Damp & Mould
Mould and damp can cause serious problems to your health if left untreated. We are committed to ensuring your home is safe and habitable and will take action on any reports of damp & mould.
We do this by inspecting the property as soon as possible and attempt to identify the causes. We will issue work orders to carry out any necessary repairs and check in with you after a period of time to make sure the problem has been eradicated.
When you report a case of damp & mould to us we will ask you questions to assess the Priority level of the issue based on the framework below. One of our asset officers will visit your property within a maximum of 3 working days to fully assess the problem:
|
Priority |
Risk |
Action Taken |
Timescales for response |
|
1 |
High risk – danger to remain within the home (large mushrooms, spores visible) or tenant reports difficulty breathing or tenant has significant health issues or is otherwise at risk if remains in home. |
Decant Required; Report to Customer Services Manager for necessary authorisation for decant. A full remediation / plan of works is required and to be arranged with appropriate contractors and details of the work with estimated timescales provided to the tenant. Case will be recorded in Homemaster and reported as a damp & mould case and associated procedures followed until case resolved. |
Pre-Inspection within 1 working day |
|
2 |
Medium Risk – Consistent and pungent smell of damp, mould and condensation or visible signs of significant damp, mould or condensation and if left untreated the situation would worsen. |
Immediate action; assisted ventilation or heating required in home (Dehumidifier or additional heating), arrange for clean with antifungal wash and commence investigation to root cause and arrange works in line with DPHA repairs policy. Case will be recorded in Homemaster and reported as a damp & mould case and associated procedures followed until case resolved. |
Pre- Inspection within 3 working days |
|
3 |
Low Risk - Damp, mould or condensation can be managed though education, cleaning or other small interventions. |
Advice only; Case will be recorded on Homemaster but will not be included within regulatory return for damp & mould cases as per regulatory guidance. The associated procedures will be followed and advice leaflet given to tenant. Case will be recorded then closed as no further action. |
Pre – Inspection within 3 working days. |
Your responsibilities
- Inform us as soon as you detect any mould / damp issues
- Allow access for us to inspect the issue and for our contractors to carry out essential works
- Keep your rooms ventilated, your windows should have trickle vents please ensure these are open to allow air in.
- Heat your home during colder weather
- Leave room between walls and furniture to allow air to circulate
- Use extractor fans where available. These need to be regularly cleaned to work efficiently. If there is a problem with your extractor fan please report this as a repair
- Do not dry clothes on radiators, use a clothes dryer
- Wipe down any condensation formed on windows
- Wipe down shower / bath areas after use to prevent mould from forming
For more information on damp & mould please see our handy advice leaflet and our Damp & Mould Policy – see here