Damp, mould and condensation

What to expect from your mould treatment visit and what you need to do to prepare.

Please ensure you have fully read and understood the following guidance before we arrive to complete any mould treatment repairs.

Report

• You must report damp or mould as soon as possible by calling us on 0800 048 8955.
• We’ll ask you a series of questions to determine how soon we’ll need to attend.
• We’ll confirm dates and times, depending on how soon we need to attend, your appointment could be the same-day, or within 10 working days.
• If you need to rebook any appointments, you must let us know as soon as possible.

Prepare

What you will need to do for the first mould treatment visit:

• Clear the workspace: arrange to have furniture and belongings moved away from affected areas.
• If you or the people supporting are not able to do this in time for your appointment, please make us aware so we can allocate enough Trade Operatives to support you.
• Pets and children: keep pets and children out of rooms being treated for the duration of the visits and drying time of any treatment (approximately 2 hours once treatment completed).

The above will also apply to all further treatment visits.

During

To complete mould treatment, our Trades will need to:

• Check they have safe access to the affected areas and carry out the treatment repairs.
• Complete a property survey to identify issues that may have caused damp/mould.
• This includes taking photos before, during and after the treatment visits.

We treat mould in 3 steps:

• Step 1 and 2 are completed at the first visit, eradicating the mould spores and sealing surfaces to stop it returning.
• Step 3 (if required) is completed during the second visit using a specialist paint to further protect and seal the surface from mould.
• These products are tested and approved for Trade-use only.

Treating wallpaper:

• To properly treat the area, we will apply treatment, remove the paper and dispose of it.
• If you need help with any re-decorating costs, please let us know.

Please ensure that no-one in the home comes into contact with treatment products or materials.

Leaving

Before we leave your property, we will confirm if any further visits are required.

This could include step 3 of the treatment, or repairing defects for example; replacing an extractor fan.

Our Trades will also advise you on what you can do to prevent mould returning.

You can also use the items listed below, along with online guidance to help reduce risks:

• Hygrometer: a small device which shows you the humidity level in a room
• Dehumidifier: helps to remove excess moisture from the air
• Information leaflets: room specific tips and advice on managing excess moisture
• Website guidance: advice about reducing condensation, heating your home, and more

(Please let us know if you haven’t received any leaflets or a hygrometer)

Four weeks after our last visit, we’ll call you to check mould hasn’t returned or appeared anywhere else in your home.

Not resolved

Where the treatment or related repairs haven’t worked, and damp and/or mould is still present, you will be contacted by a Maintenance Supervisor who will carry out a more in-depth investigation.

During this visit, they’ll let you know if any additional work is needed.

Once these repairs are completed, the Maintenance Supervisor will then carry out a post-inspection within 10-15 working days, to ensure all additional works have been completed and have been effective in removing and treating damp and/or mould.

It’s important we have access to your home throughout any additional visits to ensure we can keep you safe in your home.

Feedback

During your repair, you’ll be asked to complete a survey via text or email.

It’s important we get your honest feedback to help us improve and better our services.

You can also provide feedback by:

• Logging a complaint: if you’re unhappy with anything or we didn’t complete the treatment process as outlined in this guidance.
• Tell us if we got it right: if our Trades did a great job, and you’re happy with the completed works, please let us know and we’ll pass it on.

Your feedback helps us keep customers safe and happy in their homes.

• Is there a damp patch on your walls or ceiling which gets worse when it rains? This might be penetrating damp, caused by water seeping through from outside. You need to report this to us.
• Can you see a ‘tidemark’ running along the bottom of a wall on the ground floor of your home? This could be rising damp. You need to report this to us.
• Is there an area that is wet to the touch and which stays damp, regardless of the weather outside? This could be a plumbing leak, especially if it is in your kitchen or bathroom. You need to report this to us. An uncontrollable leak is an emergency repair – see our current repairs timescales for more information.

If you are in any doubt, please contact us.

• Excess condensation or damp can cause water to sit on surfaces such as ceilings, walls and floors. This can cause damage like flaking paintwork, peeling wallpaper and mould. If you notice mould, it is important that it is removed as it can spread quickly and be harmful to your health if not treated.
• Can you see black spots on your skirting, windows, walls or ceilings? This could be mould – please call us for advice.

If you are in any doubt, please contact us.

Condensation can happen in any home. It is caused by warm, moist air meeting a cool surface and turning into water droplets.

• Can you see water droplets on windows, walls or windowsills? This is condensation. See our tips to help you cut condensation in your home.
• Does it feel cold and moist in parts of your home where there is little air movement – such as in the corner of a room, in a cupboard, behind furniture or under a work surface? This is condensation. See our tips to help you cut condensation in your home.

Everyday activities like cooking, boiling a kettle and taking a shower or bath can produce condensation. It is a bigger problem in the winter, when windows and walls are colder. We also tend to keep our windows shut in the winter and without ventilation, warm and moist air can’t escape.

Small amounts of condensation – like the steam from a shower condensing on our bathroom mirror – are not usually a problem and there are some simple things that we can all do, to help reduce it.

Homes Plus has worked with the Energy Saving Trust to offer some easy tips to help you cut condensation. You can find our handy tips on this page.

Condensation can lead to mould, which could affect your health if not treated. If you follow our tips and condensation is still a problem, or you spot signs of damp or mould in your home, please contact us. See it, report it.

To cut condensation in our home, we need to look for ways to prevent warm and moist air meeting cold surfaces. Here are some easy ways to control the amount of moisture in our homes.

• Keep lids on pans when you are cooking. This cuts steam in the kitchen and uses less energy, too.
• If you have access, drying clothes outside is best. If you need to dry clothes indoors, you can cut condensation by opening a window slightly or using an extractor fan.
• If you use a tumble dryer, make sure it is vented through an open window or outside wall to stop warm and moist air spreading through your home. If your dryer has a built-in condenser, make sure the filter is clean and clear.
• While you are cooking or taking a bath or shower, open a window or use the extractor fan and keep the door closed to remove steam. Leave the air circulating and the door shut for 20 minutes after you have finished.
• Trickle vents are the small openings in window frames. These are designed to provide constant ventilation to remove water vapour. Leave them open when room are occupied, even in the winter when your heating is on.
• Moving sofas and other furniture slightly away from walls, helps air circulate and reduces the potential for condensation and mould.

If you spot condensation on a surface, wipe it away with a dry, clean cloth or towel.

To cut condensation in our home, we need to look for ways to prevent warm and moist air meeting cold surfaces. Here are some tips to help reduce those cold spots.

• Keeping your home warm helps to prevent condensation forming on cold walls, floors and ceilings. Try to prevent the temperature dropping below 15C to reduce condensation. Setting your thermostat to between 18-21C will help keep you and your home warm.
• In very cold weather it is better to leave the heating on during the day, to keep temperatures constant and avoid cold spots.
• If your home has storage heaters, make sure that you know how to use the controls to stay warm and improve energy efficiency. In colder weather, turning ‘input’ up, will store more heat. ‘Output’ controls how quickly that heat is released the following day. Turn ‘output’ lower while you’re asleep or out of the home, to keep energy bills down and remember to set the ‘input’ today, for the heat you need tomorrow. Read our guide to storage heaters, here.

For advice on your controls call us on 0800 048 8955

• If your home has a heat pump it will come on when your home gets cold. You can control how warm you’d like your home to be, using your thermostat. You don’t need to worry about timing it to go off when you’re out.

For advice on your controls call us on 0800 048 8955

• Curtains help keep your home warm. Opening them in the morning and closing them at dusk will let warmth in and keep the cold out.
• Moving sofas and other furniture away from radiators helps heat move around your home more efficiently.

If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, speak to your provider to find out about any help that’s available. For useful contacts and helpful hints, visit the Keep Well & Warm area of our website and for free and confidential money advice and support to help with the cost of living, talk to our Employment and Money Advice team or drop into one of our Community Hubs.

Good ventilation is the key to a healthy home. Each of us will produce around 11 pints of moisture every day, by boiling kettles, cooking, washing dishes and even breathing!

Improvements like cavity wall insulation, double glazing and draught-proofing help keep our homes comfortable and can cut energy bills. They also reduce natural ventilation, meaning the moisture we produce is trapped, causing condensation and eventually mould.

PIV units push air around your home to create a fresh and healthy environment for you and your family. They draw the moisture out of rooms and circulate clean air. As well as controlling humidity, these units can significantly improve the health of asthma sufferers and people with other respiratory problems.

When do we fit PIV units?

PIV units can be fitted if it is believed that they are a suitable remedy for an ongoing issue with damp, mould or condensation. Depending on the layout of your home, it is sometimes necessary to fit an extractor fan as well as or in place of a PIV unit.

Read our guide to PIV units, here.