An expert has made five recommendations on ensuring homes are safe from damp and mould in response to a damning report by the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.
The report said damp and mould issues were the worst in London social housing, despite the climate being more mild than other areas of the UK.
Property care specialist George Edwards, managing director of Timberwise, said there are immediate preventative measures that landlords and homeowners can take now to ensure they will not have to face expensive repair bills in the future.
Make sure extractor fans work
Edwards said: “Trapped moisture in a home can cause a wide range of issues. You need to ensure that extractor fans are up to the job and that they operate for at least 20 minutes after cooking and 30 minutes after a shower.”
Repair defects
“Look for slipped roof tiles, defective mortar in the chimney stack, and render bridging the DPC, check that drainage gullies are not blocked. These problems introduce moisture into the walls. Check your roof, gutters, external walls and window frames regularly to see water is getting in through the building fabric.”
Keep the home heated
“A warm living room and cool bedrooms can result in condensation issues . Cold rooms with poor air movement are where wet windows and mould appear. A steady modest background temperature throughout the winter months will keep many issues at bay.”
Blocked vents
“Check for badly-installed or blocked vents as poor ventilation can contribute to the onset of condensation-based damp and the spread of black mould.”
Bad Guttering
“This means that, for example, if you have gutters which are overflowing, leaking, or simply not draining correctly, then this could lead to penetrating damp. You risk ruining your brickwork – and interior features like wallpaper and plasterboard.”
The committee said that councils and housing associations in London must get better at fixing homes and dealing with complaints properly.
Its findings come despite the introduction of legislation that forces landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould problems within strict timescales.
The new measures were introduced after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died from mould exposure – and additional rules are being phased for other hazards, such as structural faults and excess cold and heat.
The committee’s report found that efforts to improve housing standards in England have stalled and that there are 430,000 social homes in all that do not meet the definition of decent.
Edwards added: “It really does illustrate the scale of the problem with mould and damp in homes, as it found that the highest levels of damp were found in London in the social rented sector.
“Failure to tackle these issues as soon as they arise means that there is a greater risk of damp, mould and fungus causing problems that can become difficult and costly to repair further down the line.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a tenant or a homeowner, there are potentially deadly respiratory illnesses that are caused by spores released by mould and fungus, but there are some easy things you can do to see if you’re at risk.”
