Council spends £1.4m fixing damp homes

A council spent more than £1.4m on repairing damp, mould and disrepair in its social housing properties during the past year.

According to data obtained via freedom of information requests by Legal Expert, a firm of solicitors, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council received more than 100 complaints from social housing tenants regarding damp and mould in the year to October.

James Clark, the council's assistant director for housing, said the authority planned to spend a further £2.5m on damp proofing and ventilation fans in the coming year.

"We have a pro-active, zero-tolerance approach regarding damp and mould," he said.

"Like all landlords, Rotherham Council has seen an increase in the number of reports received about damp and mould.

"All reports received are taken seriously and an inspection is carried out. Any remedial works are then ordered, including removal of any mould, installation of any preventative measures, such as extractor fans, and redecoration if required."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council spent £412,021 on damp works, £972,426 on mould works, and £59,657 on disrepair works.

The Housing Ombudsman, an independent service that rules on disputes between landlords and residents, has highlighted the struggles faced by landlords in addressing these issues within reasonable timescales.

A spokesman said many were struggling to resolve the problems quickly, contributing to a surge in complaints about damp and mould.

"This is a topic that now dominates half of our casework," he said, adding that the issue was gaining more attention due to new legislation.

Awaab's Law was introduced in July 2023 following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died as a result of exposure to damp and mould in his Rochdale home. It requires landlords to fix health hazards such as mould within a strict time frame.

Currently, the law applies only to social housing, but plans are in place to extend it to the private sector.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here,