Our Healthy Homes Team is here to help you

Our new Healthy Homes Team is here to help if you have damp and mould in your home.

Our dedicated team will work with you to establish the cause of the damp and mould, and will draft a plan of action of how to best address it, and to advise you on how to stop it from coming back. This guide has been put together by our new team, and we hope it will help you understand why there may be damp and mould in your home, and how you can eliminate it.

In some circumstances, we will group works to deal with damp and mould so that they can all take place at once. This means that on occasion, time lines for repairs may be longer, but we will inform you if this is the case.

How to report damp and mould

Visit barnethomes.org/report-damp and use our online form. Here, you will be able to upload photos of your home so that we can assess and treat any damp and mould more effectively.

Understanding types of damp

Rising and penetrating damp

There different types of damp which you may find in your home. This page will help you identify the type you have, and how you can best deal with it.

Rising and penetrating damp is rare to find in homes. It can be caused by structural problems, particularly if you live in an old building.

Rising damp is caused by moisture rising up through walls or floors.

Penetrating damp is caused by water entering your home from the outside (through a broken roof tile, for example) or because of a burst pipe or leak within the building. 

This kind of damp will need to be treated by our repairs team, but there are some signs that you can look-out for to see if your home has rising or penetrating damp:

  • flaky plaster
  • wallpaper or paint which is peeling
  • damaged or warped skirting boards
  • flooring lifting up
  • crumbling bricks
  • damp patches on walls or ceilings
  • damp patches which darken when it rains
  • a musty smell.

Condensation

Damp caused by condensation is the most common kind found in our homes. Left untreated, it can cause mould to grow.

Condensation is caused by moisture in warmer air coming into contact with colder surfaces, like windows, in the corners of rooms or behind furniture which is close to wall.

If condensation is not wiped of regularly, small spots of mould could develop, which could start to grow if left untreated.

Fortunately, condensation in the home can be reduced, which will prevent mould from growing.

How to reduce condensation in your home

  • Wipe condensation off of windows and windowsills
  • Open windows at least once a day 
  • Cover pans while cooking and use the extractor fan
  • Clean vents and fans regularly
  • Open windows when the tumble dryer is on, and vent outside if possible
  • Keep steam from kettles way from underneath cupboards
  • Wipe condensation off of windows and windowsills
  • Heat your home evenly throughout the day using the thermostat
  • Leave a gap between furniture  and exterior walls
  • Wipe down steam after showers and baths

How to remove mould

A build-up of condensation in your home can lead to damp which may then turn into mould. You can follow these steps to treat the mould before it develops into a more serious case:

  •  wipe mould off immediately with water using a sponge or a cloth
  • do not use washing-up liquid – this will make the mould worse
  • apply a diluted bleach solution to the wall or use mould removal products which are available from DIY or home stores
  • dry clean clothes and shampoo carpets affected by mould
  • do not just paint over mould – it must be treated first, and then use a special fungicidal paint to prevent it recurring

And remember that the best way of avoiding mould is to limit the condensation in your home.

For more information

Download our residents guide to damp and mould for a full list of tips on how to prevent and treat damp issues caused by condensation.

Contact us

If you are doing everything that you can to reduce condensation but still find that you are having issues related to damp and mould, then the issue may be something beyond your control – such as a fault in a property e.g. leaky roof, burst pipe or faulty damp-proof coursing.

If you have damp and mould in your home, please report it to our Healthy Homes Team using this online form. Using our form will be the quickest and most efficient way we can help you.