Home You and your home Health and safety in your home Condensation, Damp and Mould

Condensation, Damp and Mould

Condensation is caused by the moisture in the air. It’s perfectly natural, and you see it at home when windows steam up or walls look wet. But over time, it can become a cause of damp and mould.

Mould looks like little black dots in the corners of the windows or anywhere water collects. Mould can be bad for your health, so it's important you take action if you spot signs of mould in your home.

Damp looks like a wet patch on a wall or ceiling and can be caused by things like leaks in the roof, guttering, drainpipes, missing pointing in brickwork, cracked render, rotten windows or missing air bricks. Left untreated, damp can cause structural problems over a long period of time.

Damp and mould can damage walls, furniture and even your clothes in the wardrobe, and cause health problems or make conditions like asthma worse.

Cooking, washing, and other activities in the home all release moisture, but there are simple things that can be done to make sure condensation does not turn into a problem.

Check out our hints and tips below and watch our short videos at the bottom of this page...

Heating

In colder seasons, keep heating steady throughout the week
In rooms with no heating, keep doors open so air can circulate
Avoid paraffin or portable gas heaters - they add moisture to the air

Ventilation

Keep air flowing around your home
Open kitchen or bathroom windows when in use, so steam/condensation can escape
Move furniture away from walls
Don’t overfill cupboards
Don’t block air vents
Keep trickle ventilators (small vents in modern windows) open

Moisture

When cooking, keep internal doors closed so the moisture doesn’t spread through the house
Keep lids on pots and pans
Don’t leave water in the sink - it will evaporate into the air
Make sure tumble dryers are vented outside, or in a ventilated room if not
Don’t dry washing on radiators
Dry washing outside if possible - or in the bathroom with the door closed and window open or extractor fan on
Wipe down windows, windowsills, and problem walls regularly to stop condensation building up
Don’t fit shower hoses to baths unless the room is properly ventilated

Mould - how to treat it

Mould usually looks like patches of little black spots and forms on walls, windows and ceilings. It can grow and spread and become a serious problem, but if caught in time it can be treated with household cleaning products like mould and mildew remover. Keep window vents open, especially in bedrooms where air flow can be poor. You can buy special fungicidal, or anti-mould paint to go over the area once it has been treated.

Damp & Mould hints and tips

Click on the links below for our leaflet containing hints and tips in different languages:

Damp & Mould

الرطوبة والعفن في بیتك Arabic

رطوبت و کپک قارچی در منزل شما Farsi

شێداری و کەڕوو لە ماڵی تۆ Kurdish

ጠሊ ዘለዎ ቕርጺ ምጭባጥ Tigrinya

Damp & Mould - how we prioritise your reports

We are committed to making sure your home is a safe and healthy place to live.

Damp and mould can result in serious health problems, as well as causing damage to your home and furniture.

When you make a report, we will start looking into how to fix your problem straight away.

This leaflet explains how we prioritise your damp and mould report to us...

Damp & mould process guide

كيف نرتب أولويات التقارير الخاصة بك؟ - Arabic

چگونه گزارشهای شما را اولویت بندی میکنیم؟ - Farsi

چۆن ڕاپۆرتەکانتان لە پێشینە دادەنێین؟ - Kurdish

ጸብጻባትካ ቐዳምነት ክንህቦ እንኽእል ብኸመይ ኢና? - Tigrinya

Sometimes, damp and mould is due to an issue with your home. If you have tried our tips but it's not making a difference, please let us know. We take all reports of damp and mould seriously and will work with you to treat the root cause.

We’ll always ask what you’ve done to try and manage the issue yourself. This helps us to understand and better diagnose what is going on
Working out what’s causing damp or mould in your home isn’t always easy. Damp or mould can be due to a combination of factors and therefore we may need to send a surveyor or specialist contractor to your home to inspect the issue
The measures we can take to help you tackle the problem include washing down walls, repairing a leak, installing ventilation and providing dehumidifiers and/or temporary heaters. This may take several visits and inspections for us to diagnose and treat the issue
If the issue appears to be with the structure of the building, a specialist surveyor will inspect your home to inform any adaptations we might need to make. Sometimes damp can only be eliminated with ongoing treatment.