Across the Chichester district, 4.5% of properties are at medium or high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, more than double the England figure of 1.9%. Surface-water risk, at 2.4%, is well below the national 5.9%. That split points to a particular kind of damp problem: water coming up from the ground and in from the coast rather than down from the roof.
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Get free quotesChichester in numbers
- Private rented households: 18.1% (England 20.5%); social rented: 15.1% (England 17.1%)
- Terraced homes: 18.4% (England 23.0%); flats: 15.6% (England 21.4%)
- Homes with no central heating: 1.2% (England 1.5%); overcrowded households: 1.9% (England 4.4%)
- River or sea flood risk: 4.5% (England 1.9%); surface-water risk: 2.4% (England 5.9%)
- Rainfall: about 734 mm a year at Bognor Regis, roughly six miles away
Should landlords worry more about the ground than the roof?
For properties in flood-risk areas, yes, it is worth reversing the usual checklist. Ground floors are where the problem shows up: rising damp, damp floors, and damage left from earlier flooding. Look at the damp-proof course and its relationship to external ground levels, whether sub-floor ventilation is clear, and how floors and plaster were dried and repaired after any past incident. Gutters and roofs still matter, but surface-water risk is low here.
What does the council do about damp and mould?
Chichester District Council treats damp and mould as a health, safety and wellbeing hazard and enforces on it directly, and it has a dedicated page for reporting a housing hazard. For landlords, the practical point is that an unresolved tenant report can end up with the council, so a prompt response and a written record are worth far more than a delayed fix.
A cathedral city with Roman walls
The city centre has Roman-era walls and a well-preserved Georgian core, and heritage constraints apply across much of the walled centre. As elsewhere, that affects how repairs are done and what consent they need, not the landlord's duty to provide a home free from serious damp.
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 covers the current position.
To find a specialist, see our Chichester damp and mould page, and see the council's page for reporting a housing hazard.