Home Damp and mould removal Portsmouth
Damp and mould treatment in Portsmouth
Mould keeps returning until the damp behind it is dealt with. Tell us what you are seeing and we pass it to damp specialists working across Portsmouth.
Nearly half of Portsmouth households rent, privately or from a social landlord. That means a lot of mould complaints go to landlords, and a lot of homes where the tenant can't fix the cause themselves.
Mould in Portsmouth homes is usually condensation, sometimes made worse by leaking gutters or rising ground moisture in older terraces.
Portsmouth at a glance
- Terraced housing
- 43.4% of Portsmouth households (37,361) lived in a terraced house in 2021. Only 4.5% lived in a detached house. Source
- Renting
- 28.6% of households rented privately and 18.0% rented from the council or a housing association in 2021. Source
- Local grant
- Portsmouth City Council leads a Warm Homes: Local Grant consortium of councils across the South East with £34,807,254 of funding. The scheme runs as Warmer Homes, delivered by Agility Eco. Source
Rights if you rent
Write to your Portsmouth landlord about the damp and mould, sending photos with it. Private landlords must deal with serious hazards, and Portsmouth City Council's private sector housing team can inspect if they don't.
Council and housing association tenants should report to their landlord's repairs line. Social landlords now face legal time limits for investigating damp and mould hazards.
Finding the cause
A good survey uses a moisture meter, checks ventilation, looks at gutters and downpipes, and inspects the outside walls. Mould in corners and behind furniture usually means condensation; tide marks low on walls suggest rising or penetrating damp.
Cleaning and stopping it
Small patches in Portsmouth homes can be tackled with our guide to removing mould from walls. For bigger areas, fix the cause first: fans, PIV, insulation or a repair. Keep the heating on low and steady rather than off and on.
Cost of getting it wrong
Damp-proofing injections and new plaster are expensive, and they won't stop condensation mould. Ask the surveyor to explain why the treatment they suggest matches the cause they've found, and get a second opinion on any big quote.
Portsmouth homes and what they need
Victorian and Edwardian terraces
Solid walls are cold, and many terraces have rear extensions with thin walls. Mould on the back bedroom ceiling and in the bathroom is the common pattern.
Converted houses and purpose-built flats
Top-floor flats get mould where the roof meets the wall. Ground-floor flats can have damp from outside paths built up against the wall.
1930s semis on the mainland side
Unfilled cavities leave walls cold. Cavity insulation, if suitable, often ends the problem.
Areas covered
Engineers who cover Portsmouth work across areas including Southsea, Fratton, North End, Copnor, Milton, Eastney, Hilsea, Cosham, Drayton and Farlington.
Questions people in Portsmouth ask
Can I get help paying for insulation?
Warmer Homes, led by Portsmouth City Council, funds insulation and ventilation for eligible households in homes rated EPC D to G.
Is window condensation a problem?
A little on cold mornings is normal. Pools of water every day mean too much moisture; see our window condensation guide.
Sources
Also nearby: Damp and mould removal in Southampton, Damp and mould removal in Brighton, Damp and mould removal in Bournemouth