RCP Calls on Government to Take Urgent Action on Damp and Mould

In January 2023, we wrote an article on the action being taken by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) to warn social housing providers about their obligations to prevent mould and damp. This came in the wake of the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from a respiratory condition exacerbated by damp and mould in a social housing property in Rochdale. Following Awaab’s death, a Senior Coroner stated, “The tragic death of Awaab will and should be a defining moment for the housing sector in terms of increasing knowledge, increasing awareness and a deepening of understanding surrounding the issue of damp and mould”.

Unfortunately, damp and mould continue to plague social and rented homes, with many more suffering serious and life-threatening health problems in the past year. In a bid to compel the government to take urgent action regarding damp and mould, the RCP has issued a warning of the consequences and ongoing health implications. In this article, we will discuss how the scale of the health impacts of Britain’s damp and mouldy rental homes shows no obvious signs of improvement in 2024 and the warning RCP to the government.

Tenants continue to suffer the health implications of damp and mould

According to recent research, 88,000 households in the social housing sector currently have serious damp and mould problems. An investigation by the Observer newspaper has also shown that private housing providers are not being held to account for their inaction in resolving damp and mould problems. They revealed that of the 2,907 rulings made by the housing ombudsman in the past three years, the average financial penalty for housing associations was just £445. As Suzanne Muna, who represents the Social Housing Action Campaign, explained, “It is obvious that such weak sanctions make little impact, and they certainly don’t drive strategic change.”

Over the past year, there have been several high-profile news stories covering the devastating health impacts of damp and black mould in homes. One recent case concerned Morgan Sinnott, who suffers from a rare genetic condition called ‘Wolfram Syndrome’, which makes her especially vulnerable to respiratory illnesses. Ms Sinnott was admitted to hospital in a life-threatening condition after contracting pneumonia for the third time to mould in her home. Such cases only underline the frustration and fear felt by many in private rentals and social housing with mould and damp problems whose landlords are not taking the necessary action to resolve property defects.

RCP calls on government to take urgent action on damp and mould

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) recently called on Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of the United Kingdom, to speed up a promised crackdown on landlords who are failing to remedy mouldy homes. The RCP warned that without a much-needed tightening of the laws in this area, many more will die from the impacts of inhaling fungal toxins. Mr Gove has previously promised to set robust deadlines by which landlords must resolve.

According to Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, special adviser on air quality to the RCP, urgent reform is needed due to a combination of adverse weather, tenants keeping windows closed to preserve warmth and save on energy costs, and fungus becoming increasingly resilient to treatment.

Professor Holgate believes that action to resolve the mould and damp challenges is being delayed by “obfuscation, debate and committees” and that the UK should mirror Germany’s “zero tolerance” approach to the problem. He said, “We know this is an ongoing problem. We know housing in this country is in a dreadful state … The science of [the risks of mould exposure] hasn’t been accepted strongly enough by the regulators. This passive approach is failing society”.