Quite rightly, Homeowners, Landlords and Tenants do not want, or expect to own or live in a house with a mould problem.

Understanding how to mitigate mould issues and ideally prevent them from happening in the first place is the key to a healthier living environment.

With fines reaching tens of thousands of pounds in some compensation cases it is worth investing in prevention rather than rectification or dealing with court cases. We offer thermal surveys and multi-day temperature and humidity surveys to help landlords and tenants identify cold spots and measure household humidity.

How do I stop mould in my home? Three words: Ventilation. Ventilation. Ventilation.

Moist air needs to be removed from houses as soon as it is created to prevent it landing on surfaces and creating an ideal breeding ground for spores. Managing temperature and humidity levels at the same time is key to preventing mould.

Kitchen wall extractor fan installation and/or a hood extractor fan above your hob, will go a long way to preventing cooking and laundry moisture spreading into the rest of the house.

In the bathroom, a ceiling or wall extractor will help keep shower steam at bay.

In both cases keeping the internal door to the room shut and opening windows during cooking or showering will prevent steam build up in the first place, but ensuring that extractor fans are manually or set automatically to continue running for a long period afterwards is important.

Keeping your home warm through a sensible heating strategy, identifying and reducing the number of cold spots and draughts around windows and door frames, and allowing movement of air in rooms with outside walls will considerable reduce the areas where moisture can land and provide conditions for mould growth.

With tenants demanding action from Landlords in mould cases, it is important to ensure that you are responding to tenants concerns, understanding the root cause of the problem and offering actionable advice to resolve the issue on an ongoing basis.