Bristol Live readers have been discussing the news that over 3,000 council homes in Bristol are grappling with damp and mould issues as repair work is delayed for several months. In fact, more than 300 homes have seen their repairs postponed for over a year. Earlier this year, the government’s Regulator of Social Housing instructed Bristol City Council to address long-standing problems in its numerous properties, including asbestos inspections, fire safety, and damp and mould.
The team responsible for tackling damp and mould has faced challenges in hiring and retaining staff, and has also been impacted by contractor capacity. An update on these regulatory matters was presented to the housing policy committee on Friday, December 13.
Liberal Democrat councillor Jos Clark commented: “We’re moving forward at pace, but maybe not as quickly as anybody would have liked. There’s some real basics that we still haven’t got on top of. We have to understand how we got here and make sure we never get ourselves into this position ever again.”
Richard James, head of business development, stated: “We have about 3,000 damp and mould cases at the moment. We’re categorising them into the severity of the damp and mould, and any other relevant factors, such as if the resident has asthma.”
“It will take us longer to respond to less severe cases, but I want to assure you that we’re not ignoring any issues with damp and mould. We will address all of them, but we do have to prioritise.” The exact number of homes affected by damp is uncertain, and the total is likely to rise as more surveys are conducted.
Current data shows that 1,870 homes have repairs overdue by six to 12 months, while 363 have repairs overdue by over a year. While tenants wait for their home issues to be resolved, the council is providing information on how “lifestyle choices” can contribute to damp and mould.
Fiona Lester, interim director of the homes and landlord service, stated: “We’ve all got a part to play around how we mitigate that in the way we live. One answer to that is we’ve produced quite a lot of documentation and information for residents that we’re sending out regularly, to educate our residents around how they can manage damp and mould, based on their lifestyle choices.”
Commenter Bluethroughnthrough says: “All council/association tenants have contracts. In the midst of these contracts, will be a section that promises all repairs will be carried out with due diligence and care as long as the tenant makes his/her rent payments regularly and on time. Too many tenants soldier on oblivious to their rights. Withholding/partially withholding their rents, on the basis of being in breach of contract, would bring this problem to a head extremely promptly Believe me!”
6470 replies: “The council can put money gates (bus gates) in but can’t find the money to repair their own homes? The council seems to have its priorities wrong. What happens to the rent money tenants pay? This should be used for house repair.”
Bob0009 agrees: “Why doesn’t the council use the money they make on the ULEZ? Where is that money going? It’s certainly not on the roads.”
Big rich points out: “My house gets mould just the same as the council house issue. All houses practically made the same. Buy some white vinegar mixed with water and wipe mould off once it starts developing. Open yer windows during daylight. A lot of people let the mould get worse thinking they get rehomed. How come this wasn’t such an issue 30 yrs ago? Too many entitled people around.”
Dbanderson agrees: “If they improved their lifestyle choices they could afford their own homes and pay for damp solutions themselves. Stop moaning.”
Jubblyone4 ADDS: “It’s easier for some to blame the landlord than get off their backside and actually do something proactive to manage the situation.”
Junius1 says: “BCC should read James Berry, of the Property Care Association (leading experts in the field), who writes in Government Business, debunking tenant lifestyle choices as a cause of dampness and mould:
‘Blaming the tenant was a default response to the problem without real understanding of what is happening. It saved having to go into the property and establish what the causal factors are, but taking this approach will just make providing the correct remediation more difficult’.
“By the way, it is a legal obligation for councils to remedy dampness and mould if it makes a property unfit to live in. Rent payment has nothing to do with it. If a council refused to remedy the problem it would be in breach of the law.”
Bs3bob asks: “How many of those properties have genuine damp issues with the building as opposed to people not opening windows, especially when drying clothes indoors, or even wiping the windows down when they do get condensation (which all houses will to some degree)?”
Bluethroughnthrough points out: “As a mould sufferer/association tenant myself and someone who always pays their rent on time, I can rightly speak from experience and when I tell you that I’ve heard excuses made that would shame a Tory politician, you better believe it, “oooh just open your windows and don’t dry your clothes indoors”, these types of people would have me believing that I live in the Congo if they could.”
Has this issue affected you? Do you think ‘lifestyle choices’ are to blame for damp and mould? Have your say in our comments section.