Awaab's Law has changed the tempo of damp and mould reporting, but not the engineering. Every case is one of three things, and telling them apart on the first visit is what decides whether you are back in six months.
Three causes, three different jobs
- Condensation — mould on cold surfaces, corners, reveals and behind furniture, worst in winter. Fix ventilation, heating pattern and cold bridging.
- Penetrating damp — tide marks that track a defect: failed pointing, blocked hopper, cracked render, defective window seal. Fix the fabric.
- Leaks — sharp, localised, often worsening regardless of season. Trace the pipe or waste before opening up more than you need to.
What to record on the first visit
Surface and ambient readings, relative humidity, a thermal image where cold bridging is suspected, photographs of the affected rooms and of any external defect above the damp. That evidence pack is what supports the remedial spec and, if it comes to it, demonstrates the landlord acted.
Where a mechanical extract exists, it needs testing rather than assuming. A high proportion of the fans we test in older refurbishments move a fraction of their rated airflow because the duct is crushed, disconnected in the void, or terminating into a loft.
The remedial sequence that holds
Deal with the moisture source, dry the structure, then treat and redecorate. Reversing that order is why the same flat reappears on the reactive log every winter.
Where the cause is condensation, continuous low rate extract with humidity boost plus insulation to the cold bridge typically outperforms any coating. Anti mould paint is the last step, never the fix.