Nottingham City Council's housing chief says that a review is taking place into how damp and mould complaints are dealt with in the city. Nottingham City Homes, the city council's housing provider, says that none of its properties are failing the Decent Homes Standard because of damp and mould hazards.
But Councillor Toby Neal, the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Human Resources at Nottingham City Council, said a review was still necessary following recent events. In particular, Councillor Neal highlighted the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak.
Last November saw the inquest into Awaab Ishak take place and the coroner concluded that he had died from prolonged exposure to mould in his family's housing association flat. The coroner also said that the tragedy should be a "defining moment" for the housing sector.
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Speaking at a full council meeting on Monday, January 9, Councillor Neal said: "Given recent events, particularly the tragic death and subsequent coroner's report on Awaab Ishak in Rochdale, we are currently reviewing our approach to dealing with damp and mould. This will include a review of process, how we listen and engage with customers, what solutions we put in place to suit individual needs and what financial resources are available."
A spokesperson for Nottingham City Homes added: "All councils and housing associations have provided responses to Government and the Housing Regulator about the measures they have in place to tackle the issue of damp and mould, in light of the tragic case of Awaab Ishak. In Nottingham we have effective asset management arrangements in place to prevent these problems occurring through investment in the council housing stock.
"As a result of this we have no properties that fail the Decent Homes Standard due to damp and mould hazards. Where issues do occur, we support tenants in raising complaints and respond to them effectively, identifying and dealing with the cause and impacts. However, it’s important for us to check if there are any gaps in our approach or any improvement we could make so we have commissioned a review of our approach to damp and condensation mould which will take place over the coming weeks."
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