Tackling damp and mould in residents’ homes has been a huge priority for us this winter, with a dedicated team from TCH Repairs (TCHR) offering support in treating any outbreaks as well as identifying and fixing potential causes of condensation, damp and mould.

As an organisation we’ve adopted a ‘Don’t Walk Away’ policy on the issue – this means that if any of the TCHR team see damp and mould in a property they will tackle it before moving on to their next job. And any TCH staff will always request a visit from TCHR if they identify damp and mould issues during a visit with you.

As well as encouraging residents to report problems we’ve also been calling residents who we think could be at greater risk of experiencing damp a mould.

When an issue is identified TCHR will clean and treat the affected area using specialist materials. They’ll also check that all extractor fans are working and that loft insulation is at the correct levels – both key things that can lead to excessive condensation in homes.

Our Damp and Mould Policy review

We’ve been reviewing our Damp and Mould Policy and held a focus group with residents to find out what they thought about it before it was finalised.

Through this focus group we received lots of feedback and all of it was taken on board with either changes made to the policy, suggestions being implemented, or future work agreed based on what residents told us. For example:

• all technical/jargon words have been replaced with plain English
• photos of different types of mould have been added to the policy to help more easily identify the problem
• we’re producing a damp and condensation leaflet for those residents who choose to deal with the problem themselves
• we’ve asked our Communication Team to review the damp and mould video to see if it can be more interactive for people.

Thank you to everyone who took part in this focus group. If you would like to get involved and make a difference, please contact Sarah at getinvolved@tch.org.uk

The new policy

Our approach to damp and mould is set out in our revised Damp and Mould Policy, which reflects our approach to meeting the Housing Ombudsman’s 26 recommendations on how housing associations should approach damp and mould.

We’ll be continually monitoring and reviewing our processes to make sure that we continue to provide a robust approach to treating, and preventing, damp, mould, and condensation in our properties.

If you have any concerns about damp and mould in your home, please do let us know by emailing info@tch.org.uk or by calling 01892 501480 ext 1.

You can also find more information on our website