Damp and mould
It's truly important to us that all our customers have a safe and healthy home to live in, and that our customers are listened to should they raise a concern.
Damp and mould
It's truly important to us that all our customers have a safe and healthy home to live in, and that our customers are listened to should they raise a concern. If you have signs of damp and mould in your home, please contact us as soon as possible on 0330 355 1000. You can also email us, if possible please include a description/photo of the damp or mould issue in your home, and a member of the team will be in touch to arrange a visit.
Healthy Homes
We created our dedicated Healthy Homes Team to take a proactive approach to resolving any cases of damp, mould, and disrepair in our properties. We strongly urge any customer who has damp and mould in their home to get in touch with us so we can deal with the issue swiftly.
What you can expect from us
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Inspect all cases within 72 hours where possible and access permitted
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All surveyors undertake a calcium carbide test, which checks moisture in your property, if and where required before seeking external support (unless an independent survey is needed or it’s a complex case.)
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The team will look at the root cause of the damp and mould when doing inspections and improvement works.
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Improvement works to start within 20 working days of inspection, though in more complex or specialist cases this may take longer.
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All “no access” appointments (where we can’t get into properties) are fed back to the Healthy Homes Team and re-scheduled with the customer, supporting letters for action are also sent to the customer. If we still can’t get it, this is escalated internally to see how we can resolve.
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A pro-active programme to help us stay on top of all improvements, installations and preventative measures to combat damp, mould and condensation.
How to spot damp and mould in your home?
Damp and mould can be a serious problem in homes, which can cause health issues and property damage.
There are two main types: penetrating damp and rising damp. Below we’ve shared the different types of damp and mould, what you need to look out for and how to report issues if you spot them in your home.
This happens when water seeps in from the outside. Look out for:
- Yellow or brown stains on walls and ceilings
- Peeling, cracking, or bubbling plaster
- A musty and damp smell, especially after rain
- Black mould on your walls and ceilings
This happens when water rises from the ground through the brickwork. It usually only affects the ground floor. Look out for:
- Damp stains on walls up to 1 meter high
- White coating on your walls
- Damaged wallpaper or paint that may be peeling or flaking
- Rotting skirting boards or floorboards
- Black mould on walls, often at a medium to high level
This happens when warm, moist air meets a cold surface. Look out for:
- Steaming windows
- Water droplets on your walls, fixtures, or furniture
- Dampness on your cold surfaces
- Wallpaper peeling near skirting boards
- Mould on your external walls, tiles, ceilings, or around your windows
Report issues of damp and mould to us
If you notice any of these signs of damp and mould in your home, contact us as soon as possible. We can help fix the problem and stop it coming back. You can report issues by sending us an email to healthyhomes@onemanchester.co.uk or call us on 0330 355 1000.
A member of our dedicated Healthy Homes team will be in touch to arrange a visit to your home. At your visit they will identify the root cause of the damp and mould and then book in improvement works.
Steps you can take to help prevent damp and mould in your home
- Keeping your home at a consistent temperature helps reduce moisture forming. 18°C is the ideal temperature according to the World Health Organisation. Try to avoid extremes of hot and cold temperatures in your home.
- Ventilate your home as much as you can. Things like opening windows or turning on the extractor fan when cooking or having a shower can help.
- If you’re drying your washing inside, open a window to give the extra moisture a place to escape.
- If you’ve got a tumble dryer, it needs venting to the outside, unless it’s a condenser dryer.
- Get in touch with us if you need to vent your dryer outside. Wipe away any signs of condensation build-up on windows or surfaces in your home before mould can develop.
- A dehumidifer can also help by extracting moisture from the air.
Keeping your home warm
Making sure your home is warm enough and maintaining a consistent room temperature can help reduce the risk of condensation, damp and mould.
We know some of you might be worried about energy costs when heating your home. If you’re worried about heating your home, don’t worry there is action you can take.
Change your energy supplier
You can speak to your energy supplier and they might be able to switch you to a cheaper tariff. You might be able to find a better energy deal from other suppliers on websites such as Uswitch.com, MoneySupermarket, or Compare the Market.
Check if your eligible for support
You can also check whether you’re eligible for government help during the winter months, such as the £150 one-off payment from the Warm Home Discount Scheme or the Winter Fuel Payment.
Speak to our team – they're here to help
If you’re worried about affording your heating this winter and are looking for some advice, our Financial Inclusion team can support you. The team can support with a range of queries such as benefits applications, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims, and can offer budgeting advice to help you manage your finances.
You can contact the team by calling us on 0330 355 1000 and asking to speak to our Financial Inclusion team or fill out or Contact Us form.