Issue - meetings

The Assistant Director of Housing Management & Enforcement presented the report to the Board.

The Board was informed the Damp and Mould Policy (the ‘Policy’) could not be provided to it before the Executive meeting on 23^rd July 2025 (attached at Appendix 1).  The Executive had approved the Policy at that meeting.

The Council, as a landlord, was responsible for maintaining the properties it owned and managed them in line with the relevant regulations, legislation and guidance.  This included keeping tenants’ homes safe from hazards under the Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) under the Housing Act 2004 – one of those identified hazards was damp and mould.

Awaab's Law, introduced by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, would come into force for the social housing sector from October 2025 (with a phased implementation approach).

The key aim of the Policy was to raise awareness of the issues surrounding damp and the Council’s tenanted properties.  The Policy would additionally:

·       Provide a clear framework for identifying, reporting, and addressing damp and mould issues;

·       Ensure timely and effective responses to reports of damp and mould, and ensure that repairs to alleviate damp (for example work to guttering and drains, replacing tiles, repairing leaks to pipework, etc.) were carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible to minimise impact on the health of the resident and any damage to the structure, fixtures and fittings of the property;

·       Promote tenant awareness and provide access to information in a variety of formats, and access to support to help residents prevent and reduce risks of damp and mould in their homes;

·       Ensure all tenants were treated in a fair, respectful, empathetic and consistent way; and,

·       Comply with relevant legislation and regulatory standards (including the HHSRS).

The Council would ensure all resident-facing housing officers and operatives were responsible for spotting instances of damp and mould, reporting and recording information gathered (relevant training would be provided).

The Council would additionally ensure Dragonfly Management (Bolsover) Ltd. staff and subcontractors were also competent to diagnose and remedy damp / mould issues – all submitted reports would be assessed and responded to appropriately

One factor of Awaab’s Law was for social landlords to use a person-centred approach and that a hazard did not need to be reported as a Category 1 Level (under HHSRS) where a particular tenant was at greater risk from hazardous conditions – it was imperative to know who was residing and what their vulnerabilities were (if any). 

RESOLVED that members of the Board note the Policy.