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Blackburn Cathedral's tower and spire above brick terraced rooftops.
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Damp and mould help inBlackburn

Red-brick terraces with back yards and alleys: where damp usually starts in Blackburn and Darwen homes, and how renters get it fixed.

Including Darwen, Mill Hill, Feniscowles, Livesey, Lammack and Wilpshire

Book a damp surveyWho can help you

Who can help you in Blackburn

Who puts damp right depends on whether you rent or own. Choose your situation.

I rent privately

Your landlord has to fix damp caused by disrepair, such as leaks, broken gutters or failed pointing. Since 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act has ended no-fault evictions, so asking for a repair shouldn't put your home at risk.

Tell your landlord or letting agent about the damp in writing, by email, letter or text, and add photos. Keep a copy of what you send.

Give them 14 days to reply and arrange the work. Chase them once if you hear nothing.

If the repair still isn't done, contact the council's Housing Standards team, using its private property disrepairs form. They can inspect the home and make the landlord put it right.

I rent from the council or a housing association

If you rent from the council or a housing association, your landlord has to deal with damp and mould, and the law now sets deadlines for it.

Report the damp or mould to Together Housing, which took over the homes once run by Twin Valley Homes, or your own housing association and ask for a reference number. Photos help.

Under Awaab's Law your landlord must look into significant damp and mould within 10 working days, and start any safety work within 5 working days after that. Emergency hazards are faster.

If it isn't put right, use your landlord's complaints process. If that doesn't work, you can go to the Housing Ombudsman.

I own my home

Damp in a home you own is yours to sort out, so the first job is finding the real cause. A treatment sold before anyone has found the cause is often money wasted.

Check the simple things first: gutters and downpipes, ground levels against the walls, blocked airbricks, and whether rooms get enough heat and air.

If the cause still isn't clear, get an independent damp survey before paying for any treatment. Damp proofing a wall that has a leak or condensation problem won't fix it.

If heating costs are part of the problem, check what help you could get with insulation and heating.

The backs of Blackburn brick terraced houses along a cobbled alley, with a damp stain under a split downpipe.
Typical homes in Blackburn, drawn for this guide.

Homes in Blackburn and the damp they get

Blackburn and Darwen were weaving towns, and red-brick terraces still line most of the streets near the centre. Over a third of the borough's homes were built before 1919. Many have back yards, rear kitchen extensions and a shared back alley, and much of the damp people see starts at the back of the house rather than the front.

Back extensions are where roofs meet walls, downpipes run into yards and kitchens produce the most steam. A stain under a split or blocked downpipe is a common sight, and leaking gutters, downpipes and damp walls explains how to trace it. Inside, kitchen condensation and mould is the other usual story.

Weather, ground and water in Blackburn

The West Pennine Moors rise straight behind Darwen, and houses on the hillsides take the brunt of the wind and rain. On the flatter streets, yards that have been concreted up to the back wall can stop the base of the wall drying.

What to check first

Stand in the back yard after rain. Check where the downpipes empty, whether the gutter over the kitchen roof overflows, and whether the yard surface slopes towards or away from the house.

Kinds of home you will find here

Blackburn in numbers

Local help in Blackburn

Free, independent organisations that can help with housing problems, money and keeping warm. They aren't connected to Spore Shield.

Advice and rights

Community support

Local details checked October 2026.

Questions people in Blackburn ask

Why is the wall by my back door always damp?

In Blackburn terraces the usual causes are a downpipe leaking or emptying against the wall, a gutter overflowing above, or a yard built up higher than the inside floor. All three are outside problems, and fixing them comes before any damp treatment.

Who runs the old Twin Valley Homes houses now?

They are run by Together Housing. Report damp and mould to Together Housing online or on 0300 555 5560.

My landlord ignored my letter. What next?

If 14 days have passed, use the council's private property disrepairs form and upload a copy of your letter. The Housing Standards team can then arrange an inspection.

Advice for homes here

What we do in Blackburn

Nearby areas