Damp and Mould in Social Housing

For decades Rentokil Property Care has partnered with numerous social housing providers across the country, so we understand the requirements and complexities of providing safe and healthy homes for tenants, while working within strict budgets.

Social housing can be subject to damp and mould problems, and Rentokil Property Care have been carrying out damp and timber surveys and providing expert advice and recommendations for problems including damp, condensation and mould, woodworm and fungal decay for over 70 years.

Rentokil Property Care surveyors are CSRT or CSTDB qualified and will get to the root cause of the problem affecting your housing stock, and our technicians have vast experience working with tenants. Our treatments and repairs are carried out to the highest industry standards, helping you meet government guidelines and legislation.

Condensation and mould problems are the most common form of damp, affecting as many as one in five properties every year, with social housing properties far more likely to be affected.

Rising damp and penetrating damp are also prevalent in social housing, especially older properties that are built from single skin solid walls, may have building defects or were built without a functioning damp proof course.

Problems associated with damp can lead to damp patches on walls, musty smells, decaying timber such as skirting boards and unhealthy living conditions which can lead to health problems for some. This can include respiratory issues for occupants such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. As damp problems in properties are often complex, it is important to use a surveyor with the expertise and experience to fully understand the source of the problem. Rentokil Property Care can provide damp and timber surveys to fully investigate the problem, and provide recommendations to improve the condition of the property.

Our surveyors have vast experience working with tenants and will minimise disruption throughout the survey, before providing you with a survey report outlining their findings, and recommendations for treatments or repairs, if required.

In order to provide the best quality living conditions for social housing residents, local authorities and housing associations are subject to strict legislative requirements, and government guidelines. Most recently this includes Awaab’s law, which has built on existing legislation, and provided strict timeframes for social landlords to carry out remediation and repairs.

Because of the legislation, we work closely with numerous social housing providers, local authorities and housing associations across the country and provide services in order to deliver safe, healthy homes for tenants.

Housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) provides guidance for landlords and professionals in the private and social housing sectors, and dictates that all dwellings should be free of hazards. The HHSRS states that 29 identified hazards must be dealt with in order to provide a healthier and safer place to live.

Damp and mould growth are identified as ‘Hazard Group A (Category One),’ with this category covering threats to health associated with the conditions caused by damp and a lack of ventilation, including the prevalence of house dust mites and mould or fungal growths resulting from dampness and high humidity. It also includes threats to mental health and social well-being which may be caused by living with the presence of damp, damp staining and mould growth.
 
All landlords, social, private or the agents acting on their behalf, have to ensure their properties are fit for human habitation from the start of the tenancy and throughout its duration.

The English Housing Ombudsman Service report into damp and mould was published in October 2021 and further emphasised the landlords responsibilities for addressing damp and mould problems in a timely manner in collaboration with the tenant.

The Housing Ombudsman provided 26 recommendations for landlords, including the banishment of the word ‘lifestyle’ as a consequence of limited choices when describing the reasons for condensation and mould issues.

Some key recommendations in the English Housing Ombudsman report include:

Government Guidance on the health risks of damp and mould in the home (2023) was designed to amalgamate relevant housing documents while highlighting the risks that damp and mould can pose to tenants’ health. It makes clear the need for a rapid response, and the steps social housing providers should take to address condensation and mould problems, and other structural damp issues.

The guidance was in response to the concerns raised by the Coroner after the inquest into Awaab Ishak’s death in December 2020 from a severe respiratory infection caused by prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home. This would ultimately be the building blocks that would lead to Awaab’s Law.

The Government introduced the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 after the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, with changes having substantial and far reaching implications for social housing providers. This new law will help improve standards in social housing in England by giving tenants more power and being able to hold landlords accountable. It has implemented specific and strict timeframes to respond to hazards, including mould and damp problems.

The Housing Ombudsman has enhanced powers and the Regulator of Social Housing can now conduct inspections of social housing providers, issue unlimited fines for non-compliance and demand performance improvement plans.

Landlords must investigate all emergency hazards in their housing stock, including damp and mould within 24 hours of becoming aware of the hazard. The day the landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard is counted as day ‘zero’, with day one of timeframes commencing the following working day. Hazards can be raised during routine inspections, during investigation into another hazard, being notified by a third party, a regulator or by the tenant raising the problem themselves. The housing provider must then ensure an investigation is carried out by a ‘competent person’ and where possible ‘should use properly qualified specialists to investigate where relevant’.

If the social landlord is unable to complete the relevant safety work within the initial remediation period (24 hours for an emergency hazard), they must secure the provision of suitable alternative accommodation for the tenant at the landlord’s expense, until the relevant safety work has been completed. The law makes these timeframes a part of tenancy agreements, whether existing or new.

Ultimately all social housing providers, local authorities and councils who provide social housing must comply with all requirements, or face legal action for breach of contract.

Awaab’s Law makes clear that social landlords need to take proactive responsibility for the health of their properties and tenants, meaning property inspections, regular maintenance and reactive responses to hazards must take place.

Because of the legislation social housing providers must adhere to, we are able to work with you in order to meet your requirements and deal with damp and mould problems as rapidly as possible.

Rentokil Property Care can work with you to offer a reactive service for ‘category 1’ health or safety hazards such as damp and mould problems.

Working with our sister companies as part of Rentokil Initial, we can provide reactive mould cleans from Rentokil Specialist Hygiene, and repairs for associated building defects carried out by DCUK, while Rentokil Property Care can provide you with damp and condensation surveys, and specialist damp proofing treatments.

Rentokil Property Care are the experts when it comes to dealing with damp, condensation and mould problems, but we also have vast experience in dealing with other property preservation issues which can affect social housing stock. We can provide expert advice and recommendations for wet rot, dry rot, woodworm, structural repairs including wall ties and lintel repair.

Damp problems are often caused by building defects, and if left over time can lead to further property damage, hence why it is important for a specialist to carry out a thorough survey of a property to identify any potential issues before they get worse.

Rentokil Property Care takes immense pride to be accredited with numerous industry organisations, showcasing our professionalism and workmanship. Our property preservation services have undergone thorough audits and received numerous endorsements from the regulatory bodies governing our industry.

We are a member of the Property Care Association (PCA), and are Trustmark, Constructionline, Alcumus (Safecontractor) and CHAS accredited. We have a range of CSTDB and CSRT qualified surveyors operating out of our network of local branches.

Our surveyors and technicians work inside people’s homes on a daily basis, and are able to prioritise the well-being of tenants from the initial survey to any remedial repairs being carried out.

Our tenant-focused approach prioritises:

• Clear communication with all stakeholders during the survey process, and throughout the treatment process, if repairs are required.
• Respectful treatment of tenants’ homes
• Minimised disruption to daily life
• Our technicians are equipped with vacuums, floor coverings and dust sheets to protect homes and to keep dust and debris to a minimum. We also provide our technicians with Hilti dust extraction units which help remove airborne dust from the atmosphere around our work and will reduce the amount of dust settling.

We will work closely with you in order to maintain positive relationships with tenants, and prevent any unnecessary delays where possible.

As part of Rentokil Initial Group, the health and safety of our staff and those on site are our top priority.

We have experience working on a number of projects and are able to deliver a top quality service while ensuring full compliance with industry regulations and health and safety standards.

Our accredited teams follow strict H&S protocols, including detailed risk assessments which are designed to minimise disruption and keep tenants safe. We have the necessary contract management skills in place, together with an independently accredited health and safety regime that includes rigorous training for our surveyors and technicians, who carry CSCS cards.

All our staff are fully trained in safe working practices, while our treatment fluids are HSE approved as well as being generally odourless and non-flammable.

We help social housing providers develop and enhance their knowledge and understanding of a range of property preservation topics using presentations written by our trained and qualified team of expert presenters. This assists compliance with the English Housing Ombudsman's Report of October 2021, Recommendations 15 and 16.

We cover issues such as damp and condensation, providing key learning on the first signs to identify a problem, and how issues can be addressed. We provide regular virtual CPD webinars and can undertake face to face training sessions designed specifically for Local Authorities and social housing providers

From our origins in the 1920’s to the present day, we have outlived our guarantees several times over. This means you can have complete peace of mind from a Rentokil Property Care guarantee - up to 30 years for some of our services.