The Regulator of Social Housing has published a report setting out how social landlords are tackling damp and mould in tenants’ homes.
The report highlights the features of the strongest and weakest approaches, “so that landlords can learn lessons from others in the sector.”
The findings are drawn from responses that the regulator has requested from landlords following last year’s coroner’s report into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from damp and mould.
The regulator says it expects all social landlords to read the report and use it to inform their approach.
The regulator’s key findings are:
- Better performing landlords manage their data well
- Strong oversight from boards or councillors is essential
- Some boards and councillors had limited oversight of the condition of tenants’ homes, and in some cases don’t have specific processes for identifying and tackling damp and mould
The responses show that most social landlords deal with damp and mould effectively, and most tenants live in homes that are largely free from damp and mould.
However, a small number of landlords provided “weaker” responses, which the regulator says it has followed up on to scrutinise their approach.
The regulator is gearing up for stronger consumer regulation, which will include regular inspections of all larger social landlords from April 2024.
This stronger approach is being introduced via the Social Housing Regulation Bill, which had its final reading yesterday.
Fiona MacGregor, chief executive of RSH, said: “Tenants deserve to live in homes that are safe, of a decent standard, and free from serious hazards, including damp and mould.
“We expect all landlords to read our report carefully and ask themselves challenging questions about how they could improve their approach.”
Image credit: Yavdat/Shutterstock
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