Almost 1,000 reports of damp and mould dealt with in just six weeks

More than 950 properties which are suffering from damp, mould or condensation have been visited and assessed in just 39 days.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council launched its D.A.M.P campaign on Tuesday 7 November as part of a major crackdown on damp and mould across its housing stock.

So far (up to Friday 15 December, 2023) more than 1,344 reports of damp, mould and condensation have been logged via the authority’s website and contact centre, with reports varying from large patches of mould to condensation on windows.

During the same timeframe, the ‘Find It, Fix It’ team from the city council’s repairs services provider, Unitas, has visited 959 properties across the city to carry out some form of intervention while a further 385 properties are set to have works completed.

Work which has been carried out to deal with damp, mould and condensation includes mould removal treatment, applying anti-mould paint, repairing and replacing extractor fans, plastering works and loft insulation.

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, regeneration and planning, said: “We are making great progress with our D.A.M.P campaign and I’m pleased to hear that, on average, tenants are only having to wait seven days for a visit from the time they reported their problems to us – compared to our target time of around 14 days. This shows that our teams are working quickly and effectively when receiving reports of damp and mould.

“It is our intention to ensure that incidents of damp and mould are rare, brief and resolved first time and I believe we are well on our way to achieving that. Since we launched this campaign last month, we have adopted a new Fuel Poverty Strategy which includes plans to invest millions of pounds installing central heating systems and energy efficiency measures across council-owned homes. So, while we are making great progress, we will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to damp and mould because everybody has a right to live in a safe and warm home.”

As part of the D.A.M.P campaign, the city council is carrying out annual checks across its council properties to identify incidents of damp and mould. It is also looking to address the issue of missed appointments by establishing an updated set of service standards, due to be published in the new year, which outline the authority’s commitment to its tenants.

Councillor Robinson added: “The number of daily reports we are getting for damp and mould has fallen slightly as we get closer to Christmas but we are expecting a spike in demand in January which we are preparing for and have teams in place to deal with this.

“We will be operating an ‘emergency repairs only’ service from 1pm on Friday 22 December until 8am on Tuesday 2 January but I would encourage anyone who is experiencing any problems with damp, mould and condensation to report it to us and help us to keep this momentum going.”

For more information about damp, mould and condensation, or to report an issue, visit www.stoke.gov.uk/dmc or call 01782 234100.