Huddersfield
West Yorkshire
Damp and mould help inHalifax
Calderdale's houses are built into steep valley sides, beside a river that floods. Damp below ground, after floods and in old stone terraces.
Including Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Sowerby Bridge, Brighouse, Elland and King Cross
Who can help you in Halifax
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 fair chance to reply and arrange the work. Chase them once if you hear nothing.
If the repair still isn't done, contact Calderdale Council's Community Safety team. They can inspect the home and make the landlord put it right.
Who to contact
- Calderdale Council: damp and mould in rented homes (opens in a new tab)Phone 01422 288001
Email community-safety@calderdale.gov.uk, or use the online form on the page.
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.
Who to contact
- GOV.UK: find ways to save energy in your home (opens in a new tab)Phone 0800 098 7950
Free advice on insulation, heating and grants you may qualify for.
Homes in Halifax and the damp they get
Calderdale's towns are squeezed into a steep valley, and a lot of its houses are built straight into the hillside. In Hebden Bridge and Todmorden you find houses stacked on top of each other, with one home entered from the street below and another from the street above. The lower rooms are partly underground, with earth against the back wall.
Rooms like these are damp-prone by design, and they need the right fix. Cellar damp explains the options, from drainage and ventilation to membranes. Elsewhere, Halifax has long stone terraces and plenty of homes in conservation areas, where lime or cement pointing for old walls matters as much as anywhere in Yorkshire.
Weather, ground and water in Halifax
The Calder valley has flooded badly several times, including in 2012, 2015 and 2020. Water left in walls and floors after a flood is a different problem from everyday damp, and it needs drying out properly before anything else is done. Away from the river, hillside run-off and exposed roofs are the usual causes.
What to check first
Find out whether the damp wall has ground behind it. If it does, the question is how water is kept away from it. If it doesn't, check the gutters, pointing and roof above the damp patch before anything else.
Kinds of home you will find here
Hillside stone terraces
Terraces built into the valley side, with lower rooms below ground level at the back.
Look out for: Damp in rooms with earth behind the wall, and water running down the slope after rain.
Over-and-under houses
Two homes stacked on one another on steep ground, typical of Hebden Bridge.
Look out for: Damp in the lower home's back wall, and leaks from the home above.
Victorian stone terraces
Long rows of sandstone terraces across Halifax, Brighouse and Elland.
Look out for: Cement repairs on lime-built walls, worn pointing and leaking gutters.
Halifax in numbers
36%of homes in Calderdale were built before 1919. Across England it is 20%.
Source: Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax stock of properties (opens in a new tab), March 2026
20.4%of households in Calderdale rent from a private landlord. Across England it is 20.5%.
Source: Census 2021, ONS table TS054 (opens in a new tab), 2021
14.6%of households in Calderdale rent from a council or housing association. Across England it is 17.1%.
Source: Census 2021, ONS table TS054 (opens in a new tab), 2021
Local help in Halifax
Free, independent organisations that can help with housing problems, money and keeping warm. They aren't connected to Spore Shield.
Advice and rights
- Citizens Advice Calderdale (opens in a new tab)
Free advice on housing, money and energy for people across Calderdale.
Phone 0808 278 7879 - Shelter England (opens in a new tab)
Free housing advice for renters, including what to do when a landlord won't do repairs.
Phone 0808 800 4444
Energy and warmth
- Citizens Advice energy affordability helpline (West Yorkshire) (opens in a new tab)
Help with energy bills, debts with suppliers and staying warm for less.
Phone 0800 448 0721
Community support
- Community Foundation for Calderdale (opens in a new tab)
Supports local charities and community groups, and can point you to help near you.
Local details checked October 2026.
Questions people in Halifax ask
My lower ground floor room is always damp. Can it be fixed?
Usually it can be made dry and usable, but it takes the right approach. A room with earth behind the wall needs the water dealt with, through drainage, ventilation or a membrane system, rather than an injected damp course, which isn't designed for it.
My house flooded. Is the damp afterwards the same as rising damp?
No. Flood water soaks walls and floors right through, and they need careful drying, often over months. Treating it as rising damp, or plastering too soon, can trap the water in.
Does Together Housing deal with mould in Halifax?
Yes. Most homes the council once owned are now run by Together Housing. Report damp and mould online or call 0300 555 5560, and it should reply within three working days.
Advice for homes here
What we do in Halifax
Damp & Mould Survey
A professional damp and mould survey with a written report provided for £50.
About Damp & Mould SurveyDamp & Mould Cleaning & Treatment
A three-stage initial damp and mould cleaning and treatment process, including a discounted survey and written report.
About Damp & Mould Cleaning & Treatment
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 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.
Who to contact
Reports go to a specialist team, who reply within three working days.
If your landlord's own complaints process hasn't put it right.