Take immediate action if you suspect any damp or mould issues at your rented property.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is focused on ensuring landlords investigate and fix serious problems at rented homes to ensure they are safe.
There are already strict legal requirements for social housing landlords which include the fixing of reported health and safety hazards, including damp and mould.
The Government have included a proposal to bring Awaab’s law, and these requirements, to the private rented sector (PRS) as one of the Renters’ Rights Bill proposals.
The law was established in memory of Awaab Ishak.
What you need to know
Damp and mould are one of the 29 hazards assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS, a tool used to assess risks in residential properties).
This is because it can pose serious health risks to both people and property. Action must be taken to identify and address any underlying causes of the problem, such as structural issues or poor ventilation as soon as they are seen/reported.
What you must do
When a tenant tells you they have damp and/or mould action must be taken to:
- Assess the severity of the damp and mould and potential risks to your tenants obtaining professional advice where appropriate. Bear in mind some tenants may be at greater risk from the health harms of damp and mould, and this must be taken into consideration.
- Tackle the underlying causes including building deficiencies, inadequate ventilation and condensation.
- Simply removing surface mould will not prevent the damp and mould from reappearing.
- 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.
- Remove the mould prior to carrying out remedial work where possible, to address the health risk to tenants, using a qualified professional when appropriate.
- Review the situation after any remedial work has been carried out to ensure the issue has been fixed and damp and mould have not reappeared. Ideally this should be around six weeks after the work. If damp and mould have reappeared, further investigation and intervention should be taken.
It will not be acceptable for landlords to suggest the issues are purely because of a tenant's lifestyle. You must work collaboratively with the tenant to reduce excess moisture and condensation. You are responsible for taking action whether it’s installing an extractor fan or whether bigger works are required.
If we manage your property and receive a report from your tenant regarding damp or mould we will need to take swift action, this may include instructing a damp/mould specialist to provide a report. If we contact you regarding completing works we will need you to respond quickly.
If you self-manage and an issue is reported you must take action quickly.
ARLA Propertymark has produced a factsheet to make sure you are doing all you can to reduce the risk of damp and mould.