Almost always, yes. Dry rot is structural timber decay caused by moisture getting into the building. Fixing it, and the damp behind it, falls under your
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Almost always, yes. Dry rot is structural timber decay caused by moisture getting into the building. Fixing it, and the damp behind it, falls under your landlord's repair duty for the structure. It spreads fast and can be a health and safety risk. Report it in writing as soon as you spot it, and ask the landlord to investigate the cause.
Dry rot is one of the most serious forms of timber decay that can affect a rented property. It spreads quickly, causes serious structural damage, and can be a real health concern. If you have found it in your home, it helps to know who is responsible for repairing it and how to get it dealt with.
What is dry rot?
Dry rot is wood decay caused by the fungus Serpula lacrymans. It breaks down the cellulose in timber, leaving it brittle, cracked, and weak. Despite its name, dry rot needs moisture to get started. It usually begins where there is damp and poor airflow, then spreads even into drier areas.
Signs of dry rot include:
- A strong musty, mushroom-like smell
- Timber that is brittle, cracked, or crumbling (often in a cube-like pattern)
- White or grey cotton-wool-like growth on timber surfaces
- Brown or grey strands (mycelium) spreading across brickwork or timber
- Orange or rust-coloured fruiting bodies (once the outbreak is established)
- Damaged plaster, paint, or skirting boards around affected timber
Dry rot can spread through brickwork as well as timber. That means it can reach parts of the property well beyond where it started.
Is the landlord responsible for dry rot?
In most cases, yes. Dry rot is usually a structural problem linked to water getting in, poor ventilation, or a building defect. All of these fall within the landlord's repair duties.
Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords must keep the structure and outside of the property in repair. Structural timber is part of the structure: floor joists, roof timbers, door frames, window frames. If dry rot grew out of a damp problem or a defect the landlord was responsible for, the landlord must repair both the underlying cause and the decay itself.
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 backs this up. A property with active dry rot causing structural damage or serious damp is likely to fall below the fitness standard. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) also treats damp and the decay that comes with it as a possible Category 1 hazard.
What if the dry rot developed because of my behaviour?
Dry rot may have developed because the tenant caused damp. For example, by blocking vents, never using extractor fans, or causing water damage through carelessness. Then the position is less clear-cut. Tenants must use the property in a tenant-like manner, which includes not causing damage through carelessness.
In practice, dry rot is rarely caused by tenant behaviour alone. The conditions that let dry rot take hold are generally the landlord's responsibility to sort out: poor ventilation, failed damp-proofing, roof leaks, plumbing defects.
What should I do if I find dry rot?
- Report it to the landlord at once, in writing. Dry rot spreads, and the damage grows with it, so quick reporting matters. Use email or text to create a record.
- Document what you have found. Photograph the affected areas, including any growth, strands, or damaged timber.
- Do not disturb it. Moving or disturbing dry rot growth can spread spores and make the problem worse.
- Ask for a professional inspection. Dry rot treatment needs a contractor trained in it. The landlord should arrange this and pay for the works.
If the landlord does not respond, contact the council's environmental health team. Where dry rot is causing structural damage, environmental health can inspect and serve formal notices on the landlord.
When should I contact Support for Tenants?
We help tenants with housing disrepair claims. Dry rot is a serious disrepair issue. It can make a home much harder to live in, and it can justify a claim for damages, including for the time you spent living with the problem. Call us.
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)
- Housing Health and Safety Rating System Regulations 2005 (legislation.gov.uk)
Related articles
We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 15 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
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