Air Quality Monitoring for Condensation and Mould Problems

Condensation and mould problems affect thousands of properties every year, and can lead to severe damage to walls, surfaces, stored items, furniture and can even lead to health issues for occupants.

While condensation is often caused by excess moisture trapped inside a property, the root cause of the problem can vary depending on the unique characteristics of each home. This can make it difficult for homeowners, social housing providers and local authorities to pinpoint exactly where the source of the problem is.

Air quality monitors are a set of devices that use sensors to detect, monitor, or report on diagnostics such as temperature and humidity levels to understand any issues relating to damp and mould inside a property. They can be used in conjunction with a damp and timber survey report to fully understand the internal environment of a property, helping to provide answers to the root cause of the issues being seen. The sensors are placed around the property, typically in condensation hotspots such as bathrooms, bedrooms and cold north facing rooms. This will also highlight areas of concern, where moisture levels are higher than normal.

Our professionally qualified damp surveyors can then carry out a full damp and timber survey, using specialist tools used to measure diagnostics such as humidity levels and temperature, to identify any areas of concern.

It is estimated that over 839,000 homes suffer from damp problems. (English Housing Survey). Legislation in the UK identifies damp and mould as a ‘category one’ hazard under the guidance within the HHSRS system, highlighting the risks associated with damp and mould problems in homes.

Excess moisture is created in homes, simply from everyday living such as washing, cooking and cleaning. Moisture levels will normally remain in the atmosphere if inadequate ventilation exists. When temperatures drop, it becomes more difficult for air to hold the moisture. This means that the air becomes saturated, and the excess moisture will land on cold spots around your home, such as walls or ceilings. This is how condensation occurs, and can lead to unsightly symptoms such as black mould.

Air monitors will collect data in the property over a period of time, which is then input into a software system that can analyse, interpret and visualise the data into an indoor air quality report.

This helps create a visual representation of the issues being experienced which can then be used by our surveyors to make recommendations.

Indoor air quality monitors are able to track temperature, relative humidity and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within a property, providing an accurate understanding of when condensation and therefore mould growth is most likely to occur. When condensation forms on surfaces it provides the conditions necessary for mould growth to occur.

Using these metrics and through analysis, this data can be used to determine a potential mould problem, and allows the results to be used in conjunction with a damp and timber survey to fully understand the issues driving the mould growth and how to prevent those issues long term.

Government guidance (Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home, 2024) offers advice to landlords on how to tackle condensation and damp problems. The guidance states landlords should consider “forms of physical testing, such as thermography” and “environmental monitoring” for complex cases of damp and condensation. This can be used to identify root causes of damp problems in rental properties.

The report also states that “smart sensors may be a useful aid to monitor temperature, humidity and indoor air quality and to identify at risk properties.” This means that social housing providers, local authorities and private landlords can use these devices to help with properties they consider to be at risk from condensation and mould problems.

Rentokil Property Care can work with you to offer long term solutions that are tenant-focused.

The devices we use have multiple sensors with long range and low power connectivity between the main hub and the monitoring devices. The hub must remain plugged into the mains at all times, allowing it to collect and gather real time data from the battery operated monitoring devices.

It is recommended that the system be left in place for a minimum of one to two weeks. Condensation issues can occur at different times of the day, and can vary from household to household. Leaving the system in place for one to two weeks will allow it to produce an appropriate amount of data.

The data collected will be input into a software system. This system creates an indoor air quality report by analysing, interpreting and visualising the data. Our damp surveyor can use the findings of the report to understand what, if any, damp or ventilation issues are present in your property.

As well as the indoor air quality report, our surveyor will complete a comprehensive damp and timber survey of the property. Following the survey, our surveyor will send you a detailed and thorough report on the findings, specifically tailored to your property.

This damp report will be presented in an easy to understand format. If necessary, the surveyor will include recommendations for any further measures. Measures to help tackle a ventilation problem could include the installation of PIV (positive input ventilation) units, extractor fans, insulation or thermal plastering.

Rentokil Property Care are experts in damp and condensation solutions, and have been offering professional solutions for condensation and mould for decades.

We provide help to homeowners, social housing providers and commercial clients across the country with solutions for condensation issues.

We can provide you with personalised advice for the condensation and mould problem affecting your property or housing stock you manage.