You might have seen in the news that, as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, Awaab’s Law has now been introduced.
All social landlords have to comply with new requirements, and tenants can hold their landlords to account and take legal action if a landlord fails to meet the requirements.
We’ve worked hard to make sure we were ready for the new legislation:
· We’ve updated systems, processes and equipment
· We’ve trained non-maintenance teams to recognise the early signs of damp and mould, so that any colleague can report it
· We use the information from our annual stock condition surveys, alongside Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data, to prioritise works that we know will improve the thermal performance of homes such as our window replacement programme. This all helps in our commitment to helping prevent damp and mould from happening in the first place.
Linked to this, to make sure our responsive repairs service meets the needs of
residents, regulations and legislation, we’ve also just published a new Responsive Repairs Policy, co-designed with our Resident Scrutiny Panel.
Here is a summary of the new requirements that came into force with Awaab’s Law:
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What
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Timescale |
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We become aware of a potential damp or mould hazard in a resident’s home
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We will investigate within ten working days |
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We will provide residents with a written summary of investigation findings
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Within three working days of the investigation concluding |
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There is a damp and mould hazard that poses a significant risk of harm to the health or safety of a resident |
We will make the property safe within five working days of the investigation, even if these are just temporary measures
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We will complete any further work needed to prevent serious hazards reoccurring
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Within 12 weeks
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An emergency situation |
We will investigate and action any emergency repairs within 24 hours
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If a home can’t be made safe within these timescales, we will offer to arrange alternative accommodation for the residents affected, at our expense, until it’s safe for them to return home |
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Please click here to visit our ‘healthy homes’ page, where you’ll find lots of hints and tips for preventing condensation and mould.
If you’re concerned about condensation or mould it’s really important that you report it to us as soon as you notice. Please click here to get in touch.