Castles and Coasts Housing Association (CCHA) owns and manages more than 7,000 homes across the North of England.
CCHA appointed Pennington Choices to conduct tier two damp and mould surveys on 40 properties within their housing stock. These tier two surveys include:
• Observing damp and mould
• Identifying the root cause
• Providing recommended remedial actions
The property types included flats, terraced and semi-detached houses, traditional masonry builds, older Victorian houses, and timber-framed properties. Each inspection is tailored to the specific building's requirements and is an inspection of the entire property.
The tiering system for these surveys varies based on whether the client requires an initial inspection or a comprehensive, end-to-end inspection. This can depend on their budget and building needs.
Due to temporary absences in their internal damp and mould team, CCHA sought additional support from us for four months. We assigned two qualified and experienced surveyors to assist with undertaking damp and mould surveys.
During the initial weeks of the project, we conducted a pilot sign-off period where we held discussions to ensure all parties were satisfied with the proposed work.
We then undertook a mobilisation meeting to understand CCHA’s specific needs and how to best structure reports tailored to their organisation. CCHA had particular requirements regarding the report format and structure, which we were happy to accommodate. The mobilisation meeting also covered project structuring, turnaround times, report writing preferences, the use of our SharePoint system, meeting scheduling, and financial arrangements.
We held progress meetings every few weeks to update the client on the project's status and address any questions.
Our surveyors are recruited with all necessary training and experience, ready to begin work immediately. Our damp and mould specialists are knowledgeable in building pathology, with some being chartered and many holding CSTDB qualifications and years of practical experience.
To schedule the surveys, our planning, scheduling and dispatch team liaised with tenants to book appointments, ensuring a smooth process for everyone involved. Once appointed, our surveyors visited the sites to collect data and compile it into reports. All reports undergo Quality Assurance (QA) checks by our QA manager and are accessible to the client. We used the business management software, SimPRO, and generated reports using SafetyCulture during all surveys.
We adhered to our standard KPIs of completing reports within five working days without any issues from either party. The client's flexibility and trust meant they were happy following our established procedures.
We used several innovative technologies when undertaking the surveys. Our surveyors have a thermal imaging camera and are proficient in using it and interpreting the information to identify underlying defects within the building efficiently.
Additionally, we are equipped to conduct intrusive investigations when necessary, using a borescope to drill into walls and capture images for accurate diagnosis rather than relying on speculation.
Through consistent and effective communication, we have developed a strong working relationship with the CCHA. Post-project feedback from them has been exceptionally positive, and we look forward to potential future collaborations with them.
“We employed the services of Pennington Choices due to an increase in the number of damp and mould reports from residents and our capacity to deal with the increase of property inspections required. Employing Pennington Choices enabled us to deal with the damp and mould inspections in a timely manner. The surveys, detail and recommendations contained in the survey reports was excellent and provided us with the information we needed to resolve the damp and mould problems.
"Pennington Choices set time aside to have regular Teams catch-up calls to update us on property inspections and survey progress; this information was really useful to help us monitor damp and mould jobs. Not only did Pennington Choices provide information on damp and mould jobs, but they also identified other repair jobs during their inspections that required action and reported these back to us to raise orders to our Repairs Contractors. We would definitely recommend Pennington Choices’ services to others for all the above reasons!" – Maintenance Manager, Castles and Coasts Housing Association