Spotlight on Damp and Mould
Spotlight on Damp and Mould
On 26 October, the Housing Ombudsman published its new spotlight report on damp and mould.
The report, entitled ‘It’s not lifestyle’, said landlords should adopt a zero-tolerance approach to damp and mould and give it a higher priority with a change in culture from being reactive to proactive. It stated that landlords should avoid inferring blame on residents due to ‘lifestyle’ when it is often not solely their issue, and take responsibility for resolving problems.
The recommendations within the report cover a wide-range of topics for landlords to consider, from resolving skill gaps within their organisation to the delivery of their net zero strategy.
The Ombudsman has asked landlords to assess themselves against the 26 recommendations, engaging with residents as part of that and publishing the outcome.
The council has self-assessed its approach to damp and mould and condensation against the Ombudsman’s Spotlight Report on damp and mould and its subsequent follow-up reports.
In addition to completing a self assessment against the recommendations included in the report we also commissioned an independent review of our approach to dealing with damp and mould and this is ongoing.
As a result of the review we are revising our procedures to reflect best practice and ensure compliance with the new requirements of Awaab’s Law which will be set out in detail through secondary legislation.