TV property expert Martin Roberts on how to keep your home healthy this winter

As presenter of the BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer, Martin Roberts has seen all sorts of property problems.

But one of the most common and health-damaging issues he comes across is damp, mould and cold in homes. Indeed, new data from Health Equals, which campaigns to improve health inequalities, has found 28% of people in the UK are living in homes with damp, mould or cold.

And in the long-term damp, mouldy homes can cause or worsen existing health conditions such as asthma, respiratory and cardiovascular issues, and even mental health conditions like stress, anxiety and depression.

At its worst, inadequate housing can cause death, as in the case of Awaab Ishak, aged two, who died after being exposed to mould at his Rochdale home in 2020. The toddler’s death led to Awaab’s Law, which requires social housing landlords to urgently investigate and fix serious housing problems like damp and mould within strict timeframes, coming into force in England last month.

Health Equals found almost half (47%) of people who’ve experienced issues like damp or mould have reported symptoms caused by it, and it says lives are being cut short by up to 16 years in parts of the UK, with damp, cold and mould in homes being partly responsible.

“We’re trying to get people to recognise the direct link between the environment they live in at home and their health, and specifically, damp, mould, and cold,” explains Roberts.

It’s an issue he feels so strongly about that he’s supporting a new Health Equals campaign to fix unhealthy homes by pressing for cross-governmental measures to help keep damp, cold and mould at bay.

“More often than not, it’s the people who are least able to deal with it who are the most badly affected,” points out Roberts, who explains that while the government needs to set targets to improve home health, there are things individual householders can do to tackle unhealthy homes too.

“A human being living in a home produces water through breathing and the process of living in a property, whether that’s cooking, having a bath, drying clothes using a tumble dryer – it all has the potential to generate moisture,” explains Roberts.

Residual moisture is what leads to dampness and mould in homes, so Roberts, 62, suggests several ways to stop damp and mould, or deal with it if it’s already present, including…

Good ventilation

Roberts says good ventilation, such as simply opening windows, is crucial for keeping damp and mould at bay.

“As we move to more houses sealed with double glazing, and people’s desire to not have draughts because they’re trying to keep their houses warm, there’s a possibility that you end up with a very stale and stagnant environment where damp and mould have much more potential for being created,” he says.

“So a simple thing you can do is make sure you have ventilation. If you’re cooking, for example, open the kitchen window – just try and get fresh air into a property, that can go a long way towards reducing inherent moisture.”

Examine your tumble dryer

Roberts suggests looking at the back of your dryer, explaining: “It’s worth doing simple things like checking the back of your dryer to make sure the pipe at the back hasn’t become dislodged, so all the damp air from your drying isn’t going into your property.”

Check outside

Interior damp from cooking, drying clothes etc is only one of the forms of damp householders may encounter, Roberts explains. “The other sort is the stuff that comes from poor-quality building maintenance, and that can be from blocked gutters, or maybe from cracks in the rendering of the building. That’s where you need to know the cause, you need to step in.”

Take action

If you see damp or mould in your own house, it’s important to treat it as soon as possible, by identifying the source and eradicating it, and/or calling in a professional to treat it if necessary.

But if you rent your house, Roberts stresses you need to get your landlord or whoever’s responsible for maintaining the property, to deal with the damp/mould urgently.

He says: “A lot of people are worried about causing a fuss, but I think most landlords would want to know there was a problem from a structural point of view, because it’s going to cause problems to the property further down the line – it can rot the wood in the property.

“So don’t feel like you’re being a nuisance to your landlord or your housing provider. You’re alerting them and giving them the opportunity to fix something which could be a bigger problem in the future.”

Sniff it out

Roberts points out that damp usually smells, and the odour can be difficult to get rid of.

“Just use your common sense,” he advises. “I often say to people when I do the show, use all your senses – look, smell and touch. If you smell damp or there’s loads of air freshener everywhere, then you need to be aware there might be something that’s a bigger issue that needs to be sorted out.”

Do a bit of detective work

“You’d spot it if it was in the more obvious places, like around or above windows, around door frames and things like that,” he says. “So anywhere you can’t get immediate access is worth having a root about. It could be behind the curtains, or at the back of cupboards.

“Do a bit of detective work, and if there’s a part of the house that looks like it’s damp, relate it to what’s outside. Is there a flower bed that’s higher than it should be, and is that up against the wall of the house? Could that be where it’s damp?

“Is there a blocked gutter? A broken drainpipe?”

He also suggests going outside when it’s raining to see if any guttering’s gushing, or if there’s an overflowing downpipe. “Be proactive, in the knowledge you’re not just doing it to make the home a nicer place to live in, but also a healthier place to live in.”

He stresses that damp and mould will affect your health if not tackled urgently, and adds: “This isn’t just that it’s not very nice to have a mouldy wall, it’s that this mouldy wall will cause you and your family health issues.”

Martin Roberts is supporting the Health Equals campaign to expose the hidden health crisis affecting an estimated six million families living in homes that could make them ill.