Stoke-on-Trent Damp and Mould: Potteries Terraces and Landlord Duties

In Stoke-on-Trent, 27.6% of homes are terraced, against 23.0% across England, and only 10.7% are flats, about half the England share of 21.4%. This is a city of houses built for pottery workers, and for landlords that shapes the damp question: it is mostly about walls, roofs and chimneys rather than shared buildings.

Stoke-on-Trent in numbers

• Private rented households: 20.3% (England 20.5%); social rented: 22.3% (England 17.1%)
• Terraced homes: 27.6% (England 23.0%); flats: 10.7% (England 21.4%)
• Homes with no central heating: 1.3% (England 1.5%)
• Overcrowded households: 4.3% (England 4.4%)
• River or sea flood risk: 1.0% (England 1.9%); surface-water risk: 4.5% (England 5.9%)
• Rainfall: about 828 mm a year at Keele, roughly four miles away

A building-fabric story, not an occupancy story

Overcrowding and unheated homes are both close to or below the national figures, so Stoke-on-Trent's damp risk is less likely to come from how many people live in a home and more likely to come from the home itself. Dense Victorian terraces typically have solid walls, original chimneys and long-exposed brickwork. Penetrating damp through weathered brick and pointing, failed lead flashing, leaking gutters and unused chimney breasts are the first things a survey should check.

Wetter than most of the region

At around 828 mm a year, the nearest rainfall record is higher than at the stations we use for Wolverhampton, Worcester, Hereford or Lichfield (all between roughly 650 and 700 mm). More rain means more work for gutters, pointing and render, so deferred external maintenance shows up as internal damp sooner. Landlords who treat guttering and pointing as an annual job rather than a reaction to complaints will see fewer disputes.

What landlords must do

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires rented homes to be free from serious damp, and the council can inspect under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has said it is treating damp and mould as a serious housing safety issue and takes action against private landlords each year, so ignoring a report carries real risk. Tenants whose landlord is not responding can contact the council's Private Sector Housing team.

Awaab's Law currently applies to social housing, with 22.3% of Stoke-on-Trent households renting that way, and the government has said private landlords will follow. Our guide to Awaab's Law and the private rented sector explains the current position.

To find a specialist, see our Stoke-on-Trent damp and mould page, and read the council's damp, mould and condensation guidance.