Newark and Sherwood District Council increasing spending on damp and mould work as new law looms

A council plans to invest almost £250,000 to tackle mould and disrepair problems across its housing stock this year.

There has been a 500% increase in reports of damp and mould in council homes across Newark and Sherwood, and a 670% increase in disrepair reports, new figures show.

Newark and Sherwood District Council says the surge in reports has put “significant” pressure on its existing teams and resources.

The authority says this is because it must now work to comply with a raft of new legislative and regulatory requirements, with a further law concerning damp and mould due to come into force in October.

In total £135,820 from the council’s housing compliance and modernisation reserve is being invested in new staff members to help tackle the influx in damp and mould reports, on top of £112,000 from the major repairs reserve to support their work with new vehicles.

The money will be invested in a new supervisor responsible for coordinating maintenance and the damp and disrepair team, and a new surveyor for damp and disrepairs.

The council says it currently only has one surveyor, who is unable to tackle the increasing workload on their own.

A new customer service advisor will be hired due to the increase in calls relating to the problems, as well as a joiner, a plasterer, and a bricklayer who will work to resolve the hazards.

To support the new staff members, four new vans will also be purchased.

More money will be required from the council’s housing reserves to pay for the salaries of the staff members in the following years.

According to the council 811 repairs relating to damp, mould, and other issues were made between April 1 and December 4 last year, while 795 inspections were raised relating to damp and mould over the same period.

“Reports of damp and mould continue to increase, potentially as a consequence of the increased publicity around the general condition of social housing, but regardless of why, this has resulted in a significant increase in the workload for our current resources,” council documents say.

The investment comes in response to the Social Housing (Regulation Act) 2023, which came into force in April last year, and the council says should it fail to meet the new requirements the Housing Regulator or Housing Ombudsman may take action.

The Regulator for Social Housing now issues ratings, and if a council is awarded the lowest rating it can intervene and take enforcement action.

As part of the new Act, Awaab’s Law will begin to be introduced from October this year.

Changes were made under the Act following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale Boroughwide Housing home.

The law will impose new regulatory requirements on landlords to address serious damp, mould, and disrepair problems within properties promptly and effectively, and it further emphasizes the necessity for landlords to increase their resources and enhance their maintenance services.

“The current structure with sub-contractors and agency support…may not keep up with the volume of damp, mould, and disrepair cases,” the council documents add.

“Relying on this model risks non-compliance with legislation, legal deadlines, and scrutiny from regulatory bodies, potentially resulting in financial penalties and reputational harm to the council.

“Persisting with this strategy will also mean rising costs for external contractors, continued failure to meet timelines set by Awaab’s Law, and reduced control over inspections and repairs due to greater reliance on outside support and failing to build permanent knowledge, skills and resilience.”