Damp and mould in council and housing association homes in Greater Manchester and Lancashire

Quick answer: In the North West, 17.6% of households rent from a council or housing association, against 17.1% across England. The region’s homes are older too: 22.9% were built before 1919, against 19.9% nationally. Awaab’s Law applies to council and housing association landlords in England. Report damp through your landlord’s own channels and keep a record.

The North West picture

The 2021 Census counted 555,764 social renting households in the North West, out of 3,153,403 (ONS Census 2021 area profile, North West and England, table TS054). The full TS054 table splits that further. Here, 6.4% of households rent from a council and 11.2% from a housing association or other social landlord. Across England it’s 8.3% and 8.8%. So in this region, your landlord is more likely to be a housing association.

The build-period figures are our calculation from the Valuation Office Agency’s Council Tax stock of properties 2026, which counts 3,493,640 properties in the North West at 31 March 2026.

Registered providers owned 624,039 social homes in the region at 31 March 2025, spread across 244 landlords. That’s our total from the Regulator of Social Housing’s stock look-up tool, summed across the region’s 36 local authorities.

There are no damp figures for the North West alone in the sources we used. For England, the English Housing Survey found a damp problem in 7% of social rented homes in 2024 (8% of council homes, 6% of housing association homes), against 10% of private rented homes. Older homes and a bigger social sector don’t prove the region has more damp. They do mean a lot of people here have Awaab’s Law rights. Use them.

Where Awaab’s Law started

Awaab Ishak lived in a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) flat. He died on 21 December 2020, aged 2, after “prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment”, according to the coroner’s report. The Regulator of Social Housing found in December 2022 that RBH had breached the regulator’s consumer and governance standards. The regulator removed its notice on 26 March 2025, saying the problems behind it had been resolved. RBH owns 12,275 homes in Rochdale.

Awaab’s Law applies to all these landlords

Since 27 October 2025, councils and housing associations in England have had legal deadlines for damp and mould that present a significant risk. They must investigate within 10 working days, send you a written summary within 3 working days of that, and make the home safe within 5 working days of the investigation. Emergency hazards must be made safe within 24 hours. Our Awaab’s Law guide covers the full rules, and the government’s tenant guidance is here.

One exception: supported housing or temporary accommodation may be on a licence agreement rather than a tenancy, and then Awaab’s Law doesn’t apply.

How to report damp to the largest North West landlords

The table ranks the 20 biggest social landlords in the North West by homes owned at 31 March 2025, from the Regulator of Social Housing’s figures. Several also work in Merseyside, Cheshire and Cumbria. Each registered landlord is listed separately, which is why the two Jigsaw Homes companies appear twice. Where we link a page, we opened it on 30 September 2026.

Other councils in Greater Manchester and Lancashire still own homes too: Stockport (10,953), Bury (7,672), West Lancashire (5,783), Blackpool (4,872), Lancaster (3,602), Oldham (2,083) and Salford (1,207). Awaab’s Law covers them in the same way.

What to do if you have damp or mould

1. Report it using your landlord’s official phone line, email or online system, and get it in writing if you phoned.
2. Say who lives in the home, including ages and any health conditions.
3. Take dated photos and keep a record of every contact: what you reported, when, how and to whom.
4. Ask for the written summary once the investigation is done.
5. If the deadlines pass, make a formal complaint. If that doesn’t sort it, go to the Housing Ombudsman, which is free.

Our free tool will help you write a letter to your landlord. For reducing condensation in the meantime, see how to reduce condensation and damp while keeping your home warm. For the wider picture on housing in the region, see North West EPC ratings in 2026 and social housing energy upgrades in Greater Manchester.

FAQs

Does Awaab’s Law apply to my housing association in Greater Manchester or Lancashire?

Yes, if you have a social housing tenancy with a council or housing association in England. It doesn’t apply if you’re on a licence agreement, which is sometimes the case in supported housing or temporary accommodation.

My landlord isn’t in the table. How do I report damp?

Use your landlord’s official phone line, email or online system, and keep a record. There are 244 registered landlords with homes in the North West. The Regulator of Social Housing’s register doesn’t publish contact details, so your tenancy agreement or rent statement is the quickest place to look.

Who do I complain to if the repair doesn’t happen?

Start with your landlord’s complaints process, which can have no more than two stages. If that ends without the problem being sorted, or your landlord doesn’t respond, go to the Housing Ombudsman. It’s free, and you don’t have to wait eight weeks first.

I rent privately in Lancashire. Does Awaab’s Law help me?

Not yet. Extending it to private renters is planned, but no date has been set. Contact your landlord first, then your council’s environmental health team if repairs aren’t done. The council can assess the home for hazards, including damp and mould.