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Damp & Mould

Working together to identify the causes and remove damp and mould in your home

Report it

We take reports of damp and mould extremely seriously and we would urge any Tenant who has concerns to contact us immediately.
You can report problems to us on 0800 0193 222.

Email us

You can also send us an email – enquiries@sbha.org.uk.

Alternatively, please complete the online contact form below which asks some questions about the problem, and we’ll be in touch within one working day.

What's on this page

What we'll do after you report damp or mould to us

How we're dealing with damp and mould

Frequently asked questions

Things you can do that may help

Preventing damp and mould - video guide

Our damp and mould leaflet

What will we do next?

We want to ensure any damp and mould in your home is treated as soon as possible.

We will respond whenever you tell us about damp, mould or condensation in your home, including reports and observations from you or someone else.
We will first assess the information you give us to understand where the problem is, how serious it may be and whether anyone in your household may be particularly at risk. This will help us decide how urgently we need to inspect your home.
We will arrange for a suitably qualified person to investigate within 10 working days. The 10 working days start on the first working day after you report the problem. They will assess the damp and mould and identify any work needed to make your home safe.
Within 3 working days of completing the investigation, we will write to you with a summary of what we found.
If work is needed to make your home safe, we will start it within 5 working days of completing the investigation. This is the same 5-working-day period and does not start again after we send you the summary.
If something outside SBHA’s control means we cannot meet one of these timescales, we will write to you to explain why and tell you when you can expect the next step.
After all work is finished, we aim to contact you within 3 months to check whether it has solved the problem. If it has not, we will consider whether any further work is needed.

What remedial works will we undertake?

This may include repairs to the fabric of your home such as:

leaking internal pipes
broken heating systems
missing roof tiles or faulty guttering
cracked walls or rotten window frames

We will also replace any damaged plaster, skirting boards or floorboards, and advise on re-decoration.

Where mould is present, we’ll arrange to treat the area with a suitable solution to kill any mould growth.

Other steps we may take to improve air circulation are:

If condensation is excessive in your bathroom and/or kitchen, we can arrange for a de-humidistat fan to be fitted. These fans run continuously, use very little electricity and are effective in removing moisture from the air.
We may install an environmental sensor in your home which monitors damp.
We may also give advice if we think there are some things you can do to help reduce moisture levels in your home.

We will also follow up works to ensure that they have treated the issue effectively. If repairs do not resolve the issue, we will look at further improvements, for example installing a damp proof course, or replacing cavity wall insulation.

We are proactively dealing with the issue of damp and mould in our homes

What are we doing?

We’re monitoring targets around Damp and Mould to ensure that resolving these issues are prioritised
We're proactively identifying those homes which may have an increased risk of developing issues with damp and mould, so that we can take steps to prevent this.
We’re ensuring that front-line staff are equipped with the skills to identify causes and arrange treatment for damp, making use of specialist advisers where required.
We are also putting together a specialist team to support our work on more persistent and complex cases. This dedicated team will focus on prioritising cases, addressing root causes, and improving the customer experience. We look forward to introducing the Team soon.
We're providing information on the steps you can take to help reduce the risk of mould in your home (see below).
We work alongside our Tenants throughout in cases where damp and mould are present.

We’ll continue to make information readily available to you here on our website and via our Tenant newsletter.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if I have damp or mould?

Why does damp and mould occur?

Damp and mould can be caused by any of the following:

Penetrating damp – caused by rainwater penetrating through the external structure, this is usually recognisable by a damp patch or discolouration on the internal wall, or flaking paint or wallpaper. Some examples of common causes and signs to look out for are broken or for blocked gutters or downpipes, or damaged roofs. Mould may begin to grow.

Rising damp – less common than penetrating damp as most homes have damp proof coursing (DPC) to prevent rising damp occurring. However this can fail or be breached due to debris in the cavity, or the external ground level being raised above the DPC level. Signs in the home of rising damp are similar to that of penetrating damp, but it usually only affects basement and ground floor rooms.

Defective plumbing – such as leaking pipes, wastes or overflows. Plumbing defects usually look and feel damp to the touch and remain damp whatever the weather conditions.

Condensation – created by high levels of moisture in the air. Condensation is the most likely cause of any damp problems occurring in the home. There are three factors which impact upon the amount of condensation a home produces:

How much moisture is created by daily living activities
The temperature of the home and how cold or warm the air is
How much air circulation there is within the home and how well the home is ventilated

What is mould?

Things you can do that may help

Mould needs moisture to grow. There are three ways to reduce it:

Control household moisture

Careful heating

Careful ventilation

Top tips for reducing condensation in your home

Keep lids on pans when cooking, and don’t allow kettles to boil for longer than you need to.

Dry clothes outside if you can. If drying inside, put them in the bathroom with the door closed and window open/fan on. Any tumble drier vents should go outside (unless it’s self-condensing).

When bathing or cooking, use any extractor fans you have and open windows to remove the excess moisture from the air. Keep the doors closed to stop moisture travelling through your home.

Very cold rooms encourage mould to grow. It’s recommended that you don’t allow the temperature in your home to fall below 14°C.

Use trickle vents if you have them and dry the windows and window sills of your home every morning where condensation has formed. If the weather allows, open your bedroom windows for 10 minutes in the morning to let moist air escape.

Keep furniture away from walls, particularly external walls to allow air to circulate around them. Allow room in wardrobes and cupboards for circulation.

Watch our damp and mould video guide here

Download our damp and mould leaflet here

DownloadPDF

Damp & Mould

What's on this page

Damp & Mould Report Form

What will we do next?

We are proactively dealing with the issue of damp and mould in our homes

Frequently asked questions

Things you can do that may help

Mould needs moisture to grow. There are three ways to reduce it:

Top tips for reducing condensation in your home

Watch our damp and mould video guide here