My landlord is ignoring the mould. What do I do?
Most mould disputes are lost not because the tenant is wrong but because nothing was written down. This guide is the order to do things in: report it so the date counts, photograph it so the condition is provable, keep the replies, and escalate through the right door for your nation and tenure. It works whether you rent privately or from a council or housing association.
In short
Report the mould in writing today, photograph it (wide, medium, close-up), and keep every reply on one dated record. If your landlord does not respond, use their formal complaints process, then escalate: in England, social tenants go to the Housing Ombudsman and private tenants to the council's environmental health team; in Scotland, tenants apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Housing and Property Chamber). Fixed statutory deadlines apply to social landlords in England now and to all landlords in Scotland from 6 October 2026.
- Private and social tenants in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Anyone who has reported mould and had no useful response
- Not homeowners (see the homeowner guidance instead)
- Put the report in writing and keep the date
- Photograph the mould in three views and repeat weekly
- Keep a dated timeline of every message and visit
- Use the landlord's formal complaints procedure
- Escalate to the right body for your nation and tenure
- UK-wide for the evidence steps. Escalation routes and statutory deadlines differ: England (social housing: Awaab's Law; private: council enforcement under the Housing Act 2004), Scotland (First-tier Tribunal; Awaab's Law from 6 October 2026), Wales (Rent Smart Wales and the council), Northern Ireland (the council's environmental health service).
- Photographs cannot prove the cause of mould, only its presence, extent and change over time
- Timescales run from when the landlord becomes aware, which is why written reports matter
- Withholding rent is not a safe remedy and can put your tenancy at risk
- This guide is not legal advice; free advice is available from Shelter, Citizens Advice and, in Scotland, Shelter Scotland
Keep the photographs, report date and every landlord response together before you chase the problem again.
Build the evidence record freeWhy landlords ignore mould, and why it changes nothing
Landlords and agents tend to do one of three things with a mould report: blame lifestyle (drying clothes, not opening windows), send someone to wipe it, or say nothing. None of those discharges the duty to keep the home in repair. Condensation mould can still be the landlord's problem when it is caused by a cold, poorly ventilated or poorly insulated building.
What decides the outcome is rarely who is right about the cause. It is whether there is a dated record of what was reported, when, what it looked like, and what the landlord did. Build that record and the argument about lifestyle usually collapses on its own.
Step 1: report it so the date counts
Send the report in writing: email, the landlord's portal, or a letter you keep a copy of. State the room, what you can see, when you first noticed it, and whether anyone in the home has a breathing condition. Ask for an inspection and give a few dates you can do. If you telephone, follow up with a short email that says what was agreed.
The date the landlord becomes aware is the date every deadline runs from. A phone call you cannot prove is worth much less than an email you can.
Use plain words
"There is black mould on the bedroom wall behind the wardrobe, about the size of a dinner plate, first noticed on 3 September. My daughter has asthma. Please arrange an inspection." That is enough.
Step 2: photograph it properly
Take three photographs of each affected area: a wide shot that shows the whole wall and where it sits in the room, a medium shot of the affected area with something for scale, and a close-up of the growth. Keep the originals; do not crop or edit. Repeat weekly, and after any visit or repair, from the same spot.
Photographs prove presence, extent and change. They do not prove cause. That is fine: the cause is for the landlord's investigation to find, and the photographs are what force the investigation.
Step 3: keep one timeline
Every message, missed appointment, inspection and repair goes on one dated list, with who did it. A timeline that shows "reported 3 September, no reply, chased 17 September, wiped down 24 September, returned 8 October" is the whole case. Stop The Mould's case file is built for exactly this: dated entries attributed to the resident, the landlord or the system, that neither side can rewrite.
Step 4: know which deadlines apply
Read the Awaab's Law hub for the England and Scotland rules in detail. Where there is no fixed timescale, "reasonable" is judged against the severity and the household, so say who lives there when you report.
| Where and who | What applies | Fixed timescales? |
|---|---|---|
| England, council or housing association tenant | Awaab's Law (Phase 1 in force since 27 October 2025) | Yes: investigate within 10 working days, written summary within 3, make safe within 5, emergencies within 24 hours |
| England, private tenant | Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s.11; Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018; council enforcement under the Housing Act 2004 | No fixed days; "reasonable time", enforced by the council or the court |
| Scotland, any tenant | Repairing standard (Housing (Scotland) Act 2006); Awaab's Law from 6 October 2026 | Yes from 6 October 2026: investigate within 10 working days, summary within 3, work within 5 |
| Wales | Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 fitness for human habitation | No fixed days; council enforcement |
| Northern Ireland | Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 and the council's environmental health service | No fixed days |
Step 5: use the formal complaints process
If nothing happens, make a formal complaint and call it that. Social landlords must have a complaints procedure that follows the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. Letting agents in England must belong to a redress scheme (the Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme). Quote the dates from your timeline and attach the photographs.
Step 6: escalate to the right body
- England, social tenant: the Housing Ombudsman, once the landlord's complaints process is exhausted or has stalled.
- England, private tenant: the council's environmental health or private sector housing team, which can inspect under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and serve an improvement notice. A claim under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 is the court route; take advice first.
- Scotland: apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Housing and Property Chamber) for a repairing standard enforcement order. Social tenants can also use the right to repair scheme.
- Wales: the council's environmental health service; Rent Smart Wales for licensing breaches.
- Northern Ireland: the council's environmental health service.
- Anywhere: Shelter, Shelter Scotland, Shelter Cymru, Housing Rights (Northern Ireland) and Citizens Advice give free advice.
If someone's health is affected
Tell your GP and ask for the conversation to be noted. Tell the landlord in writing that a household member has a respiratory condition or is a young child, older or pregnant, because official guidance expects landlords to take vulnerability into account when deciding how urgently to act. If you are told the situation is an emergency, say so to the landlord in those words and keep a copy.
Things not to do
- Do not stop paying rent. It does not force a repair and it can end your tenancy.
- Do not paint over or bleach the area before it has been photographed and reported.
- Do not rely on a phone call. Write it down.
- Do not accept "it's condensation, so it's your fault" as the end of the conversation. Condensation caused by the building is still the landlord's problem.
Frequently asked questions
In social housing in England, Awaab's Law sets working-day deadlines: investigate within 10, written summary within 3, make safe within 5, emergencies within 24 hours. In Scotland the same shape of deadlines applies to all landlords from 6 October 2026. Elsewhere the law says a reasonable time, which depends on how serious it is and who lives there.
Not automatically. Condensation forms on cold surfaces in homes that are hard to heat or ventilate, which is a building problem. How you live can contribute, but a landlord cannot use the word condensation to close the case. Ask for an inspection and a written explanation of the cause.
Sometimes, through a disrepair claim, an Ombudsman decision or, in Scotland, the Tribunal. It depends on the harm and the delay. A dated case file is what makes any claim possible; take advice before starting one.
That is a decision about your health and your circumstances, not a legal tactic. If you leave, keep the case file: it is still the evidence for any claim about the period you were there.
From first photo to clear action.
Upload photos, record what's happened and build one clear damp and mould case file you can use with your landlord, council, adviser or for your own records.