Councils are tackling damp and mould in their social housing following a request by the regulator to show they were taking action.
Barnet, Tower Hamlets and Wigan councils are among those to who have published plans including bringing forward and extending stock condition surveys and giving staff special training.
The English regulator wrote to all social landlords late last year asking them for assurance that they had a ‘clear understanding and strong grip on damp and mould issues in their homes’.
Councils and housing associations with more than 1,000 homes were asked to provide evidence of their approach to dealing with damp and mould.
A recent report to Barnet Council said more than 1,500 properties it owned were affected by damp or mould.
The regulator’s request followed the inquest into the death of Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in Rochdale.
His family had repeatedly complained to their landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the state of the property.
The same month, housing secretary Michael Gove also wrote to social landlords urging them to ‘absorb the lessons’ from the coroner’s report following the inquest into Awaab’s death and to treat damp and mould more seriously.
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