Issue - meetings

A receive a presentation from the Corporate Manager for Public Health, Regulation & Housing.

The Group received a presentation from the Corporate Manager for Public Health, Regulation and Housing regarding damp and mould in Housing.

Key elements within the presentation were as follows:

·         Reference was made to a tragic case recently in the media and the conclusions of the Coroner.

·         As a result a detailed, timely and combined response had been provided by Mid Devon Housing and Public Health Services to Government.

·         A recently completed in-depth review of the situation within the Mid Devon Housing stock had already been undertaken and the results of this were available on the website.

·         Every report of damp and mould was investigated (both private sector housing standards and as a landlord). A large number of factors could be responsible for damp and mould, including the age of a property and how much ventilation there was.

·         A dedicated Mid Devon Housing Damp and Mould policy would be drawn up later in the year following updated guidance from the Government.

·         Damp and Mould would always occur especially in a country with high seasonal temperature variations and varied housing stock

·         The importance of managing complaints to ensure there is no long-term exposure to persistent damp and mould

Consideration was given to:

·         Damp and mould having long term health implications.

·         More private homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard compared to the Council’s Housing stock. Private Sector landlords faced a number of challenges with this.

·         Damp and mould occurred in properties both in the rural and the urban environments.