Industry News


Social landlords challenged to‘up their game’and take a proactive approach to resolving damp and mould problems within their housing stock


the twin problems of damp andmould that blight the lives of somany tenants across the country. After undertaking amajor thematic study to


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investigate the causes behind somany complaints about damp andmould fromsocial housing tenants, theOmbudsman concluded thatmany landlords over rely on residents to report and monitor problems, while at the same time they accept or tolerate working cultures within their organisations which fail to take decisive responsibility for ensuring problems are dealt with and complaints are resolved. Recognising that damp andmould feature


disproprtionately in the complaints received, the Ombudsman was prompted to undertake a special investigation, part of which featured a sector wide call for evidence between April and June this year. They received reports on 523 cases of damp


andmould, 464 frommember landlords and the remainder fromthe private sector. Following analysis of the cases, theOmbudsman has produced a hard hitting report which uses a series of case studies and hasmade 26 recommendations for action,mostly directed towards seniormanagement. This ‘Spotlight’ report, challenges the sector to


makemeangingful changes to how itmanages its stock, how it deals with complaints and how it communicates with its customers. Coincidentally (or not) damp andmould


also featured inmany of the poor property conditions investigated by ITN earlier in the year, which often saw teants’ health andmental well- being damaged by problems which persisted for years, often with tenants’ lifestyles being blamed for causing condensation.


THE CAUSES OF DAMP ANDMOULD TheOmbudsman found that while condensation was often a cause of damp andmould in properties, there were oftenmore important factors, in particular: lack of ventilation; water leaks; and structural faults. It has promised to follow up on this report next


year, so all social landlords should read and digest the contents of the report and look to implement changes and learning based on its contents and recommendations. Any that do not and continue to be the basis of tenants complaints can surely expect


heHousingOmbudsman is calling on all housing landlords to take a completely fresh, zero tolerance approach to resolving


harsh treament fromtheOmbudsman in future. TheOmbudsman recognises the report


covers a lot of issues and landlords will need time to consider their response. But he warns “We will bemonitoring landlord performance in this area and will actively consider where further systemic investigationsmay be required in the future to address service improvements with individual landlords. “We will also consider whether we need to do


further work in relation to possible contributory factors to damp andmould such as roof leaks, retrofitting or themanaged decline of stock.” A review of theOmbudsman’s casebook


indicates that complaints in relation to damp andmould problems sharemany of the following characteristics:


• They are often complex • Issuesmay be long running • Poor communications • Lack of clarity about repairs and timescales • Lack of confidence by residents in the initial diagnosis


• High level of distress and disruption for the resident


• Health and wellbeing are frequently cited and • Problems are not fixed and reoccur.


It now wantsmore landlords to take a pro-active approach to dealing with these issues, with a shared and common understanding fostered among staff that reduces the risk of silo working. Richard Blakeway said: “Where we have found


maladministration, it is often because the landlord missed opportunities to identify and address problems earlier in an individual case. This lesson can be applied across all the homes for which the landlord has responsibility.


TENANTS ARE NOT TO BLAME While its investigations did not find causation in terms of health conditions, theOmbudsman accepts that residents living in homes with damp and mouldmay bemore likely to have respiratory problems, allergies, asthma and other conditions that affect their immune systems. “This, set against the context of the COVID-19


pandemic, highlights the potential seriousness of this issue for residents,” the report states. The Ombudsman found the failure rate for landlords was often down to inaction, excessive delays or poor


6 | HMMDecember/January 2022 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk Richard Blakeway said it is


“clear that a strategic response to damp and mould is required, particularly in the context of decarbonisation”


communication. In one case study, a tenant had to wait five years to have their complaint about damp resolved. Along with casework, theOmbudsman


heard fromtenants, who said they were frustrated, felt like they were not being heard, and that their landlords were not taking their repair reports or complaints seriously. Though the report recognises the challenges


facing landlords, including overcrowding, poverty, the age and design of homes, it says they should avoid inferring residents are to blame due to “lifestyle”, “when it is often not solely their issue, and take responsibility for resolving problems”. Richard Blakeway said it is “clear that a strategic


response to damp andmould is required, particularly in the context of decarbonisation”. The report concludes by encouraging senior leaders and governing bodies to ask the following points:


• Do we have a proactive, zero-tolerance approach to damp andmould and a comprehensive, consolidated policy or framework for responding to these cases? Are we considering damp and mould as part of our net zero strategy?


• How effective and timely are we at responding to and resolving reports and complaints concerning damp andmould?How do we know we are providingmeaningful information and support to our residents?


• How do we identify andmanage complex cases, complex situations and/or those involving legal disrepair claims? Are we promoting our complaints processes enough and does our approach allow the complaints process to continue alongside pre-action claims?


• What is our organisational culture with respect to learning? Are wemaking themost of our complaint data and case studies to learn and improve?


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