Complaints about leaks, damp or mould in housing operated by Mansfield Council

The health impacts of poor-quality social housing have been in the spotlight after a coroner ruled two year-old Awaab Ishak died after prolonged exposure to mould in his flat, which was maintained by a housing association in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

The Housing Ombudsman investigates complaints made about social housing providers, such as housing associations, local authorities and housing co-operatives.

A freedom of information request to the ombudsman revealed there were two complaints made about leaks, damp or mould in housing operated by Mansfield Council in the three years to March 2022.

The outcome of both of these complaints was unknown at the time of the request, meaning the ombudsman may still be investigating them.

The figures cover social housing provided by the council, but do not include complaints logged against housing associations and other organisations operating in the area.

A council spokeswoman said: “We have a zero tolerance approach to damp and mould and take our responsibility as landlord extremely seriously and always aim to ensure any repairs or issues tenants raise with us are carried out as swiftly as possible.

“If our tenants have any concerns around damp or mould in their home, we ask them to contact us directly so we can look to resolve any issues as soon as possible.”

Across England, there were 5,838 complaints made about leaks, damp and mould in social housing between 2019-20 and 2021-22.

Of these, 3,915 were about properties managed by housing associations, and 1,861 for housing provided by, or on behalf of, local authorities.

Alex Diner, a senior researcher on housing at the New Economics Foundation, called it a “national disgrace” that millions of families across England are living in “dangerous” homes.

The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, said councils “fully support” efforts to improve standards in the rental sector.

While the majority of complaints from the last financial year are yet to be given a final outcome, in 2020-21 there were 334 complaints across England regarding leaks, damp and mould where the housing provider was ultimately found to be in the wrong – 138 of which involved maladministration by local authorities.