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How To Report Mould In The Home

How to report mould and damp

1. Report it - Start by reporting it to your landlord or social housing agent. Check your tenancy agreement for the specified way to do this e.g. via an online portal. If not specified, email or write to them. You can find templates online here for a housing association or here for a private landlord.

2. Keep it - Keep a record of all communication and keep photographing the mould.

3. Inspect it - Let your landlord visit the property to find out the source of the problem.

4. Fix it - Allow them to try and fix the problem and then make sure they're revisiting the property six weeks later to check if the problem has come back. Worth noting, your landlord should also be fixing any damage caused by the damp e.g. redecorating or replacing furniture.

5. Escalate it - If your landlord isn't responding or refusing to fix it, ask your council for an environmental health inspection. If the officers deem the mould bad enough to be affecting your health, then it will instruct the landlord to fix the problem or face sanctions. There can sometimes be a delay so if you don't want to wait and you're desperate for answers, you can pay for a private mould inspection for on average £100.

It's worth noting that your landlord cannot give you a section 21 notice for 6 months after the council gives them an improvement or emergency works notice, so that gives you some short-term protection from a revenge eviction.

For more information on Gov.UK about repairs in a privately rented home, click here

Renters Reform Bill

The Renters Reform Bill, new proposed legislation currently going through parliament, includes several new proposals regarding mould. One of these is a new housing Ombudsmen, which any tenant - private or social - can deal with directly with complaints about the standard or their property or repairs not being completed within a reasonable timeframe. This should hopefully speed up the process for tenants.

The bill also includes the Decent Homes Standard, which will set a clear bar for rental homes to be safe, warm and decent. This will bring the law for private rentals in line with social housing.

To read more about the Renters Reform Bill, click here

How to prevent damp and mould

The best thing for your health is to increase ventilation in the home. This will not only help reduce the amount of mould spores in the air, but for anyone in a small space, increasing the oxygen flow will prevent viruses spreading.

  • The best times to open a window are when you're showering, cooking, or drying clothes.
  • Don't be afraid to scrub the mould off the walls or floor with a wipe and spray. You don't need bleach or expensive products with more chemicals in them that will only irritate your lungs more. Just white vinegar, bicarb of soda, and hot water.
  • Clean your appliances like your fridge sealant and washing machine sealant, places where mould can often thrive.
  • Finally, potentially think about stripping your wallpaper and replacing it with a lick of paint. Wallpaper can store more moisture than people realise.

To learn more about the different types of mould, you can watch Matt Allwright on Morning Live on 14th July on BBC iPlayer. Click here to watch.