Accessibility: A A A Colour Black and White
Menu

Health risks of damp and mould in the home

Introduction

Everyone has the right to a warm, secure and decent home and to be treated with dignity and fairness. Yet many people in England are living in a home with damp and mould, which may put their health at risk. Estimates of the number of homes in England with damp and mould range from 4% to 27% of homes, or 962,000 to 6.5 million households. The reported figure varies due to differences in how damp and mould is measured and how it is reported. People living in private or social rented housing are more likely to live in a home with damp and mould than are owner occupiers.

In December 2020, 2-year-old Awaab Ishak died from a severe respiratory infection caused by prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home. There is Government guidance produced in response to concerns raised by the Coroner following an inquest into Awaab’s death. In particular, it addresses the concern that ‘there was no evidence that up-to-date relevant health information pertaining to the risks of damp and mould was easily accessible to the housing sector’.

The guidance highlights the serious risks that damp and mould can pose to tenants’ health, the imperative to respond quickly, and the practical steps that should be taken both to address damp and mould and prevent them.

Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home – GOV.UK

Healthy Homes Damp and Mould Project

The Healthy Homes initiative aims to improve poor quality, hazardous housing conditions whilst addressing health inequalities. Since July 2024 the Healthy Homes team have extended their resident engagement across the borough to address concerns around damp and mould and excess cold.

The team complete a survey with each household giving the resident the chance to reflect upon important issues affecting their housing, health and wellbeing and environment and will signpost and support the resident to access free and beneficial services tailored to their needs as well as supporting them to ensure any deficiencies in their property are addressed. The Healthy Homes officers will, where appropriate, take informal action to address any category 2 hazards and will engage with the landlord to arrange remedial action.  Where this approach isn’t successful or where the hazards identified are more serious (category 1) the team will escalate their concerns to the dedicated Housing Standards Officer to take enforcement action.

There is a revised Damp and Mould advice leaflet available for residents and Landlords – an e-copy can be accessed below and paper copies available. Please contact the team via [email protected] to request a paper copy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To know more about what the Healthy Homes team do click on the leaflet below

or visit – https://www.wirral.gov.uk/housing/help-your-home/healthy-homes

For any queries, please contact the Healthy Homes Team Leader – [email protected]

Support for Tenants

This section provides links to financial support for tenants and support to improve the energy efficiency of tenants’ homes, making them easier to heat. If any funding is associated with modifications to the home, for example insulation, a new boiler, and so on, tenants must always get the approval of their landlord to carry out the work and work with them. Schemes mentioned in this annex may also be applicable to owner occupiers.

ENERGY PROJECTS PLUS

Offer free, impartial advice to help residents reduce their energy bills while staying warm and well at home. In addition to answering queries by phone, we also deliver home visits, where we may be able to fit some free LED bulbs and assist with practical matters such as setting heating controls or preventing condensation.

Call our Save Energy Advice Line free on 0800 043 0151 or email

[email protected]. Lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: a one-off discount on electricity bills. The scheme will reopen for October 2024.

Winter Fuel Payment: people born before 26 September 1956 may get between £100 and £300 to help pay their heating bills. Running for winter 2024. This is in addition to any other cost of living payments.

Cold Weather Payment: support for individuals receiving certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI). A payment will be received if the average temperature in the household’s area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days. Households will receive a payment of £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

Citizens Advice: this organisation can help households with income maximisation, applying for energy grants, and help people to understand their energy bills or manage finances or fuel debt. This page provides an overview.

Age UK Warm Home Programme: the programme helps in 3 key ways:

  • benefit entitlement checks
  • home energy checks
  • providing advice

Mencap: guidance for people with a learning disability and their families and carers on how to get help with food, energy and fuel costs.

NEA – the UK’s leading fuel poverty charity: provides direct support to people, including income maximisation advice and advocating on issues including improving energy efficiency of homes. Gives advice on warm and safe homes, and advice for those struggling to pay their bills.

Help with energy bills (Shelter England): this article outlines the various sources of financial support available and who can access these funds.

Money Helper: provides advice on how to save on gas and electricity and what help is available to households who are concerned about paying their bills or missing a payment.

Energy Company obligation: help from energy suppliers with installing energy-saving improvements to homes. Insulation grants are available for occupiers of privately and socially rented properties which landlords can also help tenants apply for. This may help with the cost of insulation work, for example to your loft or cavity walls and replacing or repairing your boiler – or other upgrades to your heating.

Find energy grants for your home (Help to Heat)

Find your local council: councils run local funding schemes if tenants are struggling to ask for help. Schemes in place often include ‘welfare assistance’ and ‘Household Support Funds’.

NEA’s multi-lingual advice leaflets

If landlords become aware of tenants who may be in financial difficulty and struggling with energy bills, advice is available from specialist providers such as Shelter, Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper.

If tenants are eligible for Legal Aid, they can also contact Civil Legal Advice for free and confidential advice. Tenants might also qualify for Universal Credit, which can include help with housing costs. Some tenants might also be available for government Cost of Living Payments.

Regulation on damp and mould in social and private rented properties

Private and social landlords must adhere to a number of regulations related to damp and mould (see ‘Legal standards on damp and mould in rented homes’). A lack of compliance can place a landlord at risk of prosecution or financial penalties. The legislation and standards are sometimes different for social and private rented landlords, but include:

Works to the heating and ventilation systems and replacement of windows are all controlled work. When undertaking controlled work, landlords must comply with the Building Regulations 2010.

Responding to reports of damp and mould

When responding to reports of damp and mould landlords should:

  • respond sensitively and assess the issue with urgency to identify the severity of the damp and mould and potential risks to tenants
  • always tackle the underlying issue promptly, and act with urgency when concerns have been raised about tenant health. Landlords should not delay action to await medical evidence or opinion – medical evidence is not a requirement for action
  • ensure tenants are informed about the steps that will be taken to remove mould and address any underlying issues and the timeframes for the work
  • prior to the removal of the mould, photograph and document the location of the mould, to help identify the source
  • remove the mould, to address the health risk to tenants, using a qualified professional when appropriate
  • identify and tackle the underlying causes of damp and mould, including building deficiencies, inadequate ventilation and condensation. Simply removing surface mould will not prevent the damp and mould from reappearing
  • inspect the home at least 6 weeks after remedial work has been carried out, to ensure that the issue has been fixed and damp and mould have not reappeared. If damp and mould have reappeared, further investigation and intervention should be pursued

Taking a proactive approach to reduce the risk of damp and mould

Landlords – irrespective of whether they own one or multiple homes – should adopt a proactive approach to the identification and tackling of damp and mould. This should include:

  • having clear processes in place to document, manage and act on reports of damp and mould and to identify common issues and trends in their housing stock
  • understanding the condition of their homes and using this to adopt a preventative approach to dealing with damp and mould, making the necessary interventions to ventilation, energy efficiency and building deficiencies before damp and mould occur
  • understanding that some homes are more difficult to heat, either due to their energy efficiency or cost of living pressures, and that this can make damp and mould more likely to occur. Landlords should consider what support they can provide or signpost tenants to
  • supporting tenants to understand what they can do to reduce damp and mould, where applicable and appropriate. This must never be a substitute for addressing the underlying causes of damp and mould
  • building relationships with health and social care and other frontline professionals supporting tenants to ensure that every opportunity to identify tenants living in homes with damp and mould is utilised, ‘making every contact count’
  • ensuring staff and any external contractors are aware of the significant health risks associated with damp and mould, the need to address the underlying causes of the issue and not just remove visible mould, are aware of any processes associated with reporting and addressing damp and mould, and understand the importance of being sensitive to tenants’ circumstances and vulnerabilities
  • building relationships with tenants, ensuring that tenants feel encouraged to report damp and mould

People who are most likely to face barriers to reporting damp and mould

Tenants may face barriers which may mean they struggle to report damp and mould to their landlord. This may be due to knowledge, language, literacy or communication barriers, personal circumstances, a lack of awareness of legal standards and housing rights in England, or fear of eviction or discrimination, among other things.

Landlords should consider how they might best support these tenants, by building trust and working with other professionals who may be able to provide additional support (see below ‘Responding with urgency and sensitivity and taking tenants’ needs into consideration’ in the section ‘Identifying and addressing damp and mould in your property’ and ‘Building relationships with other professionals’ in ‘Reducing the risk of damp and mould developing’.

Types of tenants who might face barriers to reporting include:

  • people from ethnic minority backgrounds
  • people who have moved to the UK within the past 10 years, including people seeking refuge and foreign students
  • people moving in and out of homelessness and/or in insecure tenures
  • people with a learning disability and/or a neurodiverse condition such as autism
  • people living with a mental health condition
  • people who are dependent on alcohol and/or drugs
  • people in receipt of welfare benefits
  • people who live in houses in multiple occupation (HMO)
  • people living in the private rented sector who have a fear of eviction
  • people without a diagnosed mental health condition or registered disability but with either temporary or on-going support needs

 

Back to Top
Translate »