Opposition Councillors Say Havering Council Needs To Do Better To Tackle Damp And Mould.

Local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann writes:

Havering Council needs to “do better” on dealing with damp and mould in homes to ensure residents are safe, say opposition councillors.

Conservative councillor Joshua Chapman said the council’s 60-day targets were “out of step with where we need to be,” ahead of a change of law in October.

Under Awaab’s Law, social landlords will be required to address damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants within tighter timescales.

The timescales have not yet been confirmed, but a 14-day limit has been proposed.

They will also have to address all emergency repairs within 24 hours of being alerted.

Currently, Havering works to two different timelines: a 60-day target for repairs, followed by four monthly visits, which it calls the 120-day target.

Councillor Paul McGeary, the cabinet member for housing, said the council was waiting for “final confirmation” from the central government.

He said the town hall “will be up to speed and we will do what’s required at the correct time”.

Between 1st October and 13th March, a total of 636 households reported issues with damp and mould to the council.

Of those, 130 have so far been completed within the target timescale. The remaining 506 are on track to be, the town hall says.

The council’s data before that point is “imprecise,” Cllr McGeary said, due to a change in how it was recorded. He said other borough councils had experienced similar difficulties.

A large number of homes in Havering were built in the 1960s and were not subject to modern building regulations, he said. As a result, some properties are “more susceptible” to damp and mould developing.

The cabinet member added that problems with damp and mould were seasonal, and the majority of reports are submitted between the months of November and April.

Awaab’s Law is named for Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old from Rochdale who died from mould exposure in his council-owned home in 2020.

It aims to improve tenant safety and ensure quicker, more effective responses to health hazards in rented properties.

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