Dehumidifiers in rented homes: is it the landlord's job?

A damp home, or windows dripping with condensation, and someone has probably told you to buy a dehumidifier. Sometimes the landlord says it. But is that the right answer, and whose job is it really? Here is what a dehumidifier can and cannot do, who answers for damp in a rented home, and what the landlord should be doing instead.

What does a dehumidifier do?

A dehumidifier pulls moisture out of the air and collects it as water. It can cut condensation and slow mould in a closed room. But it fixes none of the cause. It only manages the symptom.

A home holding too much moisture through poor ventilation, weak heating, or a damp problem in the building? A dehumidifier fixes none of that.

Is the landlord responsible for providing a dehumidifier?

No. A landlord generally owes you no dehumidifier. It is a stopgap, not a repair.

But the law does make the landlord:

• Keep the home in reasonable repair, under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
• Make the home fit to live in, proper ventilation and heating included, under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
• Fix the structure, extractor fans, or ventilation where they cause the excess moisture

Handing you a dehumidifier instead of fixing the real problem gets no landlord off the hook. The duty to repair stands.

When does condensation become the landlord's problem?

Condensation becomes the landlord's problem when the building, not the way you live, causes it. Signs pointing that way:

• Kitchen or bathroom extractor fans that fail, or were never fitted
• Windows that will not open
• Heating too costly to run, or too weak to warm the home
• Cold walls from poor insulation
• An overcrowded home where condensation would come whatever the tenants did

And structural damp, rising or penetrating, sits beyond any dehumidifier. Proper repairs are the only fix.

Can I claim the electricity cost of running a dehumidifier?

Possibly. Running one to manage a problem the landlord failed to fix may put the electricity cost into a disrepair claim. Keep records of what it has cost.

What should I do if the landlord tells me to buy a dehumidifier?

Told the problem is your fault, and to buy one yourself?

1. Ask the landlord to inspect and put their findings in writing
2. Report specific defects in writing: a broken extractor fan, missing ventilation
3. Contact the council's environmental health team where no answer comes. They can inspect and judge whether the home meets the standard.
4. Keep records: mould photos, moisture readings where you hold them, every message

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

We help tenants with housing disrepair claims. Told to manage damp with a dehumidifier while the cause sat unfixed, and the mould or damp touched your health or home life? A claim may stand.

Call us on 0800 030 4669. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Sources

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home (GOV.UK)

Related articles

• Is condensation the landlord's fault or mine?
• Broken extractor fan and poor ventilation
• How damp and mould affect your health
• What is the Fitness for Human Habitation Act?