Damp and mould - advice and guidance

There are four primary types of damp that can impact your home, see the following for more information and guidance about each:

• Condensation and black mould
• Rising damp
• Penetrating damp
• Traumatic damp

Tenant responsibilities

To minimise condensation in your home, it's essential to take appropriate measures. As a tenant, you are expected to use your accommodation responsibly, ensuring it does not become damp or mouldy due to excessive moisture. Proper ventilation and heating are crucial to prevent dampness from accumulating.

If you experience dampness due to other issues, such as penetrating damp, rising damp, or plumbing defects (excluding minor blockages caused by tenant behaviour), it is your landlord's responsibility to address these problems. Be sure to report any such issues to your landlord promptly.

Landlord responsibilities

Your landlord is obligated to address damp or mould issues if they are caused by a repair problem and impacting your health and safety. Additionally, landlords must legally provide adequate heating and proper ventilation for your home.

Common issues your landlord is required to fix include:

• Faulty rainwater systems, such as broken gutters
• Leaking pipes, like those from bathroom waste
• Malfunctioning heating systems
• Missing roof tiles

Once these problems are resolved, your landlord should repair any damaged plaster, skirting boards or flooring as necessary.

It is also recommended that bathrooms and kitchens be equipped with mechanical ventilation that includes a humidity sensor.

Reporting damp and mould

If your home is damp for any of these reasons, the cause of the problem will need to be assessed by our team. If the damp problems continue, please contact us as soon as possible.

We can assess cases of damp and mould to identify any health and safety issues and take appropriate action to deal with the problem.

You can report damp and mould issues by emailing privaterentedhousing@durham.gov.uk

Make sure to include:

1. Your name
2. Your address
3. Contact number and email address
4. a brief description of the problem
5. If possible photographs of the problem

If you have a smart phone, we may request a video call with our team so we can fully understand the problems and deal with the issues quicker.