What are we doing to manage damp and mould?
We understand that damp and mould can have serious consequences for the well-being of individuals and families. That's why we are reviewing our position and plan for improvements in managing damp and mould. Our position has been summarised under the following ten tests, as outlined by the Housing Ombudsman:
Find your silence
- We have increased the ways that residents can report damp and mould, including easier access through our self-service portal which now has the option to upload photographs.
- We are using data from previous stock condition surveys to contact residents.
- We are measuring which properties and blocks have the highest number of cases and repeat cases, so that we can form an action plan to inspect and manage those properties.
- We are developing our website to ensure it is utilising all accessibility features available.
Proactive communications strategy
- We have published a landing page for damp and mould on our website which is easy to find on our home page and provides realistic guidance and advice.
- We have updated our existing communications on damp and mould to make them clearer.
- We are sharing information in a range of different ways, including new videos and leaflets.
- We are planning the best way to co-design information with residents once our policy and approach are finalised.
Treat residents fairly
- We hold weekly damp and mould meetings which are focused primarily on our responsibilities as a landlord and what practical solutions we can provide.
- All responses to residents are reviewed and approved by senior members of staff.
- We are continuing to work on ensuring our process aligns with our safeguarding processes.
Improve record keeping
- We are looking back at reports over the last two years to measure the scale of cases.
- We have created a dashboard for monitoring.
- We have used previous reports of damp and mould to create a severity classification of cases.
- We have added this severity classification onto our monitoring system.
- We have collected damp and mould records from Tenant Management Organisations.
Know your residents
- Our process will include a non-technical assessment where we will try to better understand resident personal circumstances to inform cases.
- Where we can't gain access to a property, these cases will be shared with our Neighbourhoods team for further investigation.
Check net zero plans
- We are researching into the effects of cavity wall insulation.
- We are looking at how we can use the time when properties are empty as an opportunity to do property improvements that combat damp and condensation.
Know your homes
- We are improving the use of our stock condition surveys to inform programmes of inspection and property improvements to reduce the possibility of condensation, damp and mould.
- We are assessing our technology and options for better diagnosis, monitoring and retrofitting.
Dedicated damp and mould strategy
- We are creating comprehensive policies and procedures that capture the full view, from reporting to outcomes.
- Our strategy is monitored weekly by Incident Management Team of senior staff.
- We have introduced a priority 1 or 2 system based on initial reports and non-technical assessment of severity.
- We are writing gap analysis and improvement plan to capture learning and actions from spotlight reports and other best practice.
- Our action plan for resourcing arrangements which, once in place, will provide space for us to begin planning for ‘aftercare’.
Empower staff
- Ensuring that all our housing officers out and about across the borough are fully aware of the signs of damp and mould and how to ensure it is properly reported.
- Equipping officers with updated guidance leaflets to give out to residents.
- Ensuring our staff know how to assess priority and aggravating factors in reports.
Use complaints system
- We are monitoring complaints received.
- We are using these complaints to find key learning/lessons learnt.
- These are self-assessed against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.