Damp and mould

Repair, maintain, manage

No home is completely immune from condensation and mould formation. They are natural processes and require managing. Repairs, maintenance and management apply to everyone to differing degrees, whether a homeowner, tenant or landlord.

What To Maintain

Surveyor inspecting the exterior fabric of a UK home during routine maintenance checks

Who this applies to

Everyone, to differing degrees.

Damp and mould are managed through a combination of repair, maintenance and the way a home is used day to day. The balance between those three shifts depending on who you are.

Homeowners

You carry both the maintenance and the management of the building, so routine upkeep and everyday moisture habits sit with you.

Tenants

Your conditions of tenancy set out what you are responsible for, and reporting concerns promptly is part of keeping the home in good condition.

Landlords

You have a legal duty to make sure the home is safe and healthy to live in, which means inspecting, investigating and repairing.

Regular maintenance keeps the building as dry as possible.

None of this is expensive work. It is the upkeep that stops small defects turning into the damp problems that cost real money to put right.

Routine maintenance checklist

Clear gutters, downpipes and drains.
Repair leaking pipes, baths, sinks and toilets.
Replace broken mastic seals around showers, baths and sinks.
Cut back overgrown trees and vegetation.
Clean extractor fans, including ducting and vent covers.
Maintain doors and windows.
Check for water splashing off hard surfaces back up against walls outside.

Do not

Before you spend, or change the building.

Most damp problems are cheaper to solve than the products sold to solve them, and some interventions make an older building worse rather than better.

Do not start with damp-proofing

Do not install expensive damp-proofing measures without carrying out routine maintenance work first, or without considering what has changed and addressing that. In some types of home — older buildings with solid walls, for example — damp-proofing measures may not be appropriate and may make damp issues worse.

Take advice before changing the building or garden

Always seek advice from a building surveyor before making changes to your home or garden, so you avoid creating problems. A new path or decking area can raise ground levels and block air vents, and modern cement in mortar or render on older buildings can trap moisture in walls.

Consents may be required

Changes to a building may require local authority planning consent and/or building regulations approval, using an approved certified contractor. Check before the work starts rather than afterwards.

Size and volume matter

The volume of space inside a property stays the same, but the number of people — and pets — living there changes. Where homes accommodate more people, more consideration of moisture management, such as additional ventilation, may be required.

Seeking professional help

If the problem is significant, the choice of surveyor decides the outcome.

Where there is a significant damp and mould issue, it is critical to approach the right kind of building surveyor — not simply the first one available.

Start with a holistic view

Always take a holistic and proactive view when trying to solve a damp problem. Think about all the sources of moisture, and about whether small modifications to your daily routine would reduce it.

Professional membership on its own is not enough

Membership of a professional body does not automatically mean a surveyor is suitably experienced in damp and mould. There are many different kinds of surveyor: valuers, quantity surveyors and others.

Look for building pathology experience

Look for a chartered building surveyor with suitable experience in building pathology — the specialism that focuses on the science of the causes and effects of how buildings fail.

Local experience counts

An experienced local building surveyor will be familiar with local building techniques and materials, and will understand the construction weaknesses of different types of building. Ask to see the surveyor's CV and ask about their experience in this work.

Where to search

Search a recognised professional body's find-a-surveyor directory for local specialists under residential maintenance and interiors, and ask about their experience in building pathology.

Ask for a JPS22-compliant inspection

When instructing a surveyor, ask for a Joint Position Statement 2022 (JPS22)-compliant inspection. The report gives you an unbiased professional opinion from someone with no commercial interest in selling you a product, and will only suggest remedial works that are proportionate and that respect the nature of the property.

Be wary of a diagnosis made with a damp meter alone

Be wary of any surveyor or commercial specialist who uses only a damp meter to diagnose the source of dampness, especially in hard walls and solid floors. Damp meters test an electric current through a material. They are accurate for measuring moisture levels in timber, but in other materials may register high readings from other conductive materials, not just moisture.

Advice for landlords

A legal duty, not a matter of goodwill.

Landlords must make sure their rental homes are safe and healthy for people to live in. That duty comes through the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS), part of the Housing Act 2004. The HHSRS lists 29 hazards in the home, and dampness and mould are among the highest categories of hazard.

What landlords should do

Inspect the condition of the property at regular intervals.
Thoroughly and promptly investigate any concerns raised by the tenant, and fix any defects that are causing damp and mould.
Carry out regular maintenance to keep the property in good condition.
Ensure appropriate and sufficient insulation and draught proofing are in place.
Ensure ventilation such as windows, vents and fans is working to current standards — for new buildings, see Approved Document F.
Ensure tenants know how to use the heating system and thermostatic controls efficiently.
Use void periods between tenancies to replace faulty fans, or upgrade existing fans with improved trickle-fed humidistat units.

Awaab's Law: fixed timescales from October 2025

From October 2025, if a tenant reports mould or dampness, registered social landlords — councils and housing associations — must act within set timescales under Awaab's Law, part of the Social Housing Regulations Act 2023.

24 hours

Emergency cases

Emergency cases must be tackled within 24 hours of the report being made.

10 days

Inspect and report

Damp and mould presenting a significant risk of harm must be inspected and reported on, with remediation outlined, within 10 days.

5 days

Begin repairs

Repair works must begin within 5 working days.

Working with residents

Practical, low-cost measures solve most problems.

It is unavoidable that everyday tasks such as cooking, bathing, washing and drying laundry will produce indoor moisture. Many factors are outside a tenant's control, such as overcrowding or a lack of space to dry clothing adequately. These can be challenging to address and may require ongoing management.

Listen to what tenants think is causing it

Damp and mould may only have appeared from a particular time, which can mean something has changed — an escape of water, or an increase in the number of residents.

Take reasonable steps in partnership

Consider improving ventilation and making energy-saving improvements together with residents, rather than issuing instructions on how to live in the home.

Account for fuel poverty

Fuel poverty is a significant factor causing low heat levels, and must be considered when discussing and implementing solutions.

Keep occupiers' health in view

One of the most important aspects to consider is occupiers' health. In most instances, practical low-cost measures solve the problem: general maintenance, and slight changes such as closing the bathroom door while showering.

Do not assume you have met your responsibilities

The mere presence of an extractor fan does not automatically mean the ventilation is satisfactory, without evidence that the fan is performing to the required standard.

Advice for tenants

Know what you are responsible for, and report early.

Your obligations depend on your tenancy, but reporting problems promptly and keeping a record of what you reported protects you in every case.

Find out what you are responsible for

Carefully check your conditions of tenancy, and if you are a leaseholder, check the terms of your lease. Your responsibility to address issues could depend on your situation and occupation rights as a tenant.

Read the Housing Ombudsman guidance

Review the Housing Ombudsman Service damp and mould guidance so you know what good practice from a landlord looks like before you raise a concern.

Report concerns promptly

Report any concerns you have about damp or maintenance issues to your landlord promptly, and keep a dated record of what you have reported.

If nothing changes

If you have HHSRS-related concerns, contact your local council's environmental health team. Your local authority can take action against landlords for non-compliance.

Where a surveyor helps

An independent view on what the building actually needs.

We are consultants, not contractors. We do not sell damp-proofing, mould treatments or ventilation systems, so the recommendation you receive reflects the condition of the building rather than a product line.

Which type of dampness you have

Condensation, penetrating damp, rising damp, plumbing leaks and bridged construction all leave similar staining behind. Establishing which one is present decides every decision after it.

Proportionate remedial work

A JPS22-compliant report only suggests remedial works that are proportionate and that respect the nature of the property, rather than a standard specification applied to every building.

Evidence for everyone involved

Owners, landlords, tenants and managing agents can make decisions from the same written evidence base, which is usually what ends a disagreement about cause.

Common questions

Repair, maintain and manage at a glance.

Can condensation and mould be prevented completely?

What maintenance keeps a home dry?

Clear gutters, downpipes and drains; repair leaking pipes, baths, sinks and toilets; replace broken mastic seals around showers, baths and sinks; cut back overgrown trees and vegetation; clean extractor fans including ducting and vent covers; maintain doors and windows; and check for water splashing off hard surfaces back up against walls outside.

Should I install damp-proofing?

Not before carrying out routine maintenance work, or considering what has changed and addressing that first. In some types of home, such as older buildings with solid walls, damp-proofing measures may not be appropriate and may exacerbate damp issues.

What kind of surveyor should I instruct for damp and mould?

Look for a chartered building surveyor with suitable experience in building pathology. Professional membership alone does not mean a surveyor is experienced in damp and mould, as there are many different kinds of surveyor. Ask for a Joint Position Statement 2022 (JPS22)-compliant inspection.

Is a damp meter enough to diagnose damp?

Be wary of any surveyor or commercial specialist who uses only a damp meter to diagnose the source of dampness, especially in hard walls and solid floors. Damp meters test an electric current through a material. They are accurate for measuring moisture levels in timber, but in other materials they may register high readings from other conductive materials, not just moisture.

What are a landlord's legal duties on damp and mould?

Landlords must make sure their rental homes are safe and healthy for people to live in. This legal duty comes through the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS), part of the Housing Act 2004, which lists 29 hazards in the home. Dampness and mould are listed among the highest categories of hazard.

What is Awaab's Law?

Under Awaab's Law, part of the Social Housing Regulations Act 2023, from October 2025 registered social landlords — councils and housing associations — must tackle emergency cases within 24 hours, inspect, report and outline remediation for damp and mould presenting significant risk of harm within 10 days, and begin repair works within 5 working days.

I am a tenant and my landlord has not acted. What can I do?

Check your conditions of tenancy, report the issue to your landlord promptly and keep a dated record. If you have HHSRS-related concerns, contact your local council's environmental health team — your local authority can take action against landlords for non-compliance.

Independent advice

Not sure whether it is maintenance or a defect?

We inspect the building, measure moisture, temperature and airflow together, and set out what needs repairing, what needs maintaining and what needs managing — in a report you can share with a landlord, tenant or contractor.

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