Damp and Mould

Updates to approach and policy

In January 2023, our Board received a report on WSHA's approach to tackling dampness and mould in our homes.  The report noted our current approach but recognised in light of the current focus on this issue, as a result of the tragic death of a two year old boy in Rochdale, we needed to ensure that we had a more robust approach to tackling this issue.  We now have a new policy in place which outlines this approach. You can read the policy here.  

The main changes to our approach as set out in this new policy are noted below:

• WSHA will focus on property solutions to dampness and mould and will not use tenant's "lifestyle" as a reason for any issues found.  Our homes will be suitable for modern living where tenants can complete everyday activities without being blamed for causing dampness.
• We aim to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to damp and mould.
• WSHA will not solely rely on tenants reporting dampness and mould to us and will develop a strategy which will assess our properties to pro-actively identify properties at greater risk of experiencing dampness or mould.
• We will never close off cases until we are certain that reported dampness and mould is no longer a problem in a tenant's home.
• Implement data quality and insight measures to assist with informing us of the possible risks to our properties so that we can undertake proactive measures to eliminate damp, mould, and condensation before it becomes a problem for our customers.
• Introduce new service standards for responding to reports of dampness and mould as set out below:-

1. We will visit a tenant's home within 3 working days when they report dampness or mould to us.
2. Complete remedial work within 6 working days unless a specialist contractor inspection is required.  In such cases we will look to complete remedial work within the timescales proposed by the specialist contractor.
3. We will follow up each completed repair within 6 weeks of any damp and mould repair work being carried out.
4. We will programme further visits every 6 months until both the tenant and the Association is happy that the issue has been resolved.
5. All logged repairs must have evidence of at least 3 attempts to contact the customer.

We have also added a new service standard (below) to our Customer Care Charter and we will monitor and report on it in line with our Customer Care Charter quarterly reporting.

• We will visit a tenant's home within 3 working days when they report dampness or mould to us.

Practical advice on managing damp and mould in your home

For practical advice on how to mangage damp and mould in your home, read our Managing Damp and Mould advice leaflet by clicking here or on the image below: 

You can also watch our short video detailing ways to manage condensation in your home here.