We have all been exposed to the dangers of household mould caused by untreated damp issues over the last few years. The death of two year old Awaab Ishak in 2020 led campaigners to demand reforms to the current laws to help protect those living in social housing and rented properties.

In January 2024, the Conservative government began to put together plans that would force social housing providers to address issues of mould and damp as well as other health hazards in a more time-critical manner. Had the planned legislation, known as Awaab’s law, been passed, Social housing landlords would have been obligated to investigate any reports of damp and/or mould within 14 days and to have actioned fixing any issues within 7 days of the investigation. In cases where emergency repairs would be needed to be undertaken, these would have to have been made within 24hrs. Failings by landlords to adhere to this proposed legislation would lead to legal action against them and compensation payouts to the inhabitants.

Sadly, the Conservatives scrapped the legislation before the General Election in July.

The current Labour government however, is introducing revised legislation under the Renters’ Right Bill which will pick up Awaab’s law where the Conservatives left off and extend it to also cover private landlords.

With the release of this new bill, we are here to help you, whether you are a landlord or social housing provider. If you have any queries or require help designing a system, choosing fans for upgrades or have a specific issue that you need to solve, contact us - we will be more than happy to help!

The headline of The Renters’ Rights Bill, published today (11th September 2024) focuses on banning Section 21 “No Fault” evictions. This is intended, amongst other things, to reduce fear of retaliatory eviction against renters for reporting issues or challenging landlords for unactioned repairs, with the intended outcome to improve rented living conditions across the UK.

“Standards will also be driven up, as the Decent Homes Standard will be applied to the private rented sector for the first time. Currently 21% of privately rented homes are considered non-decent and more than 500,000 contain the most serious of hazards. Clear expectations will be set so tenants can expect safe, well-maintained, and secure living conditions.”

Press Release - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP - Published 11 September 2024
Landmark reforms to give greater security for 11 million renters - GOV.UK 

There are a number of measures that have been introduced with this bill - a full list of these will be included at the end of this article. But for now we will focus on those pertaining to damp and mould issues.

One of the measures introduced in the bill is applying Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector to ensure that all renters in England are empowered to challenge dangerous conditions. So what does this mean for landlords?

Well, in terms of damp and mould issues, it essentially means that landlords, in both private and social housing sectors, will need to educate themselves on causes, issues and suitable solutions. We would advise, where possible, to put in measures to prevent issues arising in the first place as well as smart ways to monitor properties to ensure any problematic signs are flagged before issues arise.

So, what are these measures that you can implement? We have already covered ways to monitor your properties in our Environmental Sensors article which will help you to keep ahead of developing issues and track environmental changes in your properties, but what solutions can you put in place to either fix issues that have already developed or as preventative measures?

The key issue when it comes to damp and mould is removing humidity and moisture from buildings before they have a chance of causing the perfect environment for mould to grow. Structural issues can lead to damp issues, such as leaks, blown damp courses and damage to the structure itself, all of which will need a material fix. However, one of the main issues is poor ventilation which traps moisture within the building from various internal sources. Sources such as showers and baths, cooking, clothes-drying and simply moisture released from our bodies through perspiration and respiration all release moisture into our homes and without suitable ventilation, this moisture can cause serious damp and mould issues internally as it builds up over time. Simply asking renters to open windows and trickle vents or to leave air gaps between furniture and walls will do nothing to alleviate the issues and, in fact, opening windows and passive trickle vents will actually aggravate the issues, especially during colder weather.

The most effective solution is to install suitable mechanical ventilation to control the flow of internal air whilst venting moisture, among other air-bourne pollutants, out of the property. Problematic rooms such as bathrooms/wetrooms, kitchens and utility areas are already covered by specific requirements that can be found in Part F of the current Building Regulations and all rented properties should already comply with these. However, some problem spaces can still have issues if the installed fans are not up to the job. There are an array of excellent dMEV models available in our shop which make for a highly efficient upgrade to standard intermittent fans and are specifically designed for improving indoor air quality, especially for combating damp and mould issues in specific rooms. These units are fantastic for controlling problem areas such as bathroom/wetrooms, kitchens and utility rooms as well as helping to solve issues in bedrooms and other internal spaces where exceptionally low running noise is imperative.
However, what do you do to solve damp issues that are affecting an entire structure rather than specific rooms? Installing PIV units in homes force the internal air out of the building, taking the airborne moisture with it. This works exceptionally well in older buildings as not only does the unit force out the air through the gaps in the fabric of the building but helps to stop cold damp air entering the building through the same gaps. In newer builds, where construction regulations have meant designs are as air-tight as possible to minimise heat loss, upgrading bathroom/wetroom, kitchen and utility room fans to dMEV units help to not only draw the fresh, filtered and warmed air supplied by the PIV through the building, but also acts as venting points to help remove the moisture from the sealed buildings more effectively.

It is worth noting that where new social housing developments are being planned, incorporating suitable ventilation systems into your designs will save issues from arising from the start. Incorporating whole house MEV or MVHR systems along with suitable Environmental Sensors can give you a head start on offering safe, healthy and comfortable housing that will put you ahead of the curve in the market.

Below you will find the full list of measures introduced in the bill included in the press release:

• “Applying Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector. This will ensure that all renters in England are empowered to challenge dangerous conditions.
• Apply a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time. Landlords who fail to address serious hazards can be fined up to £7,000 by local councils and may face prosecution for non-compliance.
• A ban on rental bidding wars, by cracking down on those who make the most of the housing crisis by forcing tenants to bid for their properties. Landlords and letting agents will be legally required to publish an asking rent for their property. They will also be banned from asking for, encouraging, or accepting any bids above this price.
• Ban on in-tenancy rent increases written in to contracts to prevent landlords implementing too high rents mid-tenancy, often to push out the current tenants. Under these reforms, landlords will only be allowed to raise the rent once a year, and to the market rate.
• Abolishing blanket bans on tenants with children or those in receipt of benefits to ensure fair access to housing for all.

A new Private Rented Sector Database will also be created to help landlords understand their obligations for compliance and provide tenants the information they need to make informed choices for new tenancies. It will also enable councils to focus enforcement where it is needed most.”

Press Release - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP - Published 11 September 2024
Landmark reforms to give greater security for 11 million renters - GOV.UK