New housing task force team to tackle mould and damp

A new housing task force team has been set up to provide a timely and effective response to council tenants’ issues with mould and damp.

The team has been established ahead of new regulations – Awaab’s Law – coming into force on 27 October, setting out new responsibilities on damp and mould for all council staff and representatives.

Our aim is to ensure that all our tenants live in safe, healthy and well-maintained homes, free from conditions that could impact health and wellbeing.

In July, August and September, our housing repairs team carried out more than 1,100 jobs to tackle mould and damp in tenants’ homes.

The new law sets out that social landlords must investigate and repair hazards like damp and mould within specific timeframes of it being reported, to ensure that our residents are protected from dangerous conditions.

The new regulations are named for 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died tragically in 2020 as a result of a severe respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family home in a social housing flat in Rochdale.

Reporting mould and damp

We ask all our tenants to please report any damp, mould or other repairs issues to our helpdesk immediately.

Our helpdesk staff are trained to quickly assess if your repair is an urgent priority and will arrange for priority attendance if necessary.

Council tenants can report any problems:

By phone: 01273 294 409
Online through our repairs reporting form or via your Housing Online account
By email: repairs.helpdesk@brighton-hove.gov.uk
By writing to Housing Repairs, Housing Centre, Eastergate Road, Brighton, BN2 4QL

Our damp technician will eliminate any mould growth present on their first visit and carry out an initial damp investigation survey.

A report of the survey detailing any further work required, their timescales and any actions the resident can take to manage the damp will be sent – either through email or by post – to the resident within 3 working days of the visit.

Protecting our tenants

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “We are very pleased to have set up a whole new team of specially trained technicians to deal with damp and mould problems for our tenants in the city.

“This will ensure that every damp and mould complaint receives a prompt investigation with timely repairs and protect our tenants from living in unsafe conditions.

“I ask all council tenants struggling with damp and mould issues in their homes to contact us as quickly as possible.”