Elected Member Briefing Note 2022, Issue 53
About this briefing note
Report by: Elaine Ritchie, Senior Service Manager, Housing
Date: 24 November 2022
Subject: Condensation, Possible Dampness and Mould Growth - PKC Housing Stock
Responsible Officer: June McColl, Service Manager, Housing
Publication/Not For Publication
This Briefing Note has been published on the Council's website following circulation to Councillors. Its contents may be disclosed or shared out with the Council.
Purpose
The briefing provides an overview of condensation, damp and mould growth within the Council's housing stock and actions currently being taken to address and prevent this, and the support provided to tenants who do experience these issues.
Briefing Information
As you may be aware, an English Coroner recently ruled that the death of a 2-year-old boy in December 2020 was a result of exposure to mould within his home. The property concerned was owned by a housing association in Rochdale. This tragic case has highlighted the issue of condensation, damp and mould in housing, and the associated health risks.
Moulds are caused by too much moisture or condensation in a building, and they emit spores which can cause a variety of health effects. Some people are particularly sensitive to them, such as babies and young children, older people and those with allergies or asthma. For those with allergies, breathing in or touching mould spores can cause severe reactions, including asthma attacks, fever, and shortness of breath, while for others, mould can bring on a runny nose, red or itchy eyes and irritated skin.
The Scottish Housing Quality Standards (SHQS) and the Scottish Social Housing Charter set out the standard of homes that social landlords in Scotland must ensure are provided to their tenants.
These standards aim to minimise condensation, damp, and mould growth issues within social housing stock, and adherence is monitored closely by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR).
Condensation damp and mould in PKC housing
The Council's current housing stock comprises of 7.895 properties across our four housing localities.
The tables below provide the volume of works orders and annual spend by the Housing Service relating to condensation, damp, and mould growth over the last three years.
The volume of works orders per year is, on average, 324 which is under 20% of the total works orders that the Service receives on an annual basis.
Year | Works Orders (WOs) | Total spend |
2021/22 | 283 | £49,052.01 |
2020/21 | 381 | £47,778.12 |
2019/20 | 309 | £47,132.98 |
Year | Letham | City | North | South |
2021/22 | £5,111 (83) | £9,729 (67) | £19,850 (90) | £14,323 (41) |
2020/21 | £8,099 (112) | £5,716 (68) | £12,759 (98) | £19,112 (100) |
2019/20 | £8,427 (89) | £14,445 (42) | £12,015 (90) | £12,027 (81) |
The Covid restrictions from April 2020 resulted in people staying at home and many have continued to work from home. This has contributed to some of the cases above.
Following the recent case in the news there has been a slight increase in requests, but the number of live cases we are dealing with currently is relatively low.
In relation to condensation, damp and mould growth, we have had no involvement or recommendations placed on us by the Ombudsman or the SHR as a result of a formal complaint.
Primary causes of mould growth
The works orders issued over the last three years are predominantly for household condensation-related mould growth.
The location of the mould growth is typically located in bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, or hallways. There is strong evidence that the overarching causes for most of these cases are as follows, and that many could be addressed by changes to habits or lifestyle:
- Lack of appropriate heating or ventilation e.g., not opening windows or trickle vents
- Cold spots on external walls
- Room(s) not being used or heated / uneven heat throughout property
- Washing being dried indoors without adequate ventilation
- Unvented tumble driers
- Overcrowding
- Furniture against external walls or no space around furniture
- A mix of any of the above
There is no direct correlation with house types or styles. However the North Locality, which has older housing stock, has a higher spend which replicates our void spend in this locality.
How we deal with condensation/mould complaints
Our process following identification, or a report of condensation, damp or mould growth is to resolve this by working with and supporting our tenants.
This includes:
- Inspecting the property and providing initial advice including how to safely clean and remove mould and how to prevent a build-up of condensation which leads to mould growth e.g. how to appropriately heat and ventilate the property.
- Providing information on the main causes of condensation and prevention - including condensation and damp information leaflet (PDF, 628 KB) which also outlines this, or signposting to our tackling condensation and damp video.
- Supporting tenants who are vulnerable or unable to remove mould themselves, by arranging for the affected area(s) to be cleaned and painted with an anti-fungicidal wash or thermal paint specifically for the treatment of mould growth.
- Providing, where appropriate, anti-fungal packs (mould spray and sponges) to support tenants in treating and preventing mould growth themselves.
- In significant cases, and following the steps above, we will commission an external damp consultant to inspect the property. This can result in the installation of a Positive Input Air Ventilation System to condition and improve air quality within the home. In most cases this is successful.
- In some cases, we install thermal backed plasterboard.
Many cases are resolved at the initial inspection with support and advice.
As part of our voids process, we have a Lettable Standard that ensures we address any condensation, damp, or mould issues within a property during the void period and prior to the relet of the property to a new tenant.
We also have an alert on properties that have reported any issues with condensation, damp, or mould so that they can be checked on the anniversary date of the initial concern or sooner if required.
Officers will check for any issues during welfare and tenancy checks.
Our tenant feedback informs and shapes our service delivery. Issues highlighted within our tenant satisfaction surveys or received as complaints are used to plan future investment and improvements. Complaints are also monitored at the Housing Management Team meeting and "deep dives" and reviews of cases are often requested to identify any lessons learnt and service improvements.
Proactive work to raise awareness and help tenants prevent mould growth
Throughout the year we provide communications to our tenants in relation to preventing and dealing with condensation, possible damp and mould growth. This is provided via:
- dedicated web pages on tackling condensation, dampness and mould growth
- Selection of repairs 'how to' videos
- Social media platforms
- Leaflets
- Advice and dedicated articles in our On the House tenant magazine and newsletters.
We also support tenants with advice regarding looking after their homes including the prevention of condensation and mould growth as part of the lettings pack, tenancy sign-up process and annual tenancy visits. In addition our Repairs Inspectors and Support Officers are available to provide tailored advice and assistance.
Each locality team has a 'Think Yes' budget which is utilised to support vulnerable tenants or those experiencing difficulty in managing their tenancy. Officers will also signpost tenants to SCARF and our inhouse Occupational Therapist for more tailored support and assistance.
Our teams are fully trained to provide up-to-date advice and support in relation to preventing and dealing with condensation, damp and mould growth. Repairs Inspectors have undertaken specialist training in this area and have achieved the sector's recognised qualification. To enhance partnership working and communication, this training has also been offered to some officers in the HSCP and Children Services.
Officers work closely with colleagues in the Environmental Health Team in order to seek further advice and guidance. The four locality housing teams will seek support on cases as and when required.
Future capital investment work in our properties
We have an extensive Housing Capital Investment Programme to improve, future-proof, upgrade and increase our housing stock. The programme has a particular focus on ensuring our stock is energy efficient, safe and secure but ultimately meets the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) and the requirements of the social housing Charter.
The programme is a five-year investment plan, funded by a £85M budget over the five years. The programme covers the following areas:
- Rewiring / Infrastructure
- Triple Glazing and Doors
- Bathroom and Kitchen Renewals
- External Fabric
- Energy Efficiency Measures
- Multi Story Flats Improvements
- Environmental Improvements
- Fire Precautions
- Sound Insulation
- Major Adaptations
- Lockups and Garage sites Improvements
- Lift Improvements & Renewal
- New Builds/Buy Backs/Regeneration projects
Given the current standards and targets the housing sector must meet by 2045, the service also has a comprehensive insulation programme for the current housing stock. This includes elements of the above Programme but has a particular focus on the following which are aimed at making the stock more energy efficient and helping to reduce condensation, damp and mould:
- Upgrading central heating systems to include Air Source Heat Pumps
- Fitting solar panels
- Window and door replacement programme including triple glazing
- Internal and external wall insulation
- General energy efficiency works to ensure properties are on track to meet the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) D and then B by the set timescales.
From January 2023 we are also introducing the Housing Internet of Things (IoT) Project which involves the installation of two small sensors within properties to monitor air quality in terms of temperature, humidity and Co2.
We currently have 179 tenants that have volunteered to take part in this 12-month pilot project which will assist in identifying and allowing preventative action to be taken to address condensation, mould growth and potential damp within our housing stock. If successful, it is hoped that this project will be rolled out across all our homes.