Condensation is the most common kind of damp. It is caused by moist warm air condensing on cool walls, particularly in rooms that naturally generate a lot of air moisture.
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Damp, Mould and Condensation
There is nothing more important than the safety of you and your family
If you suspect you may have a form of dampness or a leak
Let us know by reporting this to our customer relationship team
Information
Damp and mould can affect homes, particularly during the winter months.
Our top priority is always providing you with a safe and healthy home – and it’s our responsibility to do so.
Here we tell you more about our approach to tackling damp and mould and share some everyday tips we can all do to help to prevent it.
If you spot any damp or mould in your home – or following the tips provided don’t help reduce excess condensation – please let us know straight away. Once you have, one of our repairs team will be in touch to tell you about the next steps.
Our approach to Damp and Mould
For us, as well as responding to reports from customers, it’s really important that we proactively identify and prevent any damp and mould problems in our homes.
One of the ways we do this is by carrying out Stock Condition Surveys in all of our customers’ homes and communal areas. Our surveyors check both the inside and outside of your home to assess its physical condition. If any issues are identified, this gets logged, investigated and acted upon. You’ll have one of these every five years – and we’re up to date with these surveys except for homes where we haven’t been able to get access. These surveys are really important, so please get in touch with us today to rearrange your appointment if you missed us last time.
We know that a home's age, type and features may increase the risk of damp and mould – so we look at this too. We keep a close eye on those homes we know are more likely to develop damp problems.
Another important action we take is always replacing things like doors and windows, roofs and gutters/downpipes and carry out external pointing when they’re in poor condition and/or past their lifecycle. This helps to stop water getting into the home.
We’re also retrofitting our homes, too, so they’re more energy efficient. This helps to tackle some damp and mould issues caused by a lack of insulation, for example.
It’s also really important that our teams know what to do when we receive a report of damp and mould – that’s why we provide in depth damp and mould training to our frontline teams as well as sharing our approach with all our colleagues.
We’ve published a damp and mould policy too, which details more about our approach. We’re pleased to share a copy with you here: Damp and Mould Policy.
Types of damp
Penetrating damp is caused by water seeping through walls from outside. It’s caused by structural problems, like faulty guttering or roofing. It usually shows up as a concentrated damp patch on walls, ceilings or floors with a clear edge. It often gets worse when it rains.
Rising damp is caused by water in the ground moving up through a wall and will only affect ground floor rooms or basements. It can happen if the home’s damp proof course is missing or damaged. Signs include damaged skirting boards and floorboards, crumbling or salt-stained plaster, and peeling paint or wallpaper
A plumbing fault, such as a leak in a water or waste pipe, can cause damp and usually happens in a kitchen or bathroom. The area would be wet to touch and would remain damp regardless of the weather outside.
We always tailor our solutions for each home.
Maintaining a healthy home – customer information
All homes are at risk of condensation, particularly through the winter months.
If you have excess condensation in your home, this can lead to problems such as mould growth, which can affect your health and the health of your home.
Small amounts of condensation are not usually a problem, and there are some everyday things we can all do to help prevent it.
We’ve worked with Energy Saving Trust, national housing network PlaceShapers and the Housing Ombudsman to create a handbook in several languages and short animation to help you manage condensation and maintain a healthy home.
If you spot any damp or mould in your home – or following these tips it does not reduce excess condensation – please let us know straight away and we’ll arrange to inspect the issue so we can let you know the next steps.
The Healthy Homes booklet
We've worked with Energy Savings Trust to create these handy PDFs, full of tips to creating and maintaining a healthy home, view them below.
Information
We know the rising cost of living is impacting customers. If you’re struggling to heat your home, contact our Money Matters team to find out what support is available.
