Guidance For Tenants: Help with condensation, damp and mould

Too much moisture and condensation in a property can cause damp and mould, which can negatively affect your health and wellbeing if not fixed.  Here are three steps you can take to deal with these issues.

Step One:  You can take a number of actions to help prevent damp and mould.

• Wipe down windows and surfaces in the morning where condensation has built up overnight.
• Open windows throughout the day and night (where it is safe and appropriate to do so).
• Dry Laundry Outside where possible or in the bathroom with a window slightly open and/or the extractor fan on.
• Use an extractor fan while cooking, using a kettle and using baths and showers.
• Keep a gap between furniture and external walls, and where possible place furniture agains internal walls.
• Maintain a medium/low level of heat throughout the property, where possible.
• Use a mould spray on mouldy area (follow instructions for safe usage).

Step Two - If you think mould is related to a property defect (e.g. damp proofing, guttering, brickwork or roof(, you should inform your landlord or agent as soon as possible.

If the problem persists after taking the actions outlined in Step 1, you should inform the landlord or letting agent to enable them to investigate the problem and determine the appropriate action to remedy the issue.

Step Three - Where a landlord or their agent does not address the issue appropriately, there are a number of routes to resolves the problem and seek redress:

Report the issue to your local authority - Your local council can help private renteres and will have an environmental health team who can access the problem to decide it a formal environmental health inspection is required.  They can deal with poor housing conditions by service a hazard awareness notice or imposing emergency measures on the landlord.

Seek redress from landlords

• Social housing tenants refer complaints to the Housing Ombudsman, provided they have raised their complaint with the social landlord in the first instance.

You can refer your complaint to The Property Ombudsman if the business is a member, provided you have raised the complaint with the agent in the first instance.  We will consider the agent and the landlord's responsibilities and actions in reaching our decision.