Mould, Health and Safety, and Compliance in Social Housing

To ensure that housing providers are meeting the relevant standards for dealing with damp, mould, and condensation risks, we are here to help the housing sector by sharing our knowledge on how to maintain property and resident safety at all times.

Michael Gove announced yesterday that he will block any housing provider that breaches the Regulator’s consumer standards from new Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) funding until they make improvements, and will consider stripping providers of existing AHP funding if construction has not already started on-site.

The Regulator of Social Housing is seeking assurance from all providers that they have a ‘strong grip on damp and mould issues in their homes’ and will take appropriate action if they are not meeting standards. But what does a ‘strong grip’ and ‘assurance’ look like? Responsible Persons must respond to the Regulator by 19^th December, having the following in place:

• A demonstrable strategy to address damp and mould in properties, including the various ways this can be identified (stock condition surveys, repair requests, service requests, and complaints). Providers must tackle the immediate risk and identify the root cause to formulate strategic resolutions. This should respond to the 2021 Housing Ombudsman Spotlight Report on damp and mould, and more recent directions on complaint handling.
  
  
•  A clear and effective approach to assess damp and mould including…
  • Proactive stock condition surveys
  • Good repairs diagnosis and delivery
  • A fit-for-purpose policy and supported procedures on damp and mould, enabling identification and diagnosis of potential damp cases, investigating these to accurately identify the cause and reach a resolution. This needs to include both categories one and two of damp and mould hazards under the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS), and demonstrate mandatory action on a broad range of cases. 

• Robust and up-to-date stock condition data on damp and mould hazards, including checks of properties with hazards identified at survey stage, to ensure they have been addressed and the risk removed. This is a gap we often find, so make sure that this data is clearly evidenced.

Providers need to back up their submissions with recent data and must self-refer immediately if they identify that their homes do not meet the relevant standard.

Our free, live webinar will provide more information on the steps you need to take to address any issues found in properties affected by damp and mould, which you can watch on-demand below. Our experts were joined by mould specialist Graham Whittingham, to share free, practical advice that will help you address any mould and damp problems, so that your properties are as safe as possible for your residents.