Damp and mould found in private rented housing in Scarborough Borough
The Council says the issue amounts to around 70 percent of all complaints received
Damp and mould are some of the most common hazards found in private rented housing in Scarborough, according to the council.
Scarborough Council has said that around 70 per cent of all complaints received by the authority about issues with private rented housing are associated with cold, damp, and mould.
Scarborough also has an “old and poorly insulated” private housing stock and coupled with the cost of living crisis, issues regarding mould are likely to remain relevant, according to senior councillors.
Cllr Carl Maw, cabinet member for stronger communities and housing said: “Our assessment of these complaints shows that cold, damp homes with associated problems relating to mould are amongst the main hazards within the private rented stock in the borough and make up or are a contributory factor in around 70 per cent of all complaints received”.
In a report prepared for an upcoming full meeting of Scarborough Council on Monday, January 16, Cllr Maw said that in the past three years, Scarborough Council received more than 750 complaints about cold, damp homes, and mould and condensation.
According to the cabinet member, the complaints resulted in 721 “notices” – both formal and informal – being served against landlords “requiring them to resolve the issue”.
Requirements included improved heating and ventilation as well as methods of extraction and improved insulation.
He said the council followed up the cases with inspections to determine whether the hazard has been resolved.
According to Cllr Maw, in cases where homes remained occupied “100 per cent of these issues were resolved without the council needing to resort to prosecution” over the three-year period.
Following a coroner’s ruling last year that a two-year-old boy in Rochdale died as a result of a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his home, the Government and housing providers have faced calls to improve standards.
The death of Awaab Ishak in 2020 resulted in national headlines as well as the Secretary of State for Housing, Michael Gove, contacting every council in the country.
Mr Gove required councils to set out their approaches towards tackling poor quality housing in their areas and what information they held regarding the extent of mould.
Cllr Maw’s report states that Scarborough Council has now responded to the Secretary of State and advised Mr Gove that “in 2021/2 the Council undertook more than 700 Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspections of residential properties within the borough”.
He said that “whilst numbers are boosted via the selected licensing schemes being operated” by the authority, the figure was more than double the total number of inspections undertaken by “all the other councils across North Yorkshire combined”.