refinished late last year! (by me!) - while the other rental is bone dry. The other rental even has a humidifier in it and has 37% RH, but no steamed up glasses upon entering condo today when 0 degrees out and the windows look brand new in that house and are free of ice and water! This house has elderly couple. The other steam house has several tenants and lady of the house cooks for church doings all the time,adn they are always using both showers and are washing clothes a lot, and she has church doings in the house, like some women's 'circle' or something.

Or is it more up to the landlord, for them to install in all their rentals, humidistats and provide dehumidifiers, even if only one party out of scores are guilty of over-steaming up a rental?

I don't know that you could regulate a tenants life style in regards to bathing and cooking. It might be a good idea to wire up the exhaust fans where they turn on automatically. Easy to do in the bath - put it all on the light switch. Not sure how you would do the kitchen.

Mark,

That is not a good enough solution though, in these people's case, I don't think. In many rentals we do have bath fans wired that way, but as soon as the light switch is turned off, then it obviously stops. Such a steamy house as this needs exhaust fans going a lot. The source of the moisture is coming from stove plus laundry also.


Something I just thought of; I probably should make sure the dryer roof vent flap is not iced shut or otherwise blocked. I think they do a lot of laundry here also.

Thanks for the suggestion though.