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Reducing condensation in your home

Please follow these tips where possible and always report damp or mould as soon as you notice it.

What causes condensation?

What are the indicators of condensation?

What can I do to prevent condensation?

Effective use of heating

Is damp or condensation present at my property?

What causes condensation?
Condensation occurs when the warm air in a room comes into contact with a cold surface, such as a window, mirror or wall, and turns into water droplets.

This happens more in rooms where there is a lot of moisture, such as bathrooms and kitchens, and in rooms where there are a lot of people.

Moisture from the air can come from normal day-to-day activities such as; using the kettle, cooking, bathing, breathing and washing/drying laundry.

Excess moisture that isn't ventilated or wiped away from surfaces can cause mould to form or cause damp issues.

What are the indicators of condensation?

  • Water droplets on cold surfaces
  • Black spot mould
  • Wet rot – on skirting boards
  • A musty smell
  • Spoiled paintwork or plaster

What can I do to prevent condensation?

Download our guide to reducing condensation in your home (PDF 181kb).

We've also created a series of short how-to guides below to help you manage excess moisure in your home.

Tips to reduce condensation in your home:

How-to manage condensation in your kitchen:

How-to manage condensation in your bathroom:

Where possible, please also try to:

  • Keep radiators uncovered and consider using radiator airers to dry laundry
  • Dry clothes outside where possible or on a clothes airer in a cool room
  • Make sure tumble dryers are vented correctly
  • Keep lids on pans when cooking
  • Whilst cooking or bathing, close doors to other rooms
  • Use extractors in kitchens and bathrooms if you have one
  • Open windows if it’s not damp outside
  • When running a bath, start with cold water first
  • After a bath or shower try to ventilate the room to the outside not to the rest of the house
  • When people come in with wet coats, try to hang the coats outside of the living area to dry
  • Use dehumidifiers, also known as "moisture traps" which removes excess moisture from air
  • Wipe down tiles to remove surface water
  • Don’t place furniture against an outside wall
  • Wipe down windows if water droplets appear

If you need help with costs for items that will help reduce excess moisture, please get in touch.

Effective use of heating
Keep thermostats at a warm temperature, not too hot. A constant temperature is much more energy efficient as the boiler won’t need to work as hard.

If after following these guidelines you are still getting a build-up of condensation in your home, contact us and we may be able to find an answer to the problem.

For further advice on effective use of heating visit our page 'Getting the most out of your heating system'.

Please also view our 'cost of living' pages which details energy saving tips and how to contact our advice teams if you are struggling to pay your bills.

Is damp, mould or condensation present at my property?

If yellow water marks are present on your ceiling or walls, or you are unsure if your property has mould please contact the repairs line on 01952 217217 as soon as possible.

Damp, mould and condensation related repairs need to be completed with within strict timeframes.

We will treat mould wherever it is present, but to prevent it from returning tenants are expected to follow our guidance.

For more information and guidance, please see:

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