New figures suggest an epidemic of damp and mould in social housing run by some councils fiercely critical of private landlords.
The data has been drawn up by Midland Health, a private GPO clinic.
It says that in the past five years, local councils have received 483,519 reports regarding damp and mould issues.
These relate to homes managed by the authorities directly, those managed by a third party such as a housing association, or those used for temporary accommodation.
A new league table reveals those councils where damp and mould are hitting tenants the hardest, based on figures adjusted for housing stock size.
1 Redbridge Borough Council – 1,209 complaints per 1,000 homes
2 Fareham Borough Council – 1,179 complaints per 1,000 homes
3 Exeter City Council – 950 complaints per 1,000 homes
4 Slough Borough Council – 868 complaints per 1,000 homes
5 Birmingham City Council – 866 complaints per 1,000 homes
6 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council – 846 complaints per 1,000 homes
7 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council – 846 complaints per 1,000 homes
8 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council – 805 complaints per 1,000 homes
9 Brent Borough Council – 790 complaints per 1,000 homes
10 Tamworth Borough Council – 783 complaints per 1,000 homes
A Midland Health statement says: “The figures are heartbreaking, given the tragic passing of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from prolonged mould exposure.
“While this helped push the government to introduce Awaab’s Law, forcing landlords to fix dangerous damp and mould quickly, the scale of complaints suggests local councils and landlords require further support.
“Not to mention, campaigners estimate that the crisis costs the NHS over £1.4 billion a year.”
In response to the findings, Dr Rupa Parmar – GP and medical director at Midland Health – says: “Social housing is an essential lifeline for millions of people, especially vulnerable children and adults.
“Everyone deserves a safe, healthy home, whether they rent from a council, a housing association or a private landlord. However, the responsibility for damp and mould isn’t always simple.
“Landlords, councils and tenants all have duties here. If a problem comes from structural issues like leaks or poor ventilation, it’s on the landlord to fix it. But tenants also have a responsibility to report issues so they can be dealt with.
“Unfortunately, many councils and landlords are stretched and don’t always have the resources to act as quickly as they would want to. With Awaab’s Law now in effect to hold landlords accountable, MPs need to help amplify this issue and influence real change.”
New figures suggest an epidemic of damp and mould in social housing run by some councils fiercely critical of private landlords.
The data has been drawn up by Midland Health, a private GPO clinic.
It says that in the past five years, local councils have received 483,519 reports regarding damp and mould issues.
These relate to homes managed by the authorities directly, those managed by a third party such as a housing association, or those used for temporary accommodation.
A new league table reveals those councils where damp and mould are hitting tenants the hardest, based on figures adjusted for housing stock size.
1 Redbridge Borough Council – 1,209 complaints per 1,000 homes
2 Fareham Borough Council – 1,179 complaints per 1,000 homes
3 Exeter City Council – 950 complaints per 1,000 homes
4 Slough Borough Council – 868 complaints per 1,000 homes
5 Birmingham City Council – 866 complaints per 1,000 homes
6 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council – 846 complaints per 1,000 homes
7 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council – 846 complaints per 1,000 homes
8 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council – 805 complaints per 1,000 homes
9 Brent Borough Council – 790 complaints per 1,000 homes
10 Tamworth Borough Council – 783 complaints per 1,000 homes
A Midland Health statement says: “The figures are heartbreaking, given the tragic passing of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from prolonged mould exposure.
“While this helped push the government to introduce Awaab’s Law, forcing landlords to fix dangerous damp and mould quickly, the scale of complaints suggests local councils and landlords require further support.
“Not to mention, campaigners estimate that the crisis costs the NHS over £1.4 billion a year.”
In response to the findings, Dr Rupa Parmar – GP and medical director at Midland Health – says: “Social housing is an essential lifeline for millions of people, especially vulnerable children and adults.
“Everyone deserves a safe, healthy home, whether they rent from a council, a housing association or a private landlord. However, the responsibility for damp and mould isn’t always simple.
“Landlords, councils and tenants all have duties here. If a problem comes from structural issues like leaks or poor ventilation, it’s on the landlord to fix it. But tenants also have a responsibility to report issues so they can be dealt with.
“Unfortunately, many councils and landlords are stretched and don’t always have the resources to act as quickly as they would want to. With Awaab’s Law now in effect to hold landlords accountable, MPs need to help amplify this issue and influence real change.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today