The government’s latest English Housing Survey, giving a snapshot of the private rental sector in 2023, says the problem of mould and damp is growing.

In 2023 some 5% of homes in England had a problem with damp, higher than in any of the last five years and this was more prevalent in the private rented sector (9%) compared to the social rented sector (7%) and owner-occupied sector (4%).

The survey says: “We have seen increases in levels of damp and mould and have also observed changes to the space available in homes and the size of households that could have knock-on effects for housing quality.”

However there was a reduction in the prevalence of Category 1 hazards, from 14% to 10%, and in non-decent homes compared to pre-pandemic estimates, down from 23% to 21% – although this is still by far the highest of all housing categories.

The survey findings show that compared to a decade ago, there are fewer non-decent and unsafe homes, and more homes in the highest energy efficiency bands A to C across the sectors, up from 23% to 52%.

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