Colchester Damp and Mould: Victorian Terraces, University Students and Garden Communities

Colchester's rental stock is mostly Victorian and Edwardian terraces, with demand supported by a large student population from the University of Essex and newer garden community developments on the outskirts. Private renting is 21.5% of households, a little above the England figure of 20.5%.

Colchester in numbers (compared with England)

• Private rented households: 21.5% (England 20.5%); social rented: 13.3% (England 17.1%)
• Terraced homes: 18.1% (England 23.0%); flats: 19.8% (England 21.4%)
• Homes with no central heating: 1.1% (England 1.5%)
• Overcrowded households: 2.9% (England 4.4%)
• Properties at medium or high flood risk: rivers and sea 1.4% (England 1.9%); surface water 1.8% (England 5.9%)
• Rainfall: about 623 mm a year at Wattisham, roughly 16 miles away

Flooding is not the main worry

Surface water flood risk is 1.8%, about a third of the England figure of 5.9%, and the rivers and sea figure is also below England. For most Colchester lets the question is therefore not water getting in from outside the property in a flood, but what happens inside and in the fabric: ventilation, heating, roofs, gutters and damp-proofing. The rainfall figure comes from a station 16 miles away, so treat it as a regional guide.

Victorian and Edwardian terraces

Solid-walled terraces typically have a thin or failed damp-proof course, single-glazed or ageing windows and chimney stacks that are rarely maintained. Look for tide marks low on walls, staining below roofs and gutters, and cold external walls with mould above furniture.

A student market with a turnover cycle

Student lets turn over every year, which is a natural point to inspect for damp and to restate how the heating and ventilation are meant to be used. Overcrowding in the district as a whole is low at 2.9%, but an individual shared house can be heavily occupied.

New garden communities

Modern homes on the edge of the town are built to be airtight, which means moisture only leaves if extraction and trickle vents are working. Check them at the start of each tenancy.

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 Colchester damp and mould page, and the council's damp and mould page.