Rental Suite Woes

And speaking of my landlord...

So we still haven't done that dinner thing. It's just as well. I think the next time I talk to him I'm going to try and bow out gracefully. Thanks, but no thanks.

That will probably happen tommorrow, since I have to call him anyways. It all started with a really high power bill.

Our electric bills have been excessively high that last 4 months. After talking to hydro and messing with breakers and trying to sort out the problem, my best guess is that we're just losing heat through our single-pane windows and the electric heating is working overtime to compensate.

So I started researching into ways to address the problem. I talked to a few people and made a few phone calls. I also did some online research. I went to the hardware and looked at caulking, weather stripping, and plastic coverings. And then I stocked up on cleaning supplies including paper towel, bleach, rubber gloves, etc etc.

The windows in question get a build-up of condensation. It's not just a little moisture either. It's a lot. In a matter of days I will likely have a small puddle below my windows. In 2 weeks the recesses will have become a mini-reservoir in my room.

The nasty side-effect to this is that the windows grow mold. Black mold. The toxic kind. I've also found this same mold growing on the back of my toilet where I have a similar condensation problem.

I'm not an expert when it comes to this sort of thing, but it seems pretty clear to me that something is wrong. Especially considering the humidity control automatically turns the fans on frequently and the dial is set to 65%. That's way too much humidity.

I'm not sure how to solve this since there seem to be quite a few different things going on that are all related. But they all need to be fixed. Soon. I just wish I knew what kind of professional I'd need to consult to get the answers I need. But since I don't, I'll let the landlord figure it out. It's his responsibility anyways. (Although frankly I think he's just as clueless as I am. He doesn't even live in the building. He just collects the rent from my bank account every month.)

And before my lease runs out in September, I think I'll start looking for a new place to live.