Free damp and mould portal is a warning to London landlords: repainting over mould will not protect you

Painting over mould will not save a landlord from a disrepair claim if the moisture problem is still there.

That is the real significance of Safeguard Europe’s new free online hub, ‘Got Damp and Mould?’. As reported by Landlord Today, the portal offers guides and flowcharts to help users distinguish between condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp. It creates no new legal duty, but it is a timely reminder that damp and mould cases are won or lost on diagnosis, speed and records.

No new law — but the legal risk is already here

London landlords already have duties to investigate and remedy damp and mould where conditions affect health, safety or habitability. That risk sits within existing disrepair law, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and wider tenancy obligations. The portal does not introduce a new statutory deadline or enforcement regime.

What it does highlight is a problem that regularly becomes expensive: visible mould may be the symptom, but the legal dispute is usually about whether the landlord identified and fixed the underlying cause.

Why the diagnosis matters

A mould patch in a bedroom could point to very different failures. It may be condensation caused by poor extraction and cold surfaces. It may be penetrating damp from defective brickwork, pointing, roofs, gutters or flashing. It may be a more complex issue in an older conversion, where insulation defects, leaks and ventilation problems overlap.

Treating all three the same is how landlords end up paying twice: once for ineffective repeat visits, and again when the complaint escalates.

The biggest mistake: treating mould as a cleaning job

The weakest files are often the ones showing repeated wash-downs, stain block and redecoration, but no clear root-cause investigation. If the mould returns, those attendance records can work against the landlord rather than in their favour.

A more defensible approach is to treat every damp or mould report as a diagnosis job first. If a tenant reports active mould in a bedroom, a child’s room, a large wall area, or alongside a suspected leak or respiratory issue, the case should be escalated quickly for inspection and any urgent interim action.

A sensible triage model for London property teams

For most landlords and agents, the operational issue is not the wording of the law but the quality of the response.

Likely condensation cases still need inspection, photographs and written advice on extractor use, heating, drying clothes indoors and furniture spacing. But they also require someone to check whether the fan works, whether the room is adequately ventilated and whether cold surfaces or insulation defects are contributing.

Possible structural or service failures — including staining, bubbling plaster, tide marks, roof leaks, plumbing leaks, gutter defects or persistent recurrence — should be escalated to a suitably qualified contractor, damp specialist or surveyor with instructions to identify the source and specify remedial works.

Records are often the difference between a complaint and a claim

For every damp or mould report, landlords should keep a clear file with the date reported, the tenant’s description, photographs, inspection notes, contractor findings, works orders, completion dates and follow-up communication.

If the occupier is vulnerable, has young children or reports health impacts, that should be recorded clearly and reflected in the urgency of the response. Where major works are needed, landlords should also consider whether temporary accommodation is appropriate and whether the buildings insurer needs early notification.

How to use the portal properly

The portal is best treated as a staff training prompt, not a compliance badge. Property managers do not need to become damp specialists, but they do need to understand the difference between condensation, rising damp and penetrating damp, and to know when to stop guessing and bring in expert input.

For London landlords, the immediate takeaway is simple: review live damp and mould cases, check whether the root cause has actually been identified, and make sure no job is being closed just because the surface looks better.

Rentals and Sales can help London landlords audit live damp and mould cases, tighten repair workflows and build the evidence trail needed before a complaint turns into a disrepair claim.