Scarborough Council receives more than 750 complaints about mould and damp in private rented homes in three years

Scarborough Council has said that around 70 per cent of all complaints received by the authority about issues with private rented housing are associated with cold, damp, and mould.

Scarborough also has an “old and poorly insulated” private housing stock and coupled with the cost of living crisis, issues regarding mould are likely to remain relevant, according to senior councillors.

Cllr Carl Maw, cabinet member for stronger communities and housing, said: “Our assessment of these complaints shows that cold, damp homes with associated problems relating to mould are among the main hazards within the private rented stock in the borough and make up or are a contributory factor in around 70 per cent of all complaints received”.

In a report prepared for an upcoming full meeting of Scarborough Council on Monday, January 16, Cllr Maw said that in the past three years, Scarborough Council received more than 750 complaints about cold, damp homes, and mould and condensation.

According to the cabinet member, the complaints resulted in 721 “notices” – both formal and informal – being served against landlords “requiring them to resolve the issue”.

Requirements included improved heating and ventilation as well as methods of extraction and improved insulation.

He said the council followed up the cases with inspections to determine whether the hazard has been resolved.

According to Cllr Maw, in cases where homes remained occupied “100 per cent of these issues were resolved without the council needing to resort to prosecution” over the three-year period.

Following a coroner’s ruling last year that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in Rochdale as a result of a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his home, Secretary of State for Housing, Michael Gove, contacted every council in the country.

He asked them to set out their approaches towards tackling poor quality housing in their areas and what information they held regarding the extent of mould.

Cllr Maw’s report states that Scarborough Council has now responded to the Secretary of State and advised Mr Gove that “in 2021/2 the council undertook more than 700 Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspections of residential properties within the borough”.