Key Points
- Damp and mould complaints linked to Manchester’s private rented sector rose by 41% between 2021 and 2023, based on new Freedom of Information data obtained by Scrubbed With Love.
- Manchester City Council supplied figures showing complaints increased from 649 in 2021 to 918 in 2023.
- Complaints then eased slightly to 897 in 2024 and 759 in 2025, but remained above the 2021 level.
- Housing requests for service stayed high throughout the five-year period, with more than 1,600 recorded every year from 2021 to 2025.
- The council received 1,665 housing requests in 2021, 1,602 in 2022, and a peak of 1,755 in 2023.
- Josie Cookson of Scrubbed With Love said delays in enforcement can allow damp and mould to worsen before remediation begins.
- Cookson said mould can spread over walls, ceilings and soft furnishings, and may aggravate respiratory conditions, trigger allergic reactions and pose serious risks for vulnerable people.
Manchester (Manchester Mirror) June 30, 2026 – Damp and mould complaints linked to Manchester’s private rented sector (PRS) increased by 41% between 2021 and 2023, according to new Freedom of Information data obtained by Scrubbed With Love. The figures, supplied by Manchester City Council, show a clear rise in reported problems over the period, even though complaint levels eased slightly after reaching a peak in 2023.
The data indicates that complaints rose from 649 in 2021 to 918 in 2023, before falling to 897 in 2024 and 759 in 2025. While the most recent figures suggest some improvement, the overall level of complaints remains significantly higher than it was at the start of the five-year period. That points to a continuing issue in the city’s private rented housing stock.
As reported by Josie Cookson of Scrubbed With Love, the rise in complaints highlights the practical difficulties faced by tenants living in substandard conditions. The FOI figures suggest that damp and mould remain persistent problems rather than isolated incidents, particularly in homes where maintenance issues may be slow to be addressed.
What do the council figures show?
The complaint trend shows a steady climb from 2021 to 2023 before a modest decline in the following two years. In numerical terms, the increase from 649 to 918 represents a substantial jump in tenant complaints, which may reflect worsening conditions, improved reporting, or both. Even with the drop to 759 in 2025, the final figure is still well above the 2021 baseline.
The council data also shows that housing enforcement activity has remained consistently high. Manchester City Council received more than 1,600 housing requests for service every year between 2021 and 2025, suggesting ongoing demand for intervention. Requests totalled 1,665 in 2021, slipped slightly to 1,602 in 2022, then rose to 1,755 in 2023 before remaining elevated.
That pattern is important because it suggests damp and mould complaints sit within a broader housing enforcement burden. High request volumes may place pressure on council teams responsible for investigating complaints, assessing property conditions and pursuing follow-up action where needed.
What did Scrubbed With Love say?
Josie Cookson, owner of Scrubbed With Love, said tenants in poor housing conditions often face long waits before council intervention takes place. She argued that delays between a complaint being raised and a case being resolved can allow the underlying issue to deteriorate further.
Cookson said: “For tenants living in substandard conditions, the practical consequence is often a lengthy wait for council intervention.” She added that where enforcement is delayed or disputes are prolonged, “the underlying conditions – damp, mould growth, structural deterioration – can worsen significantly before professional remediation takes place.”
She also warned that the gap between complaint and resolution can be long enough for mould to spread through a property. According to Cookson, “that gap can span weeks or months,” during which mould colonies may spread across walls, ceilings and soft furnishings. She said this can release spores that aggravate respiratory conditions, trigger allergic reactions and pose a serious health risk to vulnerable people.
Why does the timing matter?
The timing matters because damp and mould can worsen quickly when a property problem is not dealt with early. Once moisture is present, mould can spread to visible surfaces and deeper materials, making remediation more complex and costly. That means a delay in response can turn a manageable repair into a much larger housing problem.
The council’s complaint and enforcement data together suggest that residents are still dealing with serious housing concerns across the city. Even though complaints fell after 2023, the fact that they remain above 2021 levels indicates the issue has not gone away. For tenants, that means reporting a problem does not always guarantee a quick resolution.
This also matters for public health. Damp and mould are widely associated with poorer indoor air quality, and Cookson’s comments underline the risk to people with respiratory illness, allergies or other vulnerabilities. In housing reporting, those health concerns often strengthen the case for faster action from landlords and authorities.
What does the enforcement picture suggest?
The enforcement picture suggests that Manchester’s housing system is under sustained strain. More than 1,600 requests for service each year over a five-year period points to a continuous flow of complaints and inspections requiring council attention. That does not, by itself, show failure, but it does suggest a persistent workload.
The rise to 1,755 housing requests in 2023 aligns with the peak in damp and mould complaints that same year. That overlap may indicate a wider housing quality problem in the PRS, although the figures alone do not identify specific causes. It is possible that improved awareness, stronger reporting, or changing enforcement behaviour also influenced the totals.
Even so, the underlying message is clear: housing standards remain a live issue for many tenants. Where damp and mould are involved, early intervention is often central to preventing the problem from becoming more severe. The figures show that both complaints and requests for service remained high enough to keep the issue in the public eye.
Background of the development
Manchester has long been one of the UK cities where the private rented sector plays a significant role in housing provision. That makes complaint data particularly important, because a large share of residents may depend on rented homes and have limited control over repairs or maintenance. FOI requests are often used to expose patterns that are not always visible in day-to-day tenant experiences.
In this case, the data supplied by Manchester City Council and reported by Scrubbed With Love provides a five-year snapshot of damp and mould complaints alongside housing enforcement demand. The figures show a rise to 2023 and a later easing, but not a return to earlier levels. That suggests the issue is still active even if the peak has passed.
The issue also sits within a wider discussion about standards in rented homes, the speed of council intervention and the obligations placed on landlords. When complaint levels remain elevated over several years, it becomes harder to treat the problem as short-term or exceptional. Instead, it looks more like a continuing housing management challenge.
How could this affect tenants?
For tenants, the most immediate effect is likely to be continued pressure for better repair responses and faster action on damp-related complaints. If delays remain common, residents may need to document problems carefully and pursue follow-up more persistently. That can be especially difficult for households already dealing with poor living conditions or health concerns.
For vulnerable tenants, the stakes are higher because prolonged exposure to mould can aggravate breathing problems and allergies. Families with children, older residents and people with existing respiratory conditions may be particularly affected if complaints are not resolved quickly. In practical terms, the figures suggest that early reporting and timely enforcement remain crucial.
For the wider Manchester public, the data may increase scrutiny of private landlords and local enforcement capacity. If complaint numbers stay high, it could strengthen pressure for better housing standards, more efficient inspections and quicker remediation. The longer-term effect will depend on whether complaint trends continue to fall or remain elevated over the next reporting cycle.
