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Lister Mills and its tall chimney on the hill above rows of Bradford stone terraces.
Lister Mills

Damp and mould help inBradford

Bradford is built of local sandstone. How stone walls, cellars and steep hillsides affect damp, and who puts it right when you rent.

Including Shipley, Saltaire, Keighley, Bingley, Ilkley, Manningham and Thornton

Book a damp surveyWho can help you

Who can help you in Bradford

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 a reasonable time, usually 14 days to reply and arrange the work. Chase them once if you hear nothing.

If the repair still isn't done, contact Bradford Council's Housing Standards Team. They can inspect the home and make the landlord put it right.

Who to contact

Read: Renting with damp and mould: what to do next

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 Incommunities, which runs most of the homes once owned by the council, 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.

Yorkshire sandstone terraced houses stepping down a Bradford hill, with a damp stain where the pointing has worn away on a gable.
Typical homes in Bradford, drawn for this guide.

Homes in Bradford and the damp they get

Bradford was built from its own sandstone. Rows of stone terraces climb the hills around the city, with stone slate roofs, mullioned windows and very thick walls. Stone walls like these were built to get wet and dry out again, so problems usually start when something stops them drying, such as cement pointing, modern paint or a raised path.

If you are repointing an older Bradford house, read about lime or cement pointing for old walls first. Hard cement can trap water in soft stone and move the damp further in. Saltaire, Manningham and parts of Keighley have many listed and conservation area homes, where the council may also need to agree changes.

Weather, ground and water in Bradford

Bradford sits in a bowl of steep valleys, and many terraces are cut into hillsides. Ground that is higher at the back than the front can hold water against the wall, and cellars under older houses are often damp for the same reason. Cellar damp has its own causes and fixes.

What to check first

Walk round the outside after rain. Look for gutters overflowing, joints in the stone washed out, and soil or paving piled above the floor level inside. Most damp in solid stone walls has an outside cause, and damp in solid stone walls explains how to tell.

Kinds of home you will find here

Bradford in numbers

Local help in Bradford

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

Advice and rights

Energy and warmth

Community support

Local details checked October 2026.

Questions people in Bradford ask

Should old Bradford stone be repointed with lime?

Usually, yes. Soft local sandstone was laid in lime mortar, which lets water out of the wall. Hard cement pointing can trap it, so the stone around the joints stays wet and starts to crumble.

My cellar is always damp. Is that normal?

Many Bradford cellars are cut into the hillside, so some dampness is expected. It becomes a problem when it spreads into the rooms above, smells musty upstairs, or rots joists. Ventilation and keeping water away from the outside wall come before any tanking.

Who do I call if my Incommunities home has mould?

Call Incommunities on 0330 175 9540 or email its damp response team. Under Awaab's Law it has to investigate significant damp and mould within 10 working days.

Advice for homes here

What we do in Bradford

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