Social housing landlords warned to improve mould conditions

There are between 120,000 to 160,000 social housing properties in England that have notable issues with damp and mould, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) says.

And up to 80,000 of those homes have ‘serious issues’.

The revelation comes after the RSH wrote to all social housing landlords in November in the wake of the inquest into the death of Rochdale toddler Awaab Ishak.

That’s when a coroner ruled that the two-year old had died from a respiratory condition that had been caused by exposure to mould in his home.

The boy’s father says he repeatedly raised the issue of mould with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing but they took no action.

‘Tenants deserve quality services and homes’

The RSH’s chief executive, Fiona MacGregor, said: “Tenants deserve quality services and homes that are safe and of a decent standard.

“Where there are issues, landlords need to act now to put things right, before we start our active consumer regulation including inspections of providers.”

She added: “We expect all providers to continue to look at how they can improve the way they identify and address damp and mould.”

The RSH estimates that:

• Less than 0.2% of social homes have the most serious damp and mould problems
• 1-2% have serious damp and mould problems
• 3-4% have notable damp and mould.

‘Appreciate the extent of mould and damp in their tenants’ homes’

In a report on the findings, the RSH says that most social landlords in England appreciate the extent of mould and damp in their tenants’ homes and are taking action to deal with it.

However, the RSH says they could ‘strengthen their approach’.

The report also highlights that most tenants in social housing are living in a property that is free from mould and when these problems are identified, landlords need to address them effectively and promptly.

The report also warns that some social housing landlords had submitted poor quality responses that lacked detail leading the RSH to reveal that it has no confidence in their approach to dealing with mould and damp issues.

Those landlords who submitted poor quality responses will now be contacted directly by the RSH – as will those landlords who report high numbers of mould and cases.

Councils fully support efforts for inspecting homes

In response, the Local Government Association (LGA) says that it is determined to improve housing conditions and that councils fully support efforts for inspecting homes and boosting standards in the social housing and also in the private rented sector.

The LGA’s housing spokesperson, Coun Darren Rodwell, said: “We recognise the findings of this report.

“Councils continue to fully support efforts to inspect homes and drive up standards in both the social housing and private rented sector.

“While this study shows that the vast majority of social housing is safe and decent, councils are determined to improve housing conditions for all social and private tenants.”

He added: “The LGA continues to work with professional bodies, as well as the Government, to discuss possible solutions on improving housing standards – including those relating to damp and mould in tenanted properties.”

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