Report damp or mould in writing as soon as you notice it, describe what you can see without guessing at the cause, and keep a dated record from the first message through inspection and repairs. Send clear photographs, identify the rooms and surfaces affected, explain any leak, damage, health concern or household vulnerability, and ask for an acknowledgement, inspection and repair plan.
The legal deadlines below are specifically for social rented homes in England under Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law. Private tenants and renters in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland may have different duties and routes, but the evidence and record-keeping steps are useful in any tenancy.
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Do these things first
- Make a written report. Use your landlord’s repair portal, email or another channel that leaves a record. Include your full address, exact rooms and surfaces, when you first noticed the problem, whether it is spreading or returning, and any leak or defective fixture you have observed.
- Photograph and date the condition. Take wide shots showing where the area is and close-ups showing the damp, mould, staining, peeling finish or damaged material. Keep the original files and note the date and room.
- Describe observations, not a diagnosis. Say “black growth has appeared around the bedroom window and the wall feels wet” rather than asserting that the cause is condensation, a structural defect or your behaviour. The landlord may need to investigate before deciding the cause.
- Explain who lives in the home and any urgency. Mention children, pregnancy, older or disabled household members, respiratory conditions, allergies, symptoms, or a worsening leak. You do not need to wait for a doctor’s letter before reporting.
- Ask for specific next actions. Request confirmation of receipt, an inspection, a repair plan and a reference number. Offer reasonable access times.
- Keep a timeline. Save the sent message and attachments, every reply, appointment, missed visit, inspection finding, repair invoice or work description, and photographs showing what changed afterward.
If there is immediate danger—for example, water near electrics, a ceiling that appears unstable, a major active leak, or a person becoming acutely unwell—state that clearly in the report and use the landlord’s emergency number as well as writing. Follow local emergency advice where there is a risk to life.
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Record what you can see, smell and feel
Give precise, neutral details: “moisture is visible on the lower 30 centimetres of the living-room wall,” “paint is blistering below the bathroom,” “a musty smell returns after rain,” or “mould has reappeared two weeks after cleaning.” Note whether the area is wet to the touch, whether water is actively entering, and whether the condition changes with weather or use. Do not turn an observation into a conclusion about fault.
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Locate every affected area
List the room, wall or ceiling, nearby window, pipe, appliance or fixture, and approximate size. If the same condition appears in more than one place, list each location separately. A simple sketch or labelled photograph can help an inspector find the areas quickly.
Give a chronology
State when you first noticed the issue, when it became worse, whether it has returned after previous cleaning or repairs, and the dates of any earlier reports. Include a leak, blocked gutter, failed extractor fan, broken window seal, plumbing fault or other event only as something you observed. If you do not know when it began, say that instead of estimating.
Explain household and health context factually
Tell the landlord who lives in the property, including children who stay there, and identify relevant vulnerability or symptoms. You can write “my child has developed a cough since the mould appeared” or “a household member has asthma,” without claiming that the property caused the illness. Government health guidance says landlords should not delay action while waiting for medical evidence; medical evidence is not a prerequisite for addressing damp and mould. The joint OHID, MHCLG and UKHSA guidance states: “Landlords should not delay action to await medical evidence or opinion – medical evidence is not a requirement for action, and damp and mould should always be addressed promptly to protect tenant health.”
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Evidence that is useful to a landlord or investigator
Photographs and video
- Take a context image that shows the room and a fixed feature, such as a door, window or radiator.
- Take closer images of the affected surface, including peeling paint, staining, mould growth, wet patches or damaged belongings.
- Use the same viewpoint when documenting change over time. A ruler or ordinary object can show scale, but buying specialist equipment is not necessary.
- Keep original, unedited files. If you annotate a copy, retain the original as well.
- A short video can show dripping water, a fan that does not operate, or the extent of a spreading patch. Government social-landlord guidance recognises that images or video may assist a remote assessment in some cases, but they do not remove the need for an in-person investigation when one is required.
Store copies somewhere safe, such as an email folder or backed-up drive. Name files consistently, for example 2026-10-17_bedroom-window_wide.jpg, and keep a note stating the date, location and what changed.
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Messages, appointments and repair records
Keep the complete sent email, portal confirmation, case number, attachments and delivery or read receipt where available. Save letters and text messages as screenshots or downloaded files. After a telephone call or visit, send a short recap: “On 18 October you said an inspector would attend on 24 October between 9 and 11 a.m.; please correct me if that is not right.” This creates a contemporaneous record without turning a disagreement into an argument.
Conditions around the building
Note related observations that may help locate a building defect: a leaking roof or gutter, water tracking from a bathroom, a failed extractor, a cold or damaged window reveal, a cracked external wall, or a recurring patch after rain. Report these as observations. Do not remove finishes, open walls or attempt electrical or plumbing work yourself to obtain proof.
A report message you can adapt
This is a practical format, not a prescribed statutory form. Replace the bracketed text, attach your dated evidence and keep a copy of everything sent.
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What happens after you report
Acknowledgement and triage
Keep the date and time of your report. The landlord may ask questions, request images or arrange an urgent visit. Reply promptly, but keep your answers factual and retain the exchange. If the landlord says the issue is only “condensation” without inspecting, ask what inspection supports that conclusion and what action will address the underlying condition.
Inspection
Before an appointment, make a list of all affected locations and the dates they changed. During the visit, show the inspector the original areas and any related leak, ventilation or building feature. Ask what was observed, whether further testing is needed, what work is proposed and when you will receive the findings. Do not obstruct reasonable access, but ask for appointments in writing and record no-shows.
Repairs and follow-up evidence
Record the work described, the date it started and the date it finished. Photograph the area before work, during disruptive work where safe, and after completion. Note whether staining, moisture or mould returns and when. Cleaning or repainting alone may not resolve a continuing leak, water ingress, inadequate ventilation or cold surface; report recurrence as a new dated event linked to the original case.
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Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law took effect on 27 October 2025 for the social rented sector in England. It covers emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards. The current tenant guidance, updated 4 December 2025, describes the following sequence. Read the tenant guidance and the social-landlord timeframes for the operative wording.
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| Situation | Required action | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency hazard | Investigate and make the hazard safe | Within 24 hours |
| Significant damp and mould hazard | Investigate | Within 10 working days |
| Significant damp and mould hazard after investigation | Make the hazard safe | Within 5 working days after the investigation |
| Investigation outcome | Provide a written summary | Within 3 working days after the investigation |
| Further work is needed | Ensure the work is happening | Within 5 working days after the investigation |
| Further work is needed | Physically begin the work | Within 12 weeks at the latest |
These times run from the point at which the landlord receives a report that contains enough information to assess the hazard; include the location, condition, household and urgency details in your first message so there is less scope for misunderstanding. If the landlord needs more information, respond promptly and keep evidence of what was supplied.
These are duties for English social landlords, not a universal deadline for every renter. Phase 2 guidance has been published with amendments scheduled to take effect on 30 November 2026; it was not yet in force on the authoritative date of 13 October 2026. Check the current tenant guidance if your report is made after that date because legal provisions can change. See the published Phase 2 guidance.
A 2026 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government test-and-learn report described qualitative fieldwork with 30 social housing tenants and 35 registered social landlords in England, conducted from December 2025 to March 2026. That is a participant sample, not a measure of how common damp is or of landlord performance.
If you rent privately or live outside England
Private rented homes in England
Awaab’s Law Phase 1 does not automatically set the deadlines for private tenancies. Continue to report in writing, preserve the timeline and use the landlord’s formal complaints process. Your tenancy agreement, housing-condition duties and local enforcement options may apply; obtain advice specific to your council and circumstances before relying on a social-housing deadline.
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Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
The English Awaab’s Law timetable is not automatically the rule in the other UK nations. Report the condition promptly and seek advice from the relevant housing authority, tenant service or adviser for your nation and tenure. Keep the same evidence: dated photographs, precise locations, household context, every response and the outcome of each repair.
Following up when the landlord does not respond
- Send a dated follow-up. Refer to the original report date, address and reference number. State what has happened since, attach new photographs if the condition has worsened, and ask for the next action and expected date.
- Use the formal complaint process. Ask for the landlord’s complaints procedure if you do not have it. Attach a concise chronology and copies of key evidence rather than sending an unorganised bundle.
- Escalate through the appropriate route. Social tenants in England can use the tenant guidance and relevant complaint routes; private renters and tenants in other nations need routes matched to their tenancy and location. A council environmental-health or housing-enforcement service may be relevant in some situations, but ask what evidence and inspection access it requires.
- Get independent advice for a continuing dispute. A qualified housing adviser can help identify the right escalation route. An independent damp survey may be useful in a complex unresolved building dispute, but it is not a prerequisite for making the initial report.
Do not stop paying rent, withhold access or carry out major remedial work solely because a report is unanswered without obtaining tailored legal advice. Those steps can create separate risks and may destroy evidence of the original condition.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Reporting only by phone: make a written recap immediately after the call.
- Sending one close-up photograph: include context, location and dated progression.
- Guessing the cause: report what is visible and what changed; leave diagnosis to the investigation.
- Waiting for medical proof: state symptoms or vulnerability now; action should not wait for a medical letter.
- Cleaning before documenting: photograph first, and keep notes if cleaning is necessary for safety.
- Accepting a cosmetic fix as the whole solution: ask what caused the moisture and how recurrence will be checked.
- Ignoring missed appointments: record the date, promised time and your availability, then request a new appointment in writing.
- Buying equipment to “prove” the case: a phone camera, email and ordinary notes are enough to make a report. Specialist meters, dehumidifiers and dedicated logbooks are not required to trigger an investigation.
A simple record you can maintain
| Date | Event | Evidence or reference | Next action and due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October 2026 | First noticed mould on bedroom window reveal | Photos 001–004 | Report sent; await acknowledgement |
| 19 October 2026 | Landlord acknowledged report | Case reference 12345 | Inspection offered for 24 October |
| 24 October 2026 | Inspection attended; leak also observed | Visit recap emailed same day | Written findings and repair plan requested |
| After repair | Area photographed again | Before/after images and recurrence notes | Follow up if moisture or mould returns |
Use your real dates and facts; the example entries above illustrate the level of detail, not a required form.
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