Tens of thousands of rental homes found with damp and mould

The Regulator of Social Housing has warned landlords in that sector to take immediate action over damp and mould.

And the regulator has set out ‘10 key tests’ for social landlords to use when assessing whether they are taking the problem sufficiently seriously.

This follows a report suggesting that 120,000 to 160,000 social homes in England alone had “notable" issues with damp and mould, with 40,000 to 80,000 having serious issues.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, says: “The inquest into the death of Awaab Ishak has focused the minds of the sector. But we are continually finding in our casework that landlords have not responded to this issue with sufficient urgency.

“…Landlords need to have a sustained focus on culture and behaviours to ensure issues are not dismissed. The human impact and consequence of the creeping normalisation of poor culture was highlighted by the death of Awaab Ishak.

“It is disappointing when we conducted our review how few landlords had acted to implement a dedicated damp and mould policy, despite there being a clear and driving need to have a bespoke response for these reports given the shortcomings identified in our casework.

“…I would encourage governing bodies to consider our ten ‘key tests’ when reviewing plans, and for landlords where this is not happening, for them to create an action plan to support a proactive response.

“I know this is now a priority for many landlords, but I would urge senior leaders to go faster and further in their efforts to do what is right by their residents.”

The 10 key tests are:

1. Find your silence – who’s not using your complaints system and why? Some landlords see high complaints as a bad thing, but high complaints about damp and mould can be a sign that you are open and transparent, and people feel they can complaint

2. Proactive communications strategy – Damp and mould cases are out there, and you need to engage with that. But our call for evidence also highlighted that landlords are often doing quite a lot in this space and their residents have no idea. Don’t patronise, don’t be obscure and make sure you use every day terms – the advice needs to be helpful and understandable

3. Treat residents fairly – It isn’t their fault they are in a home unsuitable for living or currently in a property that is marked for regeneration/demolition

4. Improve record keeping – How can you adopt an intelligence-based front foot if you have no data on what you’re dealing with? How can you ensure that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing if nothing is recorded? We’ll soon be releasing a Spotlight report on this issue for you to engage with

5. Know your residents – Occupancy factors may include overcrowding and the availability and use of heating and ventilation systems. They also include individual circumstances such as disability, financial hardship, and health conditions

6. Check net zero plans – Electric heating costs more than gas. If you’re net zero strategy is pushing people into hardship, need to make sure you’re making mitigations

7. Know your homes – Structural factors include property age, design, and modifications. For example, certain types of properties such as converted street properties, buildings of concrete construction or traditional solid type construction are more susceptible to damp and mould than others

8. Dedicated damp and mould strategy – Create one by looking wider than the individual cases. Use your void periods and mutual exchanges too

9. Empower staff – if they’re in a property for something else, help them clock the signs. We encourage landlords to consider the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Professional Standards if they have not already done so

10. Use the complaints system to learn – Be robust in using the complaints process until such time as proceedings are filed.

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