New research shows 1.6 million children currently live in privately rented homes with damp, mould or excessive cold. Citizens Advice’s analysis suggests more than half of private renters in England – 2.7 million households – are struggling with one or more of these issues right now.

The problem is at its worse in the least energy efficient homes, with the research revealing private tenants are 73% more likely to be living with damp if they live in a property with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D-G rather than A-C. While tenants are 89% more likely to experience excessive cold in a D-G rated property than A-C. EPCs measure how efficient a property is – with EPC A being the highest rating.

Tenants in the private rented sector are some of the worst affected by the cost-of-living crisis and they’re paying for poor insulation, Citizens Advice says. The average private sector tenant in England is paying £350 more a year on heating because of poorly insulated and damp homes, while those in the least efficient properties are paying an extra £950. With energy bills set to rise again in April, those in the least efficient homes could pay up to £1,190 more a year to keep warm.

Living in poor quality housing has an affect on people’s health, the charity warns: 40% of renters say they have felt stressed as a result of damp, mould and excessive cold, with 36% saying it made them feel anxious.

Laurie, a single parent with two sons under five, moved into her rented home in April 2022. A few months after moving, she noticed mould and damp in the property. She raised the issues with her letting agent, who put a vent in the roof and told her to keep the heating at a certain temperature. Something Laurie, who was on a prepayment meter, could not afford to do.

Laurie said: “It was really starting to affect my mental health. I started to think there was something wrong with me.

“The agency made me think the issue was with me, and the condensation was due to ventilation issues. I’ve dealt with condensation in previous houses, but nothing like the mould and damp in this house.

“I was so worried about both my sons’ health. They’ve been so poorly, and I’ve had them both in hospital with chest infections. They were never sick like this before.

“My youngest son was waking up in the night, absolutely freezing. I’ve had that worry of ‘are they going to freeze to death because it’s that cold?’”

Citizens Advice is calling on the government to bring regulation of the private rental sector in line with social housing by following the lead set by Awaab’s law. A piece of legislation which will place strict, legally binding timelines on social landlords to deal with serious issues such as damp and mould.

Landlords are currently only required to bring their properties up to an E rating. What’s more, the charity says, landlords currently don’t have to make any improvements if it’s going to cost them more than £3,500. This cap on landlord investment needs to be increased from £3,500 to £10,000, according to Citizens Advice.

Gillian Cooper, head of energy policy at Citizens Advice, said: “Every week we hear stories of people living in cold, damp and mouldy properties they can’t afford to heat properly.

“It’s shameful that more than 20 years since legislation came into force to reduce fuel poverty and improve the energy performance of homes, people are still suffering.

“Improving energy efficiency in privately rented homes has never been more urgent. It’s the step needed to keep people’s essential bills low, while also helping to protect their mental and physical health.”