How to: Tackle condensation

There's a chill in the air and across the country heaters are being turned on - in some cases for the first time in months.

As the weather turns cooler, you may begin to notice that familiar cluster of tiny droplets on the window, or indeed your tenants may report it.

Condensation. At first not too alarming to look at, but if it is not dealt with swiftly, condensation can be the cause of serious issues including damp and mould- which are one of the 29 hazards under the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

The good news is there are things that both landlords and tenants can do to help reduce the issue.

What is it?

Condensation is the appearance of water on cold surfaces. It occurs where moist air comes into contact with air, or a surface, which is at a lower temperature.

Water produced from condensation is generally noticeable where it forms on non-absorbent surfaces (i.e. windows or tiles) but it can form on any surface and it may not be noticed until mould growth or rotting of material occurs.

How to deal with the issue

To help members learn how to deal with the issue in the best way, the NRLA has a handy factsheet on how to reduce condensation over in the resources section of the website. 

In addition to this, there is also a downloadable factsheet landlords can give to tenants on things they can do to help reduce condensation, such as not dry washing directly on room radiators and how to ventilate the property without causing a draught. 

To download the factsheet for tenants, click below.

The NRLA is a membership organisation for private landlords and also provides advice to members about their responsibilities on this issue. You can find this here https://www.nrla.org.uk/resources/looking-after-your-property/condensation

To learn more about Property Standards and the Housing Health and Safety System, why not sign up for our eLearning Property Standards course for landlords? The course is £35 for NRLA members and £45 for non-members.

Victoria Barker Communications Officer

Victoria is the Communications Officer for the NRLA.

She is responsible for producing articles for our news centre, the weekly e-newsletter, and manages and creates content for the association’s social media channels. She also contributes to our members magazine, Property.

See all articles by Victoria Barker