Recent government research publications show 21% of social housing tenants were dissatisfied with how well their home was maintained, with 55% of those giving mould, damp, and condensation as the reason.

A recent government publication suggested that up to 6.2% of social homes in the UK have some stage of damp and mould problems. With the figure of socially rented households at 4 million, that would be 248,000 homes suffering from damp, mould, and condensation.

The Social Housing Quality Programme from December also states that 21% of social housing residents were dissatisfied with how well their home was maintained, which rose to 30% in London. The most common reason given was mould, damp, and condensation, given by 55% of residents who were not satisfied with the maintenance of their home.

Other common complaints highlighted in the December report include issues with home insulation, ventilation, and electrical wiring.

Of the 73% of residents who said they had reported a repair to their landlord in the previous 12 months, 29% were not satisfied with the service they received. Again, this dissatisfaction was higher in London. The report also suggests dissatisfaction with the time it took for repairs to be made.

If a landlord neglects repairs that are needed in a rented property, the tenant may be able to make a housing disrepair claim to get the repairs done. And tenants are often awarded thousands in compensation. Damp problems are the most common reason for making a claim.

Matthew Scanlon oversees the housing disrepair caseload for Chris Rudd Solicitors as Head of Litigation. He commented, “nearly every housing disrepair file we have has some form of claim for damp and mould.”

He added, “We often see that some landlords are blaming their tenants for the issues they are having, despite the problem being the result of an issue with the property.” This is a particular issue with mould and damp problems as landlords may try to argue that the tenant caused condensation that led to the problems in the first place, even if signs point to a different type of damp such as rising or penetrating damp, rather than condensation damp.

Chris Rudd Solicitors has brought hundreds of no win no fee housing disrepair claims against social and public landlords, with repairs and damages often being worth thousands of pounds. Some of the highest-value successful claims have been awarded in excess of £10,000.