Damp & mould investigation finds thousands of homes affected

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A Government investigation into damp and mould in the social housing sector has disclosed initial findings which show a significant number of homes in the social sector are affected by this problem.

On Thursday (2 February) the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) published a report highlighting these initial findings on damp and mould in England’s social housing sector.

Tragic death

The investigation follows the coroner’s November 2022 report into the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, the son of social housing tenants in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. In response the Housing Secretary Michael Gove’s directive to the RSH asked all larger social housing landlords to submit evidence about the extent of damp and mould in their tenants’ homes. In addition they were asked to provide information about how they planned to tackle the problem.

The investigation covered local authorities and housing associations who together own and manage over four million homes in England. The results of the study so far have found that tens of thousands of social housing properties have “notable” damp and mould related issues.

The investigation was focussed on the larger social housing providers and did not touch on any properties in the private rental sector (PRS), where it is though similar issues may reside.

The RSH asked providers of social housing to investigate their own properties and report back on the extent of damp and mould in their tenants homes and to provide detailed information about how they would tackle the problem.

Initial findings show that there are likely to be in the region of 0.2 per cent of all social homes in England that have the most serious damp and mould problems, a figure that would amount to around 8,000 affected homes.

The private rented sector

If this figure were to be replicated in the private rented sector (PRS), which is slightly bigger than the social sector, then another 8,000 homes with very serious problems may well exist in England, though there is some evidence to show so far that local authorities have more damp and mould issues that private (housing association) providers.

It may be the case that private (PRS) landlords have less cases as well, but without a major investigation being carried out in private rented sector, we won’t know the true figure.

More work to be done

The regulator has said that it has yet more work to do on this investigation, but that its initial findings show that most social landlords are aware of and understand the extent of damp and mould in their tenants’ homes and will take action to tackle it, but that many need to strengthen their approach.

The report says that the vast majority of people living in social housing have homes that are free from damp and mould. However, the landlords are aware that in a minority of cases tenants are living with damp and mould and that can have a “serious impact on tenants’ health and wellbeing.” It is essential, the report says, that landlords identify and address these issues promptly and effectively.

Poor quality returns

Some landlords are reported to have submitted poor quality responses that lacked the detail needed and demanded by the RSH and needed to provide sufficient confidence about their approach to tackling damp and mould.

With an as yet incomplete picture in the social housing sector, the RSH says its best estimate is that “less than 0.2 per cent of social homes have the most serious damp and mould problems, 1-2 per cent have serious damp and mould problems, and a further 3-4 per cent have notable damp and mould.”

RSH to follow up with action

Those social landlords submitting poor quality responses, along with those submitting high numbers of instances of damp and mould, will be followed up by the RSH and regulatory enforcement action taken where necessary.

Those landlords providing the strongest responses to the initiative demonstrated the condition of their properties using robust data. They also set out what the RSH described high quality processes for investigating and remedying the root causes of damp and mould, with what was described as “robust oversight from boards and councillors.”

However, the poorer responses relied more heavily on reactive rather than positive approaches, which would have proactively looked for evidence of damp and mould, and they therefore had weak data and evidence about the condition of tenants’ homes.

The report states that:

“The regulator’s initial findings provide lessons for all social landlords, and should prompt them to improve the way they identify and address damp and mould. Tenants who have damp and mould in their home should tell their landlord, and landlords should act promptly to address it and the underlying issue.

“The regulator will introduce more active consumer regulation from April 2024, including inspections, and the quality of homes, including the presence of damp and mould, will be a key focus.”

Fiona MacGregor, Chief Executive of RSH, said:

“Tenants deserve quality services and homes that are safe and of a decent standard. Where there are issues, landlords need to act now to put things right, before we start our active consumer regulation including inspections of providers.

“We expect all providers to continue to look at how they can improve the way they identify and address damp and mould”.

The RSH’s estimates are said to be based on the four million homes that are owned and managed by large registered social housing providers – those with more than 1,000 homes. It is estimated that there are between 1-2 per cent of social homes (40,000 to 80,000) which have serious damp and mould problems, and a further 3-4 per cent, that’s around 120,000 to 160,000 which have notable damp and mould.

The regulator commenting on the Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) debacle said that “incorrect assumptions” were made about the cause of damp and mould in Awaab Ishak’s flat and that the family were “not treated with fairness and respect.”

The RSH has said legislative changes are coming that will enable more “active regulation of the quality of homes and services” and the regulator promised to “look in more detail at how individual landlords are performing.”

View Full Article: Damp & mould investigation finds thousands of homes affected

Why tax advice is so important BEFORE you sell any rental properties

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There are several reasons you might be selling your rental properties, here’s a list of the ones I hear most often: –

1. I’ve had enough of landlords being vilified by Governments, so-called housing charities, and much of the mainstream media
2. Interest rate rises are crippling my business
3. Section 24 tax is unfair and crippling my business
4. Selective licensing is nothing more than a money raising scam for local authorities

View Full Article: Why tax advice is so important BEFORE you sell any rental properties

LICENSING: Tribunals order two landlords to pay £30,000 in rent repayment orders

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Two London landlords have been handed hefty rent repayment orders for letting poorly managed, unlicensed HMOs.

Five tenants shared £14,055 after a First Tier Property Tribunal ruled that the shared house in Copperfield Street (pictured, right) was unlicensed under Southwark Council’s additional licensing scheme for two months and then had no mandatory licence when the fifth tenant moved in for five months.

It heard there were no fire doors in the property which was not being properly managed, and that landlord Andre Trepel failed to keep the central heating and hot water services working.

Although it ruled that both Arune Buragaite and Trepel (No. 1 London) Ltd had control of, or managed the property, and received rent, cases against them were dismissed.

Professional landlord

It said that as a company director, Trepel was a professional landlord, and added: “It would very likely have been difficult for a licence to have been obtained for the property without works being undertaken, meaning that by letting the property without a licence the first respondent was able to avoid expenditure which he would otherwise have to have incurred and it would also increase the hazards for the tenants.”

£16,566 RRO

In another case, three tenants living in an HMO in Muswell Hill Road (main picture) that was covered by Haringey Council’s additional licensing scheme were awarded a £16,566 rent repayment order.

The tribunal criticised Landlord Jalay Enterprises Ltd’s failure to cooperate with the procedures or to file any documentation.

It added: “We note complaints raised by the applicants in regard to the respondent’s failure to maintain the property (persistent damp in one bedroom and defective lavatory) and have particular concerns about the applicants’ allegations that the property was deficient in fire protection – only one battery operated smoke alarm, no door to the kitchen and no fire doors throughout the flat.”

Read more about RROs

View Full Article: LICENSING: Tribunals order two landlords to pay £30,000 in rent repayment orders

Daily Telegraph wants to speak to landlords who are dealing with rising mortgage costs

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Are you a landlord who is dealing with rising mortgage rates and higher costs? Then, Melissa Lawford, the economics reporter for the Telegraph would like to speak with you.

Melissa would like to know:  How you are affected by lenders’

View Full Article: Daily Telegraph wants to speak to landlords who are dealing with rising mortgage costs

Landlords slam city’s ‘discriminatory’ HMO licensing scheme

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Two out of three HMO landlords in Portsmouth plan to call it quits this year, largely prompted by the launch of an additional licensing scheme in September.

Portsmouth & District Private Landlords Association’s survey found that this would mean a loss of 348 rooms which, extrapolated to the city’s whole market, could easily see 1,000 fewer homes by the end of the year.

Members cited the new scheme as the main reason for leaving (57%), along with the abolition of Section 21 (37%), tax treatment of landlords (32%), and other government changes (20%).

According to chairman Martin Silman (inset, main picture), the standards and enforcement policies for all HMOs in the city have been rewritten, with many small, incremental changes.

Thousands of pounds

“This means that many properties that were fine when they were last licensed and which would be fine today in Southampton or Brighton, will need many thousands of pounds to be spent in order to meet the heightened local Portsmouth standards,” he says.

Portsmouth landlords have been feeling the pinch for some time; many have been referred to the Valuation Office Agency to have their council tax bands reassessed, while some risk losing their C3/C4 status with no chance of getting it back due to confusion over planning rules.

Net effect

Adds Silman: “Sadly, the PDPLA considers that the net effect of all of these actions by the Lib Dem-led Portsmouth City Council is that it will discriminate against single low-income workers and students from modest backgrounds, driving them from perfectly acceptable and affordable homes in the city.”

One landlord explains: “With income falling, costs rising and a squeeze on tax in the middle, I have come to a decision and will sell property this year, thus removing reasonably-priced student rental rooms from the marketplace.”

Earlier this week, LandlordZONE reported how England’s HMO market has shrunk by more than 21,000 properties in the last two years as local councils ramp up planning rules and licensing schemes.

View Full Article: Landlords slam city’s ‘discriminatory’ HMO licensing scheme

HMO market in England shrinks by 21,000 properties

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England’s house in multiple occupation (HMO) market is still shrinking despite a growing need for affordable rental accommodation, a survey reveals.

The latest figures from Octane Capital show that the number of HMOs has shrunk dramatically by 21,000 properties in the last two years with landlords leaving the sector and tighter licensing regimes being potential reasons for the fall.

View Full Article: HMO market in England shrinks by 21,000 properties

Ending tenancy early but paying for full month?

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Hello, Due to dates/times not quite aligning, I will be moving into a new property midway through the rental period on my current rented property (rolling monthly contract, no arrears or issues).

To save having to drive back and forward between properties to check on the empty rental and being liable for gas/electric/water

View Full Article: Ending tenancy early but paying for full month?

Mould making flat uninhabitable?

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Hello, I have a flat in a listed building which has a flat roof. The roof requires major works which the management committee have been planning for the past two years. All the leaseholders have paid £10K in advance for this work which keeps getting delayed.

View Full Article: Mould making flat uninhabitable?

Scotland’s property boom fuels a big hike in the tax take

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Property taxes in Scotland have increased by nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in the last year, compared to the pre-pandemic period, says a leading property firm.

DJ Alexander has analysed the figures and found that the Scottish Government’s revenues from Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) were £247m (62.4%) higher in the 12 months to December 2022

View Full Article: Scotland’s property boom fuels a big hike in the tax take