How to tackle damp in a fitted wardrobe

A household of four people produces up to 15 litres of water vapour every 24 hours, so, while a dehumidifier can help, it is not a permanent solution. The measures you have taken to improve ventilation will alleviate the problem, but consider adding extractor fans in the bathroom, cloakroom, kitchen and laundry area to remove warm, damp air.

The best solution for the wardrobe damp is to add warmth, so condensation forms somewhere else where moisture will not get trapped, leading to damp. You can achieve this easily by fitting a small electric heating element with a thermostatic control in the back of the wardrobe. A plug-in model will cost only £20-£40 and is cheap to run. Thermostatic tubular heaters can be found at dimplex.co.uk.

Insulating the wall behind the wardrobe will also help, but this will involve removing the fitted units. If this doesn’t solve the problem, look for signs of penetrating damp. Check the roof, especially at any junctions, and make sure gutters are clear and not leaking. Check the walls for cracks or missing pointing. Also consider whether the impermeable exterior paint is the right finish for a solid walled property.

Michael Holmes is a property expert for the Southern Homebuilding & Renovating Show (July 1 and 2, Sandown Park, Surrey). Claim free tickets at homebuildingshow.co.uk/homehelp by June 30

Q My husband and I, both in the 40% tax bracket, own our two-bedroom flat in Islington mortgage-free. For commuting reasons, we are about to let it for £1,977 a month and rent in south London for £1,700 a month.

We’re confused by all the tax changes for renting. Can we deduct the £200 monthly management fee for the Islington flat from our rental earnings before tax? And aren’t we allowed to claim a certain amount for general upkeep of the flat? Are there any ways to claw back money from our tax bill?
Tessa Day, via email

A First, you should alert HMRC by registering for self-assessment tax and filling in the property pages of your annual return. What can’t you claw back?

• Because you have no mortgage, you cannot deduct interest as a cost or apply the new 20% relief on such payments, which began to be phased in from April.

• Since last year, you can no longer claim a 10% annual wear-and-tear allowance for letting a furnished property. Instead, you can only deduct the actual costs of furnishings.

• Nor can you claim the rent you pay in south London.

• This means you will have to pay 40% tax on most of your £1,977 rental income. Add that to your £1,700 rent and rent-to-let will likely leave you worse off than you are now.

• A clever way to counter this is to spruce up your Islington flat now. You can deduct repairs made up to seven years before the flat is let if you can show they are for the purpose of preparing the property for rent. (This does not include improvements such as a loft conversion.) Painting, flooring and windows all qualify, even if you upgrade from single to double glazing. So does modernising a bathroom or kitchen without extending it.

• If you hire the same firm to do both improvements and repairs, ask them to separate out invoices. Carry forward remaining losses until they are wiped out by future profits.

You can also take off:

• The full management fee, as well as any letting costs, including adverts, photographs and inventories.

• Deposit protection fees, annual gas safety checks and the energy performance certificate.

• Service charges, ground rents and insurance. Letting will likely invalidate your standard policy, so take out landlord cover.

• Cleaning, gardening and utility bills paid by you.

• Relevant costs up to seven years before the first let, such as tax advice or legal guidance on your tenancy agreement.

• Professional fees such as membership of a landlords’ association.

To ease bookkeeping, open a separate account for your property. Keep receipts for six years. If you can’t stand paperwork, use a property accountant.

Daniel Lees, co-author of The Accidental Landlord (accidentallandlord.info) and founder of the lettings specialist Swift (swift.property)

Q When I bought my flat in November, the agent and seller said the roof had been repaired and was guaranteed for 25 years. Their solicitor put it in writing. It turns out the work isn’t guaranteed, and the roof must be replaced in two years at a cost of about £50,000. The sellers were directors of the management company and must have known the works were not done as stated. What can I do?
Anonymous, via email

A There are several forms that give a vendor the chance to provide accurate information. It may be hard for them to plead ignorance. With leasehold flats, the landlord must consult with and notify tenants of works over £250.

On the Leasehold Information Form, the seller is asked to give information on any correspondence that relates to additional service charges, repair and maintenance. As the vendor’s solicitors confirmed in writing that the works to the roof had been completed, it could be inferred that they received this information from the seller, and you should be able to rely on these replies unless this right was excluded from the contract (very unusual).

So you may have a valid claim for misrepresentation or negligent misstatement if you relied on a statement that was false at the time of exchange of contracts. Any changes to the information should have been given to you when the seller became aware. However, some contracts limit the vendor’s liability for misrepresentation (if, for example, they learnt of works after exchange).

Also review what works were specified in forms you received from management or landlords: the LPE1 or resale pack. If no reference was made to roof works, your claim for damages may be limited to the repairs the seller and solicitor claimed had been carried out, rather than covering any costs that may arise.

Emma Allchurch, director, Allchurch Property Lawyers; allchurchpropertylawyers.co.uk

Q I have an old Ercol dining table and six chairs. The table and chairs are in a dark oak finish, with an attractive lighter colour showing where wear has taken place. Is it possible to have the original dark stain removed to give a lighter colour finish overall?
Chris Winnard, via email

A Most Ercol furniture was finished in the factory with two coats of a clear cellulose-based lacquer. In addition, roughly 80% of the pieces received some kind of stain, though this was mainly on furniture made with ash and elm. Ercol used water-based stains, rather than common solvent-based varieties, as they are kinder to the environment and nicer for the craftsmen to work with.

In order to refinish your oak table and chairs, you will need to remove the clear lacquer. This can be done using thinners or acetone, but it is time-consuming. Acetone evaporates quickly, so work on small areas in a well-ventilated space, and wear a respirator-type mask and gloves.

Once the lacquer has been removed, you can sand the table to remove the stain. This may have penetrated the wood to a depth of 0.5mm. Start with 120-grit paper, then move on to 180. For a super-smooth finish, complete the sanding using a 240-grit paper. If possible, always sand along, rather than across, the grain.

I would then apply a couple of coats of a clear wax oil. This soaks into the timber and protects the surface, but is microporous, so allows the timber to breathe. It is also very stain-resistant.

Osmo produces a great range of wax oils that are easy to apply with a cloth, and offers a choice of matt, satin or glossy finishes. Another good product is Rubio Monocoat, which contains no VOC solvents and, as the name suggests, requires only a single coat for full protection.

Richard Warmisham, bespoke furniture maker; madeby68.com

Q How did a tiny spider get inside my laptop computer screen? Will it do any harm?
V Wren, Costa Brava

A Even the sleekest laptops have cooling vents, which can be invaded by insects. The first “computer bug” was a moth attracted to glowing valves in the US Navy’s Harvard Mark II mainframe, where it caused a short circuit in 1947.

In your case, a single spiderling is unlikely to do any harm, and will probably find its own hungry way out. But spare a thought for residents of the southern US, where the South American “crazy ant”, Nylanderia fulva, regularly takes up residence in computers, attracted by warm wires or magnetic fields; colonies can only be removed by professional disassembly. Other invaders of electronic appliances include silverfish, cockroaches and earwigs.

Don’t squirt insecticide inside your machine — the best attack is defence. Don’t leave laptops outdoors or in the summerhouse, and turn them off when not in use, as electrical fields and warmth can attract bugs. On holiday in tropical climes, take a large ziplock bag in which to store the laptop every night.

That said, a single insect dying inside is unlikely to affect the wiring: they are little different to dust. It’s not like a rat expiring inside a video recorder, back in the VHS era. That rotting corpse would wreak havoc.

Richard Jones, author of House Guests, House Pests (Bloomsbury £9.99); bugmanjones.com