Ladybird Living – Your London Estate Agent
Report into damp and mould in privately rented housing
The report based on damp and mould in the private rented sector highlights the following findings:
1. A low percentage of private rented properties have serious damp and mould problems
Private rented properties that have a “category 1” or serious damp and mould problem is estimated to be about 3.6% on average. The government is encouraging local authorities to collect more data to provide a more accurate representation of the number of “less serious or less urgent” damp and mould issues.
2. Damp and mould complaints have been dealt with ‘informally’ and timeline to deal with complaints vary
The report revealed that most actions that were taken after receiving damp and mould complaints were ‘informal’ and constituted advice to tenants and landlords. Only 12% of enforcement action involved improvement notices, civil penalty notices and prosecutions between 2019-2022.
Timelines to address such complains vary significantly with some councils addressing complaints within a day and other councils responding after 6 weeks.
3. The new property portal will make enforcement easier
A reason enforcement has primarily been ‘informal’ in response to damp and mould complaints may be due to local authorities lacking experience and expertise. A solution to this would be to use the new property portal which will help councils monitor their property owners’ compliance more closely.
The information in this post is valid to the best of our knowledge on the date of posting. It is advised that you seek independent advice based on your individual circumstances.
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