Council Expands In-house Team to Tackle Mould
New legislation has put pressure on landlords to maintain standards
A member of Wandsworth Council's mould removal team in action
February 16, 2024
Wandsworth Council has recently expanded the in-house team which deals with damp and mould in council housing.
The move comes after the government introduced new powers for the Social Housing Regulator to ensure good standards. It aims to drive significant change in landlord behaviour by giving more power to the regulator to act.
The council had already taken this function in-house in March of last year but the specialist cleaning team responsible for clearing damp and mould comprised only two staff. Even so they have completed over 360 mould removals since inception.
As part of the new powers given to the regulator, ‘Awaab’s Law’ proposes to require landlords to investigate and fix reported hazards in homes within a specified time frame, or rehouse tenants where a home cannot be made safe, including damp and mould.
It is now intended to increase the size of this team to six as well as member of staff to deal with administration. It is hoped that this will enable the team to attend and remove mould in council tenant’s homes within a target time of 48 hours of it being reported.
The council believes this will further reduce its reliance on outside contractors and result in an estimated saving of around £10,000 per year.
Aydin Dikerdem, Cabinet Member for Housing, said, “We welcome these new laws and powers for the Social Housing Regulator. As a social landlord, we already seek to deliver a good standard of home for our residents, because a decent home is the foundation for a decent life.
“The expansion of our in-house specialist cleaning team is just one example of how we are working to improve conditions in the homes, while also delivering cost savings.”
If you live in a council property and have a problem with mould or damp, the team can be contacted via email - mould.removal@wandsworth.gov.uk - and a direct telephone hotline - 020 8871 8887.
Since introducing this role, the team have completed over 360 mould removals.
Following each mould removal, the Estate Manager arranges an inspection to provide advice, and investigate to see what further works may be required to help prevent the mould from returning.
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