Council spent over £6.4m on damp, mould and disrepair in social housing last year

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

A council has spent more than £6.4million addressing issues of damp, mould, and other disrepair in its social housing properties over the past year, according to a new investigation. 

Data obtained through Freedom of Information Requests by Legal Expert reveals that between October 2023 and October 2024, Croydon council received at least 20 complaints from tenants about damp and mould. 

The true number is likely higher as the authority only began tracking these issues separately in May 2024.

During this period, Croydon allocated £2.5million for damp and mould repairs and £3.9million for other disrepair issues across its housing stock. 

The focus on such problems is part of a national conversation following a recent report by the Housing Ombudsman highlighting more than 100 cases of severe maladministration involving damp and mould.

Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said repairs like these now “dominate half of our casework”. 

Croydon council was also criticised in October for leaving one of its tenants waiting more than a year for a damp and mould check. In that case of ‘severe maladministration,’ the damp caused damage so bad that the resident’s daughter was unable to use her bedroom.

The Ombudsman found that poor record-keeping and communication from the landlord only added to the frustration, creating further delays and unresolved issues. Croydon council later apologised to the family and stated its intention to bolster damp and mould repair.

Mr Blakeway said that the issue is gaining attention with the government’s plan to introduce Awaab’s Law, which aims to tackle damp and mould in both social and private housing.

Awaab’s Law, named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died in 2020 due to damp and mould exposure, came into effect in July 2023. 

The law mandates that landlords address hazards that pose a health risk to tenants within strict timeframes. It initially applies only to social housing but is expected to extend to the private sector, as Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced in September.

Despite the introduction of this new law, councils are grappling with financial pressures, a housing shortage, and a cost-of-living crisis, which makes it challenging to address these issues in their properties. 

At the Labour Party conference in 2023, Rayner acknowledged the difficulties housing associations, councils, and landlords faced and committed to working with the sector to tackle damp and mould problems while introducing a new Decent Homes Standard for all rented properties.

A Croydon council spokeswoman said: “Whilst these figures highlight the scale of the challenges we face, they also underline the legacy of historic underinvestment in our housing stock and the backlog of repairs we are working hard to address. We have improved our processes to provide faster responses and trained staff to better support residents.

“We remain committed to taking meaningful action, improving the services we offer to customers, and placing their feedback at the heart of our service improvement approach. 

“Everyone has the right to live in a safe and well-maintained home.”

Pictured top: Bernard Weatherill House, Croydon council offices in Fell Road (Picture: Tara O’Connor)