Taking action to reduce damp & mould in rented homes

People who rent their homes through private landlords are being reminded of landlords’ responsibilities around damp and mould.

Following the tragic death of two year old Awaab Ishak from Rochdale last year, as a direct result of extreme mould that was present in the family home, the government has urged local councils to work with landlords in their boroughs to ensure they know their responsibilities around maintain healthy living conditions in their properties.

Living in a home with damp and mould poses a health risk, contributing to childhood asthma, reduced lung function and respiratory diseases.

Coun Jim Smith, Executive Member for Environment and Operations, who has responsibility for housing standards in Blackburn with Darwen, said:

The tragedy of the family in Rochdale that lost their young son has highlighted the urgent need to ensure decent living standards in rented homes.

Social housing providers have a duty to maintain healthy living conditions in their properties, and private landlords too must face up to their own responsibilities within the properties they rent out.

We have written to all private landlords with properties in Blackburn with Darwen to remind them of their responsibilities around healthy living conditions in their properties, including damp and mould. Now is the time for them to carry out checks on their properties, and take any action swiftly to resolve any issues with damp before they escalate.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is also training staff who visit people’s homes as part of their roles to speak to residents about any areas of damp and mould that they have concerns about. Council staff can offer advice on ways in which people can avoid or reduce damp and mould in their homes and, in cases of concerning conditions that landlords have failed to remedy, can report back to the Council’s Housing Standards team.

Coun Jim Smith added:

Our advice to private renters who have areas of damp and mould in their homes is to raise it with their landlord as soon as possible. They have a duty to inspect it and take action to put it right.

Anyone who has already raised concerns but their landlord has not taken action can get in touch with the Council’s Housing Standards team for advice and support.

The Council is also reminding everyone how they can minimise condensation and damp in their homes, in order to avoid problems down the line with mould developing.

Ways to prevent damp and condensation in our homes include:

• When drying washing indoors, hang it in a closed room with an external window open slightly
• If using a tumble drier, make sure it is vented to the outside or that it is of the new condensing variety
• Always cook with pan lids on and use the minimum amount of water for cooking things like vegetables, pasta and rice
• When filling your bath, run the cold water first then add the hot – it will reduce the steam by 90% which leads to less condensation
• Wipe your windows and window sills every morning to remove condensation. This is especially important in the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, and just opening the window is not enough.

There is much more information about damp and mould in rented accommodation available online at www.blackburn.gov.uk/housing-standards.

Our partners Care Network UK have produced a leaflet that explains clearly how moisture is created in our homes, and how we can avoid too much moisture that could cause damp. Take a look at it on the Care Network UK website.

Anyone in Blackburn with Darwen who rents through a private landlord who has concerns about damp and mould in their home can contact the Council’s Housing Standards team for support and advice – email housingstandards@blackburn.gov.uk or call (01254) 585457.