Mould and DampFree help with damp and mould in England

Damp and mould help in Birmingham

If you own or let a home in Birmingham with damp or mould, tell us the postcode and we'll pass it to one local damp and mould specialist. Council tenants should report it to Birmingham City Council's repairs service; private tenants can go to the council's private rented team if the landlord doesn't act. Both routes are below.

Mould and Damp is a free matching service, not a contractor. One specialist gets your enquiry, not a list of firms, and they quote you directly.

Damp in Birmingham's homes

Birmingham's housing has an unusual shape. Valuation Office Agency figures for 2025 show that 27% of the city's homes were built between 1919 and 1939, against about 15% across England (Council Tax stock of properties, 2025). That's the ring of inter-war semis and council cottage estates around the inner city, in places like Kingstanding, Acocks Green, Hall Green and Weoley Castle. Another fifth of homes were built before 1919, and about a third of all homes are terraced.

Each of these has its own damp habits. Victorian and Edwardian terraces in areas such as Small Heath, Sparkbrook and Handsworth mostly have solid brick walls, no cavity, and a damp course that may be missing, bridged by a raised yard, or buried under later render. Inter-war houses often have early cavity walls with no insulation, metal or replacement windows, and cold corners in bedrooms that grow black mould every winter. Flats, which make up about 29% of homes, add bathrooms without windows and kitchens where the extractor fan has long since stopped working.

The city's history runs deeper still. At the end of the First World War Birmingham had more than 43,000 back-to-back houses, according to the National Trust. Most were cleared, and much of what replaced them, from 1930s semis to 1960s tower blocks, is now old enough to need serious attention.

Who rents, and who's responsible

At the 2021 Census, 23.5% of Birmingham households rented from a social landlord and 22.6% rented privately, up from 17.9% in 2011 (ONS, how Birmingham has changed). That's a lot of people relying on someone else to fix a damp wall.

Birmingham City Council is one of the biggest council landlords in the country and still manages its homes directly. Its record on repairs has been criticised. In May 2023 the Regulator of Social Housing found the council had breached the consumer standards, with around 23,000 council homes failing the Decent Homes Standard (gov.uk). In February 2024 the Housing Ombudsman made six findings of severe maladministration against it over leaks, damp and mould. The council says it carried out more than 11,500 damp and mould repairs in its latest year of reporting, in its annual report to tenants.

Reporting damp to Birmingham City Council

Council tenants

Report damp, mould or condensation as a repair, online or on 0121 216 3330. The council's damp and mould page says an operative will visit within 14 days of the report. As a social landlord the council is also covered by Awaab's Law, which sets a 10 working day deadline to investigate damp and mould that could seriously harm your health. Follow up a phone report in writing and keep every reference number.

Private tenants

Tell your landlord or agent in writing first and give them a fair chance to act. If they don't, use the council's report a private housing issue form, or contact Private Rented Services on 0121 303 5070 or [email protected]. The private tenants page explains what the team can do.

For Birmingham landlords

Private landlords in 25 of the city's 69 wards need a selective licence for each rented home. The scheme started on 5 June 2023, costs £700 per licence and covers wards including Aston, Handsworth, Lozells, Small Heath, Sparkhill, Bordesley Green, Edgbaston and Stockland Green (Birmingham City Council). Smaller shared houses with three or four tenants from two or more households need an additional HMO licence, from the same date.

The West Midlands is also first in line for the new private landlord database. Registration opens here on 15 December 2026, according to the government's Housing Hub, ahead of the rest of England. It isn't in force yet. The landlords' page covers your damp and mould duties and what's proposed.

Areas we cover in Birmingham

Enquiries from anywhere in the city go to a specialist covering that postcode. That includes:

Some postcode districts on the edge of the city, such as B26 and B36, cross into Solihull. We take those enquiries too.

Which service do you need?

For black mould in a bathroom or bedroom, start with condensation and ventilation or black mould removal. For a tide mark low on the wall of a terrace, read rising damp, and check the yard and path levels outside first. For a patch on a gable end that gets worse when it rains, it's penetrating damp. Not sure? A damp and mould survey finds the cause before you spend money on a fix.

Facts, dates and prices on this page were last checked on 29 October 2026.

Common questions

I'm a Birmingham City Council tenant. How do I report mould?

Order a repair online or call 0121 216 3330, as the council's damp and mould page explains. Put it in writing too, and keep the reference. Our tenants' guide covers what happens next.

Is my rental in a selective licensing ward?

Check the council's selective licensing page, which lists the 25 wards and has a postcode checker. The scheme started on 5 June 2023 and runs for five years.

Do you cover Sutton Coldfield?

Yes. Sutton Coldfield is part of the city, and we pass enquiries from B72, B73, B74, B75 and B76 to a specialist who covers it.

What does damp treatment cost in Birmingham?

We don't know of any reliable Birmingham-only figures, so our pages use UK ranges from named cost guides. For example, MyJobQuote puts rising damp treatment on a terraced house at £250–£1,020 (updated January 2026). See damp proofing costs and mould removal for the full tables and sources.

What about Solihull, Sandwell or Walsall?

They're separate councils with their own housing teams, but send the form anyway. We'll try to find a specialist who covers your postcode.

Ask for a local damp and mould specialist

Free to use, no obligation, and your details go to one local specialist, not a list.

We're a matching service, not the firm that does the work. The specialist contacts you, looks at the problem and quotes you directly. Whether you go ahead is up to you.

Where is the property?

We use it to find a specialist who covers your area.

Who are you, and what's affected?
I am the required
The property, and how soon

Up to 3 photos, 5 MB each. They go to the specialist with your enquiry and help them see what they're dealing with.

How can the specialist reach you?

Free, and you're under no obligation to accept a quote.