Canterbury Damp and Mould: Listed Buildings, Student HMOs and River Flood Risk

Canterbury's historic centre is full of medieval and Georgian buildings protected by conservation area and listed building rules, which limit what a landlord can do about damp. External insulation and many window replacements are typically not permitted, so repairs have to work with the building. Add a large student HMO market and the picture is one of old fabric and heavy occupancy.

Canterbury in numbers (compared with England)

• Private rented households: 22.0% (England 20.5%); social rented: 12.2% (England 17.1%)
• Terraced homes: 17.3% (England 23.0%); flats: 18.1% (England 21.4%)
• Homes with no central heating: 1.2% (England 1.5%)
• Overcrowded households: 3.1% (England 4.4%)
• Properties at medium or high flood risk: rivers and sea 4.9% (England 1.9%); surface water 6.8% (England 5.9%)
• Rainfall: about 675 mm a year at Faversham, roughly nine miles away

How do listed-building rules change the fix?

In a listed or conservation-area property the usual answers can be off the table, so a landlord has to get the diagnosis right first. Check the listing status and speak to the council's conservation team before work that alters the exterior or the historic fabric. Lime-based and breathable repairs are generally better suited to old solid walls than modern cement and impermeable paints, which can trap moisture.

Students, HMOs and condensation

Overcrowding across the district is below the England figure, but a shared student house is a different environment from the average home. Cooking, showering and drying washing for several people in a cold-walled period property produces condensation fast. Practical steps:

• Extractor fans that run on a timer or humidity sensor
• Heating that reaches every room
• A written ventilation guide at each new tenancy

A higher river and sea flood figure

Rivers and sea flood risk is 4.9% against 1.9% for England, so it is worth checking an individual address on the Environment Agency's flood map, and asking about flood history before letting a ground-floor or lower-lying property. The figure covers the whole local authority, not a single street.

What landlords must do

Private landlords in England must already meet the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which requires a home to be fit for habitation throughout the tenancy, and councils can act on damp and mould hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). 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 what to expect.

To find a specialist, see our Canterbury damp and mould page, and the council's page on reporting a problem with your landlord.