Damp and mould in England: the statistics
Every figure with its source, publisher, date and link. Data is from the English Housing Survey; nothing here is estimated by us.
Quick answer
In 2024, 5% of dwellings in England — about 1.4 million dwellings — had a problem with damp (English Housing Survey 2024–25). It was most common in private rented homes (10%), then social rented (7%) and owner occupied (4%). Serious condensation was the most common type (3%), ahead of penetrating damp (2%) and rising damp (1%).
Overall
| Statistic | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellings in England with a problem with dampCounted where the surveyor recorded damp significant enough to be taken into account in the HHSRS assessment; minor damp is not recorded. Up from 4% in modelled data in 2021 and 2022. | 5% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Dwellings in England with a problem with dampCounted where the surveyor recorded damp significant enough to be taken into account in the HHSRS assessment; minor damp is not recorded. | 1.4 million dwellings | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Dwellings in England with a problem with dampHigher than any of the previous five years, which were 3% to 4%. | 5% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
By tenure
| Statistic | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private rented dwellings with a problem with dampThe highest of the three main tenures. | 10% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Social rented dwellings with a problem with damp | 7% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Owner occupied dwellings with a problem with damp | 4% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Local authority dwellings with a problem with dampMore likely than housing association dwellings. | 8% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Housing association dwellings with a problem with damp | 6% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Owner occupied dwellings owned with a mortgage with a problem with dampMore likely than those owned outright. | 4% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Owner occupied dwellings owned outright with a problem with damp | 3% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Private rented dwellings with a problem with damp | 9% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
| Social rented dwellings with a problem with damp | 7% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
| Owner occupied dwellings with a problem with damp | 4% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
By type of damp
| Statistic | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellings in England with serious condensationThe most prevalent type of damp. | 3% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Dwellings in England with penetrating damp | 2% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Dwellings in England with rising damp | 1% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Private rented dwellings with serious condensation | 6% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Social rented dwellings with serious condensation | 5% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Owner occupied dwellings with serious condensation | 2% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Private rented dwellings with penetrating damp | 4% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Private rented dwellings with rising damp | 3% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Dwellings in England with serious condensation | 3% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
| Dwellings in England with penetrating damp | 2% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
| Dwellings in England with rising damp | 2% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
| Local authority dwellings with serious condensationMore likely than housing association dwellings (4%). | 7% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
| Housing association dwellings with serious condensation | 4% | 2023 | EHS 2023–24Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2025 |
Change over time
| Statistic | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social rented dwellings with a problem with damp in 2024, up from 5% in 2022A statistically significant increase from 2022. Comparisons with 2020 to 2022 should be read with caution: modelled data was used for those years. | 7% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Owner occupied dwellings with a problem with damp in 2024, up from 2% in 2022A statistically significant increase from 2022. Modelled data was used for 2020 to 2022. | 4% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Private rented dwellings with a problem with damp in 2024, compared with 9% in 2022The apparent rise was not statistically significant. | 10% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
Reported by households
| Statistic | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households reporting problems with condensation, damp or mouldReported by the household at interview, not recorded by a surveyor; similar to 2023. | 30% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Private rented households reporting problems with condensation, damp or mouldReported by the household at interview. | 46% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Social rented households reporting problems with condensation, damp or mouldReported by the household at interview. | 41% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
| Owner occupied households reporting problems with condensation, damp or mouldReported by the household at interview. | 22% | 2024 | EHS 2024–25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jan 2026 |
Sources
- English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025: headline findings on housing quality and energy efficiency — Chapter 1: Housing qualityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, published 29 January 2026.
- English Housing Survey 2023 to 2024: headline findings on housing quality and energy efficiencyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, published 30 January 2025.
“Damp” in these figures means a surveyor recorded damp significant enough to be taken into account in their HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System) assessment; minor damp is not recorded. Comparisons with 2020 to 2022 should be read with caution: modelled data was used for those years. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Cite this page
Please cite the original survey for any single figure; cite this page for the compiled dataset.
MouldPros (2026). Damp and mould in England: the statistics. Compiled from the English Housing Survey 2023–24 and 2024–25, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. https://www.mouldpros.co.uk/resources/damp-and-mould-statistics (accessed 15 October 2026).
Data: https://www.mouldpros.co.uk/resources/damp-and-mould-statistics/data.csv
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many homes in England have damp?
- 5% of dwellings — about 1.4 million dwellings — had a problem with damp in 2024, according to the English Housing Survey 2024–25. That counts damp a surveyor judged significant enough to be taken into account in their health and safety assessment; minor damp isn’t recorded.Source: English Housing Survey 2024–25, Chapter 1: Housing quality ↗
- Which type of home is most likely to have damp?
- Private rented homes: 10% had a damp problem in 2024, compared with 7% of social rented and 4% of owner occupied homes.Source: English Housing Survey 2024–25, Chapter 1: Housing quality ↗
- What is the most common type of damp?
- Serious condensation (3% of dwellings), ahead of penetrating damp (2%) and rising damp (1%).Source: English Housing Survey 2024–25, Chapter 1: Housing quality ↗
- Why do the surveyor figures and the household figures differ so much?
- They measure different things. The surveyor figures count damp the surveyor recorded as significant. The household figures — 30% reported problems with condensation, damp or mould — are what people told the interviewer, and include problems a surveyor didn’t see or judged minor.Source: English Housing Survey 2024–25, Chapter 1: Housing quality ↗
- Are these statistics for the whole UK?
- No — the English Housing Survey covers England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own housing surveys.
What these numbers mean for a landlord: see Awaab’s Law and why condensation forms.