DAMP AND MOULD HANDLING POLICY FOR MANAGED PROPERTIES
Last updated: 14 October 2026

Template policy for letting and estate agents. Replace [Agency name] and [Responsible person] and adapt it to how your agency works before adopting it. It is not legal advice.

1. Purpose and scope

[Agency name] manages homes on behalf of landlords. This policy sets how we receive, investigate and resolve reports of damp and mould in those homes, so that every report is dealt with promptly, consistently and in a way we can evidence.

It applies to every tenancy we manage, to reports from tenants, contractors and our own staff, and to damp and mould however it is found.

2. The legal position

Awaab's Law: In force for social housing in England since 27 October 2025. It applies to registered providers of social housing, not to private landlords.

Extension to private landlords legislated under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 — the government is consulting on the timeframes and start date (consultation closes 18 December 2026), and no date is confirmed.

The government is consulting on extending Awaab's Law to private rented homes and licences (consultation published 9 October 2026, closes 18 December 2026). Nothing in the consultation is law yet, and no start date is confirmed — it names 2027 as the earliest feasible start.

Whatever the date, landlords of private homes already have duties to keep a property in repair and fit for human habitation, and councils can act on damp and mould as a hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. This policy therefore adopts the social-housing timeframes as [Agency name]'s own standard for the homes we manage. They are our commitment, not (yet) a legal deadline for private lets.

3. Timeframes we work to

The clock starts on the day we, or the landlord, become aware of the hazard — when a tenant reports it, a contractor tells us or our staff see it.

- Emergency hazard (an imminent and significant risk of harm): investigate and make safe within 24 hours.
- Potential significant damp or mould: investigate within 10 working days.
- Written summary of the findings to the tenant: within 3 working days of the investigation concluding.
- Safety work where a significant hazard is found: within 5 working days of the investigation concluding.
- Further work to stop it coming back: begin as soon as reasonably practicable, and within 12 weeks of the investigation concluding at the latest.
- If the home can't be made safe in time: offer the tenant suitable alternative accommodation, at the landlord's expense, if the property cannot be made safe within the required timeframes.

4. Receiving a report

- Any member of staff who is told about damp or mould records it the same day: property, tenant, date and time, what was reported, photographs if offered.
- The report is passed to [Responsible person] immediately; it is never left for the next scheduled inspection.
- We acknowledge the report to the tenant in writing and say when we will inspect.
- We tell the landlord the same day and ask for authority for urgent work in advance, so cost approval never delays safety work.

5. Investigating

- A competent person inspects: a surveyor, or a contractor holding a recognised qualification (for example CSRT, or Property Care Association membership).
- The investigation looks for the cause, not only the visible mould: condensation, penetrating damp, rising damp, a leak, or a combination.
- We never assume the cause is the tenant's lifestyle. A building problem is the landlord's to fix.
- Where anyone in the household is more vulnerable — a baby or child, an older person, someone with a breathing condition — we treat the report as a priority and say so in the record.

6. Telling the tenant, and doing the work

- The tenant receives a written summary of what was found, what we will do and when, within the timeframe above — including where no hazard was found and why.
- Safety work is done within the timeframe; further work is scheduled with a date and the tenant is told it.
- We confirm completion with the tenant and check back after the next cold spell that the problem has not returned.

7. Contractors

- We use contractors who give a written scope of works that names the cause and the fix, not only a price to remove visible mould.
- We check public liability insurance and relevant qualifications before instructing.
- Quotes are compared on scope, not on price alone; where the cause is unclear we commission an independent survey before any treatment.

8. Records

For every report we keep, for at least [retention period]:

- the date and time we became aware, and who reported it;
- the investigation, its findings and photographs;
- the written summary sent to the tenant and when;
- the work done, by whom, and when it was completed;
- the landlord's instructions and any authority given.

9. Escalation, review and responsibility

- If the landlord does not authorise necessary work, [Responsible person] records that, tells the landlord in writing of the risk to the tenant and the legal position, and considers whether we can continue to manage the property.
- A tenant who is not satisfied can use our complaints procedure, and may go to the council's environmental health team.
- [Responsible person] reviews this policy at least once a year, and whenever the legal position changes.

Generated from the Awaab's Law facts maintained at https://www.mouldpros.co.uk/awaabs-law — a template, not legal advice.