Damp and ventilation
Bathroom mould: condensation or another moisture source?
What to record before cleaning, painting or buying equipment.
Read the guideEvidence-led guidance for England and Wales
A problem at home.
A clearer next step.
Make sense of damp, leaks and cold rooms. See what to check, what to record and who can help — without pretending to diagnose a property online.
Start with an observation
What can you see or notice?
Choose the closest symptom. Each guide separates what is known, what remains uncertain and what evidence would change the next step.
Damp and ventilation
Bathroom mould keeps returning
Compare condensation with other moisture sources before cleaning or painting.
Walls and ceilings
A mark has appeared on a wall
Record its position and pattern before deciding whether a meter adds useful evidence.
Indoor air
The room feels stuffy or smoky
Observe timing, occupancy and ventilation before interpreting a monitor reading.
Heating and energy
A room stays cold
Separate heating performance, draughts and fabric heat loss before spending money.
DIY safety
You need to drill or alter a wall
Check the wall type, service zones and stop conditions before making the first hole.
Buying a home
You noticed a crack or movement
Keep observations separate from conclusions and know when a survey is needed.
One careful route
From a symptom to the right help
The decision comes first. A product only appears when it answers a defined question.
Observe
Describe the mark, smell, sound, reading or change without naming a cause.
Compare
Use context and primary UK guidance to keep plausible causes separate.
Check
Choose a test or tool only when you know what its result can and cannot show.
Act
Follow the safe boundary and contact the right qualified person when needed.
Area evidence
Check the evidence around a postcode
Local sale records, EPC context and scheme routes can inform a decision, but they do not describe the condition or value of an individual property.
- Named data sources
- See where each figure comes from and when it was updated.
- Clear geographic scope
- England and Wales limitations stay visible beside the result.
- No false certainty
- Area evidence never becomes a claim about one property's condition.
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Recently checked
Practical guides with visible limits
Every guide names its sources, scope and stop conditions so you can judge the advice as well as read it.
Buying evidence
What a viewing can tell you before a survey
Record useful observations without treating them as a diagnosis.
Browse buying checksEnergy and grants
Check current home energy grant routes
Understand scheme status without treating a pre-screen as approval.
Check grant routesChoosing tools
Use a tool only when it answers a question
These specialist product sites are part of the same operating network as SortMyHouse. The relationship is disclosed so you can weigh the recommendation properly.
Moisture meters
Useful when the question is whether a pattern changes across locations or materials.
- Useful for
- Comparative screening and a dated reading log.
- Cannot prove
- The source of damp, liability or the repair required.
Thermal imaging
Useful when temperature patterns may help narrow a heat-loss or moisture question.
- Useful for
- Comparing surface-temperature patterns under suitable conditions.
- Cannot prove
- A hidden leak, missing insulation or damp on its own.
Wall and stud detection
Useful before a low-risk drilling task when you have already identified the wall type.
- Useful for
- Screening for likely studs, metal and live cables.
- Cannot prove
- That a drilling point is safe; use service zones and other checks.
Indoor air monitoring
Useful for observing changes alongside cooking, ventilation and occupancy.
- Useful for
- Time-based particulate or air-quality observations.
- Cannot prove
- A medical cause or pollutant source without appropriate testing.
More specialist routes
See dehumidifiers, hand tools, bathroom fittings and garden systemsEvidence before products
Sources behind the guidance
Product pages are not substitutes for primary guidance. Start with the source, then decide whether a tool adds useful evidence.
GOV.UK damp and mould guidance
Official health and housing context, including the need to establish the source of damp.
RICS consumer guide
Professional explanation of penetrating damp, condensation and rising damp.
HSE domestic gas safety
Safety boundary for boilers, gas appliances and work that must not become DIY advice.