How to deal with damp and mould in social housing
This advice is for council and housing association tenants.
We have different advice about damp and mould for private tenants.
Damp and mould your landlord must fix
Your council or housing association must fix damp and mould if it's either:
serious and could make you ill
making your home unfit to live in
caused by a repair problem in your home, like a leaking pipe
Find out more about damp and mould your landlord must fix.
Tell your landlord about damp and mould
Tell your council or housing association as soon as possible about damp and mould in your home.
Your landlord must investigate the problem.
Use our letter template to tell your landlord about damp and mould.
Give your landlord time to investigate
Your landlord has:
24 hours to investigate damp and mould if it's an emergency
10 working days to investigate damp and mould that is very serious but not an emergency
They can take longer if the problem is less serious.
More about how your landlord should investigate damp and mould.
Give your landlord time to fix the problem
Your landlord must make your home safe in:
24 hours if damp and mould is an emergency
5 working days after investigating if it's very serious but not an emergency
Your landlord can take longer to:
fix damp and mould that is less serious
do more work to make sure very serious damp and mould does not come back.
More about how quickly your landlord should fix damp and mould.
Contact your landlord about problems with damp and mould repairs
Use our letter templates to email or write to your landlord. For example, if:
your landlord ignores you or blames you for the problem
your landlord says damp and mould is not very serious
Find out how to get more help with talking to your landlord.
Moving out because of damp and mould
Your council or housing association must offer you somewhere else to stay if they cannot fix very serious damp and mould in time.
Find out more about:
How to complain
You can complain if your landlord does not follow the rules for dealing with damp and mould.
Complain to your landlord first. You can then take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
Find out how to complain about your landlord.
Court action and compensation
Court action is usually a last resort.
The court can tell your council or housing association to:
pay you compensation
fix damp and mould in your home
More about taking court action for damp and mould.
Need more advice?
Use our advice pages to find the information you need.
Last updated: 27 October 2025
