What is condensation?
Condensation happens when excess moisture in the air meets a cold surface and turns into water droplets. Everyday things like cooking, cleaning, showering, bathing and breathing produce excess moisture in our homes. Condensation is more likely to occur in winter; this is because surfaces like windows and walls are colder and there is more moist, warm air inside our homes.
Small amounts condensation, like the steam from a shower condensing in a bathroom mirror, aren't usually a concern if it's kept on top of.
If you spot condensation on a surface, wipe it down with a dry, clean cloth or kitchen towel.
What is damp?
Condensation is a type of damp that is caused by excess moisture inside the home, but there are other types of damp too, such as rising damp, penetrating damp and damp caused by plumbing faults. It’s important to know how to spot these types of damp so that you can let us know if you have a problem and we can take action.
Moisture can also enter your home from outside sources, such as leaks or broken and blocked guttering.
If you think you have rising damp, penetrating damp, or a plumbing fault contact us straight away so that we can arrange an inspection and take action to fix the problem.
What is mould?
Excess condensation or structural damp issues can cause sitting water on surfaces like ceilings, walls and floors. This can lead to damage in your home, such as flaking paintwork, peeling wallpaper or black mould. Black mould can grow on any surface, but common places include windowsills, ceilings or walls. If you notice mould forming, it’s important that it’s treated straight away as it can spread quickly and be harmful to your health. Using a clean cloth and a white vinegar spray is an effective way to treat and remove small areas of mould.
Report it
Let us know
Report it
- We’ll make it easy for you to report any condensation, damp and mould concerns, please call our Customer Excellence team on 01782 635200. Our advisors will need to complete a short questionnaire with you to ensure that we respond to the issue as efficiently as possible.
- We’ll get to the bottom of it quickly, help to put things right and carry out any repairs.
- We will triage your report of damp and mould under the Awaab’s law guidelines. You can find these here -
- If you have a severe case of damp and mould, we’ll prioritise this as an emergency and send our specialist response team to your home to carry out a mould wash to remove the hazard and then work on any repairs and start to put things right.
Our first steps
Our process
- Once we’ve received your Damp and mould request, we’ll arrange for our specialist response team to come out to your home and complete a mould wash within 10 working days.
- Following the mould wash we will contact you to carry out a desktop virtual survey to investigate the report and identify any repairs.
- In some cases, one of our surveyors will visit your home to carry out a survey.
- After our survey we will write to you to let you know what we found and steps we will take. This will take place within three days.
- Any repairs found will start to be repaired within 20 working days
- We’ll never leave you alone to manage condensation, damp and mould.
- We will guide you with some helpful hints and tips to prevent damp and mould appearing in your home.
We'll follow up
Next steps
- If your original report of condensation, damp and mould hasn't been resolved from your mould wash, and/or virtual survey we will arrange for a diagnostic further survey, along with an additional mould wash to be completed.
- Once we've completed a survey, any repairs, and an additional mould wash, and if you still notice signs of mould from your original report, we will carry out a detailed survey and provide preventive support.
- We may be able to provide you with smart technology to help you better understand how your home is performing – and reduce the chance of future cases of damp and mould.
- If you notice any new mould growth in a different area, please let us know as soon as possible, by calling our customer excellence team on 01782 635200 .
Preventative Support
Further assistance
Finding the root cause of the damp and mould can be difficult and might take a little longer that we’d like. But don’t worry, we'll find what’s causing it and sort it out as quickly as we can.
- Set your heating to a low temperature to come on for longer periods of time, as spikes in temperature from very cold to very warm could create the conditions for condensation to develop.
- When you’re cooking or taking a bath/shower, make sure that you have your extractor fans turned on and keep any bathroom or kitchen doors closed.
- If you notice any signs of water on your windows, wipe them away to avoid any mould growth.
- Mainly first thing in the morning, open your windows and let some fresh air into your home, and let that moist air escape.
- When you’re drying your washing, try to hang them outside, where you can. If you don’t have anywhere outside then dry your clothes in your bathroom or kitchen with your extractor fan on, windows open and the doors closed.
- Try and keep any furniture away from your radiators and external walls, as this can stop any air moving around your home.
- When you’re cooking keep any lids on your pans to stop any steam escaping.
- If you are using a tumble dryer, make sure you have it ventilated outside.
- If you notice any mould, use any mould cleaning products that you can from main high street shops or supermarkets and remove the mould.
If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills, speak to your energy provider to find out about any help that’s available. Or you can reach out to our Money Advice team to see what cost of living advice is available.
Money Advice
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Healthy Homes Handbook
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