Damp and Mould - Advice and Guidance

Damp and mould issues are common problems in many homes. Understanding the cause of the dampness is key to treatment of the problem. There are four main types of damp that may affect your home -

• Condensation
• Rising Damp
• Penetrating Damp
• Damp caused by Defective Plumbing

Click on any of the above 4 types of damp to take you to further information and guidance

Tenant’s Responsibilities

It is important you take the most appropriate action to reduce condensation in your home. You have a responsibility to use your accommodation in a 'tenant-like manner' which includes not making your home damp or mouldy due to excessive condensation. You should ventilate and heat your home properly so that damp does not build up.

If the dampness is caused by other forms of damp such as penetrating damp, rising damp or defective plumbing (not including soft blockages from tenant behaviour), it will be your landlord’s responsibility to deal with it. You must report this to them as soon as possible.

Landlord’s Responsibilities

Your landlord has a responsibility to fix the damp or mould issue if it is either:

• Caused by a repair problem
• Or affecting your health and safety

Your landlord also has a legal obligation to provide you with a suitable fixed form of heating and means to ventilate your home.  

Common examples of problems your landlord must fix include:

• Faulty rainwater goods e.g., defective guttering
• Leaking pipes e.g., leak from bathroom waste pipe
• Broken heating systems
• Missing roof tiles

Your landlord should also replace any damaged plaster, skirting boards or flooring and redecorate if needed once the problem is fixed.

Ideally bathrooms and kitchens should be provided with mechanical ventilation with a humidity sensor.

Newcastle City Council’s Responsibilities

If the dampness is due to condensation, Newcastle City Council can only act if:

• You have inadequate heating or no heating
• You cannot open your windows, or they are in a severe state of disrepair
• The damp and mould are very severe
• You rent a property that does not have an EPC or has a failing EPC (below E)

Condensation dampness and mould caused by the lifestyle of the occupants cannot be enforced under the Housing Act 2004 and we are unable to help unless there are very severe extenuating circumstances. We will not consider condensation dampness and mould caused by the lifestyle of the occupants for the purpose of the housing register banding.

If you feel the dampness in your property is due to rising damp, penetrating damp or from defective plumbing then you should report the problem to your landlord first and ask for the work to be carried out.   

If after 7-10 days your landlord has failed to adequately respond to your request, you may wish to report the issue to us so we can look at your complaint in more detail.

Conditions involving serious or imminent danger

If the issue is serious and there is an immediate danger or a serious threat to health and you have not had an immediate response from your landlord, or your landlord is uncontactable, we would always encourage you to contact us without delay.

Energy Advice and Grants

Our Energy Services team provides expert advice and support for residents and businesses in Newcastle.

This includes working to:

• Improve energy efficiency
• Help households to keep warm at a reasonable cost (reduce fuel poverty)
• Offer energy saving and fuel debt advice

The team may also be able to help you access grants or support from a range of schemes.

Find out more on our Energy advice | Newcastle City Council page.
 

Newcastle City Council Damp and Mould Policy for privately rented homes

Damp Mould Policy. Final for Cabinet July-23.pdf

This policy relates specifically to privately rented housing within the city, which includes housing rented from housing associations. Council tenants living in a property managed by Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) are referred to YHN’s Damp Condensation and Mould Policy which provides advice and guidance on the approach taken by YHN and your rights as a tenant in relation to damp, condensation and mould in Council properties. Damp and Mould Assistance | Your Homes Newcastle (yhn.org.uk)

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards

Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) aim to make private rented homes warmer and cheaper to heat.

Landlords must provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for any home they rent. If the rating is too low, they might need to improve the property to make it more energy efficient. Currently the EPC must be an E rating or above.

An EPC will tell you:

• About a property’s energy use and typical energy costs
• How to reduce energy use and save money

For further information for tenants and landlords please visit our MEES home page Minimum energy efficiency standards | Newcastle City Council