Social housing providers across Bath and North East Somerset are being encouraged to sign up to a new Damp and Mould Charter that aims to improve conditions for their tenants.
The charter will help to ensure a standard of response by landlords when taking action on damp and mould in properties.
Bath & North East Somerset Council has worked with partners including Curo, LiveWest, the YMCA and the Guinness Partnership, to draw up the charter and all other registered providers across the district will be sent an invitation to sign up.
The charter commits the signatories to deliver on the recommendations set out in a report by the Housing Ombudsman Service in October 2021.
The charter establishes a set of four principles that landlords will use to inform their approach to damp and mould in their housing stock:
- Fostering a zero-tolerance culture to damp and mould by ensuring prevention and intervention is prioritised
- Move from a reactive to a proactive approach by inviting reports and feedback and providing a quick, efficient process for resolving issues
- Take responsibility by seeking ways to prevent, detect and address issues
- Focus on the fabric of the property by identifying inherent or structural factors that lead homes to be more susceptible to damp and mould.
Councillor Matt McCabe, cabinet member for Built Environment and sustainable Development, said: “Thank you to our partners who have worked with us to draw up this charter.
“We know that damp, cold or mouldy homes can cause asthma and infections in children and respiratory conditions in older people and we are committed to tackling this issue in order to improve the living conditions of residents.
“We are encouraging providers of social housing in B&NES to sign up to the charter and ensure that tenants have a safe, decent home to live in.”
