As the weather has turned colder, I’ve noticed mould and damp in our flat. It’s mainly in our bedroom, including some black mould on the carpet. I’ve been chasing our letting agency, who say they’ll speak to our landlord. I’m really worried about how this might affect our health.
It’s good that you’ve already raised the issue with your letting agency. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to work out the cause of mould or damp.
This can make it difficult to work out if your landlord is responsible, unless there’s an obvious cause, like a leaking roof.
There are many causes of damp, the most common are rising, penetrating, construction and condensation damp.
Our website has information that may help you work out what type of damp you have, who is responsible and what you can do. Check your tenancy agreement too for mentions of repairs and damp.
A landlord will have to act in relation to damp if it makes the property unsafe for someone to live in.
The landlord will also be responsible if the damp is related to repairs they should have carried out, if heaters are broken for instance, or if the damp has damaged items that the landlord is responsible for, such as carpets and window frames.
There are things that can make damp worse such as drying clothes on heaters or blocking air vents and these may impact on whether the landlord is responsible for any repairs.
One of the most common causes of damp is condensation. To prevent this, it’s important to keep homes well-heated and well-ventilated, but for a lot of people this will be harder to do given high heating costs. Check with us to find out if you are eligible for help to insulate and heat your home.
If your landlord is responsible for the damp in your property but doesn’t act you can report them to the local authority or use a formal complaints procedure.
If it reaches the point where you want to get out of a fixed term tenancy agreement early, do speak to an adviser first, as there might be better ways to approach the issue.
Contact your local Citizens Advice or call our Adviceline on 0800 144 8848 for personalised support.
You can find out more at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-privately/during-your-tenancy/dealing-withrepairs.
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