Wokingham Borough Council had just 10 complaints from its social housing tenants relating to mould, damp and disrepair in the 12 months ending October 2024.
During the same time it had spent £2,500 on mould and damp issues, and spent £16,100 on disrepair issues.
The data was obtained by Legal Expert through Freedom of Information requests
Issues of damp, mould and disrepair are in sharp focus across the UK following a report from the Housing Ombudsman released last month which details more than 100 severe maladministration cases of damp and mould saying the issue now “dominates half of our casework.”
Richard Blakely of the Housing Ombudsman said: “It is clear that landlords are still struggling with timescales. This is despite policies often setting out a clear sequence of actions and existing obligations requiring reasonable resolution times…
“This is a topic that now dominates half of our casework and one coming into sharp focus given the government’s intention to introduce Awaab’s Law into both the social and private rented sectors.”
Awaab’s Law was first introduced in July 2023 following the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale, Greater Manchester in 2020.
The two-year-old died as a result of exposure to damp and mould conditions and his death prompted a change in the law which requires landlords to fix hazards that pose a danger to tenants’ health with a strict legal time limit.
As it stands, the law only applies to properties in the social housing sector. However, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner announced in September that the law will be extended to the private sector.
However, with cash-strapped councils fearing imminent bankruptcy, a growing demand for housing and a cost-of-living crisis, it seems hard to fathom how councils can be expected to tackle the issues facing their properties despite new legislation and policy.
Speaking at the Labour Party conference last year, Angela Rayner said: “Many housing associations, councils and landlords do good by their tenants and I know how hard they’ve had it after 14 years under the Tories.
“Which is why I will work in partnership with the sector to deliver the change. I will clamp down on damp and mouldy homes by bringing in Awaab’s Law in the social rented sector this autumn and we’ll extend it to the private rented sector too.”
“We will consult and implement a new Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes, to end the scandal of homes being unfit to live in.”
