7 Warning Signs of Rising Damp in Your Home

Rising damp is one of the most common issues affecting UK properties, particularly older homes built before the 1920s. Identifying the signs early can save you thousands in repair costs and prevent structural damage to your home.

1. Tide Marks on Walls One of the most distinctive signs of rising damp is the appearance of tide marks or horizontal staining on your walls. These marks typically appear up to one metre from floor level and indicate where the moisture has risen and evaporated, leaving behind salt deposits.

2. Damp or Wet Patches Look for patches of dampness on your internal walls, particularly at ground floor level. These patches may feel cold to the touch and can appear darker than the surrounding wall surface. They're most noticeable during drier weather when the contrast is greater.

3. Peeling Wallpaper and Paint Moisture from rising damp causes wallpaper to peel away from the wall and paint to blister or flake. If you notice these issues concentrated at the lower sections of your walls, rising damp could be the culprit.

4. White Salt Deposits As damp rises through the masonry, it carries dissolved salts from the brickwork and mortar. When the water evaporates, these salts crystallise on the wall surface, creating white, powdery deposits known as efflorescence.

5. Musty, Damp Smell A persistent musty odour in a room can indicate the presence of rising damp. This smell is caused by mould and mildew growth that thrives in damp conditions. The odour is often more noticeable when the room has been closed up.

6. Damaged Skirting Boards Check your skirting boards for signs of warping, rotting, or fungal growth. Rising damp can affect timber at low levels, causing it to deteriorate over time. You may also notice the skirting boards pulling away from the wall.

7. Black Mould Growth While mould can have various causes, black mould appearing at the base of walls is often associated with rising damp. The combination of moisture and organic material from wallpaper paste creates ideal conditions for mould to thrive.

What to Do If You Spot These Signs If you've identified any of these warning signs in your home, it's important to act quickly. Rising damp won't go away on its own and will continue to cause damage until properly treated. We recommend booking a professional damp survey to accurately diagnose the issue. Our surveys use advanced moisture detection equipment to identify the source and extent of damp problems, allowing us to recommend the most effective treatment.