The Regulator of Social Housing has written to registered providers of social housing to highlight landlords’ responsibility to take action to protect tenants from hazardous damp and mould.
Housing association and local authority landlords will need to submit evidence to the regulator to demonstrate that they have systems in place to identify and deal with damp and mould issues in their homes, and that they are addressing risks to their tenants’ health.
The regulator will review this information and, where there is evidence that providers are not meeting regulatory standards, it will take appropriate action.
Fiona MacGregor, Chief Executive of RSH, said:
The tragic case of Awaab Ishak has rightly focused attention on the responsibility of all registered providers to ensure that the homes they provide are well maintained and of a decent standard. The case demonstrates the serious effects that having damp and mould in homes can have on people’s health and highlighted once again the importance of providers listening to their tenants’ concerns, understanding their diverse needs, removing barriers to accessing services and responding promptly.
Yesterday in a series of tweets Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) who have been accused of racism over its handling of the damp and fungus they faced said they
@did make assumptions about lifestyle and we accept that we got that wrong. We will be implementing further training across the whole organisation. We abhor racism in any shape or form and we know that we have a responsibility to all our communities.”
