Thousands of social homes have damp and mould, regulator finds

Thousands of social housing tenants are experiencing damp and mould, according to a new report from a watchdog which is calling for urgent action.  

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) found approximately 8,800 or 0.2% of social homes have the most serious damp and mould problems. 

1-2%, or 40,000 – 80,000 homes, have serious damp and mould issues and 3-4%, or 120,000 – 160,000 social homes, have notable damp and mould. 

‘These are not acceptable conditions for tenants to be living in, even if the proportions are relatively small,’ the report reads. ‘Local authorities reported proportionately more cases than private registered providers.’  

The investigation began shortly after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who had been living in a housing association flat in Rochdale, in December 2020.  

A coroner’s report released in November revealed the toddler had from respiratory problems associated with being exposed to mould.  

RSH said that the report findings should encourage landlords to ‘act promptly’ to resolve any issues which may pose a threat to tenants’ health.  

Fiona MacGregor, Chief Executive of RSH, 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. 

‘We expect all providers to continue to look at how they can improve the way they identify and address damp and mould.’  

According to the RSH, most social landlords are taking mould and damp seriously and have made improvements in how they handle cases over the last year.  

However, the regulator said it was expecting more improvement and confirmed it would carry out further analysis and would engage more with respondents who provided poor quality information.  

It also warned that regulatory action would be taken against incompliant providers and that it would introduce more active consumer regulation from April 2024, including inspections of providers. 

Photo by SarahCreates