Spring has sprung, but dampness remains headline news
Lighter mornings, cherry blossom and bluebells are making an appearance, the weather is getting warmer which leads us to feeling optimistic that it’ll hold for the forthcoming bank holiday weekends ahead. It certainly feels like Spring has sprung into life with the peak period for damp, condensation, and mould somewhat behind us, and yet, we’re still reading headlines about the impact of dampness in our homes.
Damp more widespread in privately rented accommodation
As readers of our blogs will know, we’ve spoken a lot on the issue of mould and damp following the tragic events in Rochdale. The media spotlight on social housing providers has never been so intense.
Recently, we shared some surprising statistics from BRE’s (Building Research Establishment) revised briefing paper, which showed that dampness was more widespread in private rented properties – and the number of cases for owner occupied and social housing combined, was roughly the same as private rented!
Poor state of housing for armed forces
Last month we wrote to the Government on the poor state of some of the accommodation endured by our armed forces personnel, who do not appear to have the same rights to action and redress as those living in homes owned and managed by Local Authorities and Housing Associations*.
Calling for action from the Government to step in and address what seems a reasonable standard and fair level of living, seems just.
Student housing - hot off the press
And over the weekend, we read that according to figures from Students Organising for Sustainability UK, over half of university students have damp or mould in their current accommodation. A pretty frightening statistic and another example of poor living conditions in privately rented properties.
For many, this is adding to the stress and pressure of studying and working to make ends meet, faced with landlords putting off doing any repairs knowing that students will soon be leaving for the summer break.
Condensation & mould will ease over the summer months, but…
The problems associated with dampness and mould have been long documented and as we develop our suite of blogs and news pieces, we were reminded of one from George McGill written back in 2016! If we were in any doubt about how long we have been part of the debate on this subject, then this article was certainly a timely reminder.
We are very aware that a continuous drive to raise standards and share knowledge must be a priority, if those managing/renting/leasing properties are to understand the problems which damp and mould can cause. This cannot be achieved in silo, we must all work together to remain part of the conversation and push those who can, to action and address this.
Take the opportunity to update your knowledge during the summer
So, whilst the weather might be improving and we begin to open our windows and doors more often, are we lured into a false sense of security that all is well in our buildings? On the surface all may be well, for now, but the peak period for damp and condensation will be here sooner than we want it to be and so the opportunity for training and professional development during the summer months, must be properly considered.
*Following our letter to Government ministers, we have since issued a press release (3rd May) which was immediately picked up by News on the Block – a prosumer trade title about building management. We still await a response from Government…