Home DIY

The landlord is obliged to keep the property at a liveable standard so we'll go elsewhere if he ignores us (a friend rents out his warm and spacious future retirement home for only $120 more per month but we would both have to drive to work)

Dehumidifier sounds like the way forward. They are reasonably cheap secondhand too.

A couple of mates have some leftover insulation - with a couple of new rolls there'll be enough to do the living room and bedroom. I will mention this to the landlord.

Sometimes I wish I was in my house back in the UK...

You have my sympathy - my sister's shed near the Ross Creek Reservoir has wind whistling through it and water dripping down the inside of the windows. They survive by keeping a huge wood-burning stove going in the living room, and the heat pump keeps the rest of the shed above freezing most of the time. Mind you, the landscape goes a long way towards making up for the weather and the poor build-quality of housing.