Check every room for damp and mould

Mould needs moisture, and the moisture nearly always comes from somewhere you can find: a slow leak, a blocked gutter, a fan that has stopped pulling air, a room that cannot get rid of the steam from cooking and washing. Caught early, most of those are a small repair.

Left alone, the same patch spreads behind furniture, comes back after cleaning and starts to affect the health of the people living with it. The difference is usually how soon somebody noticed and wrote it down. Our page on damp and mould repairs explains where the water tends to come from.

In England, Awaab’s Law has applied to social landlords since 27 October 2025. Where a significant damp and mould hazard is reported, the landlord must investigate within 10 working days, give the tenant a written summary within 3 working days of finishing that investigation, and carry out relevant safety work within 5 working days of it concluding. Emergency hazards have to be investigated and made safe within 24 hours. From 30 November 2026 a second phase brings a wider set of hazards under the same deadlines.

Private landlords in England are not covered by Awaab’s Law yet, although the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives the government the power to extend it. They already have duties: damp and mould growth is a hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires a rented home to be fit to live in.

In Scotland, from 6 October 2026, social and private landlords must have a competent person investigate reports of damp or mould within 10 working days of becoming aware of them.

Room by Room gives you a dated record of what you saw, room by room. It does not make a home safe or meet a legal duty on its own, and it does not replace an investigation by a competent person. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.

Start the free check

Most landlords and housing providers now write down how they deal with damp and mould, often called a damp and mould management plan or policy. They vary, but most cover the same ground.

• How residents and staff report damp and mould, and how quickly a report is logged
• Who investigates, how soon, and how they find the cause rather than only the mould
• How each report, visit and repair is recorded, with dates and photographs
• Regular checks of every home or building, so problems are found before anyone has to report them
• A follow up check after a repair, to confirm it has worked
• Keeping residents informed at each step, in writing

The monthly check is the regular checks part. Each report is dated, room by room, with photos, so it slots into your records alongside reports, visits and repairs. Our printable damp and mould checklist covers the same points on paper.

Your plan should follow the law and guidance that apply to you, and the regulator or ombudsman for your sector. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.

Room by Room follows our printable checklist. You pick each room and answer the checks that fit it, so the fan and sealant questions only come up in kitchens and bathrooms. The outside of the building is checked once.

The check asks nothing about who lives in a home, their health or their habits. It looks for where moisture is getting in and whether it can get out. The Housing Ombudsman has criticised landlords for blaming damp and mould on residents’ lifestyle rather than finding the cause, and a check that only looks at the building keeps the record on the right footing.

Please photograph the problem, never people.

• A dated PDF report by email, with every room, every answer, your notes and photos
• Anything that should not wait put first: mould bigger than a doormat, or something back or spreading since last time
• If you own or manage the building, what to do next and who to ring
• If you live there, a report written for you to send to your landlord or housing provider

If you want, tick the box for one reminder email about three months later to check again. It is off unless you choose it, and one click cancels it.

Start the free check

1. 9:41

   Add a building

   Name the building, pick its type, add the postcode and say who you are.

2. 9:41

   Check each room

   Answer the checks in each room, and add a photo for anything you find.

3. 9:41

   Get the report

   Press Email me the report, and your dated PDF arrives in your inbox.

It saves on your phone as you go, so you can stop, lose signal or come back another day.
Finish within a week, because some phones clear what a page has saved after seven days without a visit.

Impress Maintenance in Newton Aycliffe finds the cause and puts it right: leaks, gutters and downpipes, failed sealant, blocked vents, mould treatment and making good. Where a fan needs fitting or wiring, we arrange a registered electrician. Damp and mould was part of 23 jobs we invoiced to IKE Supported Housing over two years, in homes people live in.

We do not do damp proofing, which means no injected damp courses, tanking, membranes or timber treatment. If a building needs that, or a survey from a qualified surveyor, we will say so. We work across County Durham, Teesside and Tyne and Wear. Everywhere else, the report tells you to take it to a local property maintenance firm.

Start the free check