Fife Council to end blame game with tenants over damp and mould in houses

There has been a 400% increase in damp and moisture complaints across the local authority’s housing sector, and there are currently 594 outstanding complaints.

In light of these figures and against the backdrop of national headlines, Fife’s housing services wants to stop blaming tenants for moisture issues in their homes.

A joint report from housing services and environment and building has asked the council's Cabinet Committee members to agree an updated action plan for tackling the problem at Thursday's meeting.

It would “stop blaming tenants as the cause of condensation and shift the culture of the service to work alongside them with "effective advice and support.”

If approved, the council would aim to become more proactive rather than waiting for tenants to complain. The action plan also promises a faster and more effective response to moisture issues.

“Tackling condensation at a time of a cost-of-living crisis is challenging and a cause of concern for our tenants,” the report said.

“With the cost of energy, the highest in living memory, tenants are struggling to keep themselves and their homes warm and are reluctant to adequately heat and ventilate their properties for fear of losing the valuable heat they have generated. Unfortunately, these are the ideal conditions to create condensation and, if left long enough, to generate black mould growth.”

Damp and mouldy housing concerns are not a new problem. The department began a formal review of its current approach to tackling complaints following the coroner’s report in England into the death of Awaab Ishak which ruled that the two year old in Rochdale, Greater Manchester died in 2020 of a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould.

Fife’s housing services said his death “has been a shock to everyone in the housing sector.

The tragedy also sparked a nationwide review of the way moisture in housing is tackled.

“Following some months of review and audit work, we are now in a better position to quantify and understand outstanding complaints from tenants and have developed an improved approach to offer advice, support and service to council tenants,” the report concluded.