Damp and mould · Hackney
Damp and mould in Hackney
Found at the source. Fixed properly.
42,130 of Hackney's 121,100 homes were built before 1919.
Damp survey £120. Meter readings and a full visual inspection.
No injections unless a test proves rising damp.
Call any day. We book the next available engineer, usually the next working day.
Hackney's homes, in numbers
Why damp happens in Hackney's homes
- 34.8% Built before 19191
42,130 of Hackney's 121,100 homes were built before 1919. - 76% Households in flats2
60.4% of households live in purpose-built flats and 15.5% in converted or shared houses. - 32.2% Rent privately2
32.2% of households rent privately, up from 29.0% in 2011. - 3,400+ Homes at surface water flood risk3
Over 3,400 homes are at risk of surface water flooding. - 35 Conservation areas4
35 conservation areas and around 1,300 listed buildings, where some damp treatments need planning advice first. - 10% Private rented homes with damp (England)5
Damp affects 10% of private rented homes in England against 5% of all homes.
What causes it here
Causes we see in Hackney's housing
Solid walls. Homes built before 1919 (34.8% in Hackney1) usually have solid walls with no cavity, so rain can soak through brickwork and show inside as damp patches.
Flats. 76% of Hackney households live in flats.2 A house split into flats shares one roof and one set of gutters, so a leak upstairs becomes mould downstairs.
Basements and flooding. Homes at surface water flood risk in Hackney: 3,400+.3 Lower-ground rooms sit where heavy rain collects, so check the flood map before treating walls.
Condensation. Drying washing, cooking and too little air: black mould on cold corners.
How we fix it
- Find the source: rain, rising, leak or condensation
- Fix the cause, then the plaster and decoration
- A written report you can share with a landlord or insurer
Renting out in Hackney
Property licensing
Additional HMO licensing covers the whole borough (3 or more people from 2 or more households), 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2031. Selective licensing covers 17 of 21 wards.6
Wards: Brownswood, Cazenove, Clissold, Dalston, De Beauvoir, Hackney Central, Hackney Downs, Hackney Wick, Homerton, King's Park, Lea Bridge, London Fields, Shacklewell, Springfield, Stamford Hill West, Stoke Newington, Victoria.
Check your street on the council's licence checker before you let.
Period and protected homes in Hackney
In a Hackney conservation area or listed building, check with Hackney planning before any damp treatment.
Hackney building control: 020 8356 8124
Social landlords
We work to Awaab's Law timescales for social landlords
Rent from a council or housing association? Report damp and mould to your landlord first. They must act within these timescales.
| Step | Timescale | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency hazard | 24 hours | Investigate and make safe |
| Investigate | 10 working days | For significant damp and mould |
| Written summary | 3 working days | To the tenant, after the investigation |
| Safety work | 5 working days | After the investigation |
gov.uk guidance, updated 16 Jul 2026.7
Book a damp survey in Hackney
Price agreed on the phone before anyone comes out.
Written by the Local Property Group damp team.
Sources (read 3 Nov 2026)
- VOA Council Tax stock of properties 2026 (CTSOP4.1), 24 Sep 2026
- Census 2021 (ONS TS044), Jan 2023
- Hackney Council and Environment Agency flood awareness leaflet, Oct 2024
- Hackney Council conservation, Jul 2021
- English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025, 29 Jan 2026
- Hackney Council licensing, Nov 2025
- Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlords (timeframes for repairs), 16 Jul 2026
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.