In Brighton and Hove, 48.6% of homes are flats, more than double the England share of 21.4%, and 32.7% of households rent privately against 20.5% nationally. Much of that stock is Regency and Victorian terraces split into flats and bedsits, which gives the city a damp profile that is as much about shared buildings as about individual homes.
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Get free quotesBrighton and Hove in numbers
- Private rented households: 32.7% (England 20.5%); social rented: 14.9% (England 17.1%)
- Flats: 48.6% (England 21.4%); terraced homes: 19.8% (England 23.0%)
- Homes with no central heating: 2.3% (England 1.5%)
- Overcrowded households: 4.5% (England 4.4%)
- River or sea flood risk: 0.6% (England 1.9%); surface-water risk: 6.6% (England 5.9%)
- Rainfall: about 753 mm a year at Shoreham Airport, roughly seven miles away
Who fixes it when the problem is in the building?
In a converted house, a damp patch in one flat may come from the roof, gutters or external walls that a freeholder or management company controls. That does not change the tenant's position: their landlord is still responsible for providing a home free from serious damp and must press the freeholder or managing agent to act. A landlord who has a written escalation record, with dates and photographs, is in a far better position than one who waited.
Basements, semi-basements and ground floors
Basement and semi-basement conversions sit partly below ground level and are especially exposed to rising damp, while surface-water risk in the city, at 6.6%, is above the England figure. For these flats, landlords should check whether there is an effective damp-proof course or tanking, whether external ground has been raised, and whether drainage keeps water away from the walls.
Condensation in shared houses and bedsits
Where several households or housemates share a building, heating habits vary and the 2.3% of homes with no central heating adds cold rooms to the mix. Mould then grows on the coldest surface, often an external wall or a ceiling below an unheated flat. Fixed heating in every flat, working extraction and clear written guidance for tenants all reduce the risk.
The council is actively enforcing
Brighton & Hove City Council reports finding 740 properties in breach of housing regulations in a single year of its private sector housing team's work, and has expanded selective licensing in areas including Kemptown, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queen's Park, and Whitehawk and Marina. A council health survey found 27% of residents in the most deprived areas worry about damp, cold or leaks, against 10% in the least deprived. Landlords in licensed areas face conditions on the standard of their property.
What landlords must do
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires a rented home to be fit to live in, and the council can assess damp and mould under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Awaab's Law currently applies to social housing, with private landlords expected to follow. Our guide to Awaab's Law and the private rented sector explains the current position.
To find a specialist, see our Brighton damp and mould page, and read the council's damp and mould action plan.