Cost of damp and mould repairs to Nottingham city council homes laid bare
Costs for repairs to Nottingham council homes with significant damp and mould have exceeded £1m in just over six months.
This follows the implementation of Awaab’s Law in October last year, which mandates urgent action from social landlords to fix dangerous homes.
The law was introduced after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould exposure in his Rochdale home, managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).
Key changes under the law require emergency hazards, such as extensive black mould, to be investigated within 24 hours and resolved within strict timescales.
A new council report reveals that from April to September 2026, housing services received 88 emergency hazard reports and 1,461 requests for significant damp and mould inspections, averaging 258 cases monthly.
The cost of responding to these cases so far totals £1.3m.
Steve Edlin, assistant director for council assets, stated that resident safety and well-being are central to the council’s approach.
He noted that damp and mould disproportionately affect young children, older people, and residents with respiratory conditions, disabilities, or long-term health issues.
Reports are triaged based on household vulnerability and potential health impacts to inform prioritisationemporary accommodation is offered if a home cannot be made safe within the required timeframe and residents are at risk.
Residents receive written findings and practical advice on heating, ventilation, condensation management, and furniture placement.
Investigations consider structural, environmental, heating, ventilation, and household factors to address root causes.
Housing services also provide support for financial hardship or fuel poverty affecting a resident’s ability to heat their home.
Last year, the authority allocated up to £9m from its housing budget for damp and mould remediation.
A new council team, including six surveyors, a quantity surveyor, and a project manager has been established.
The council manages approximately 24,000 social homes.
Coun Jay Hayes (Lab), executive member for housing, highlighted the challenge of response times and working with tenants on ventilation and heating.
The report indicates that investigation compliance has increased from 89 per cent to 100 per cent, with emergency response performance also at 100 per cent.
Significant damp and mould investigations are now completed in an average of 6.2 days, against a legal target of 10 working days.
The report will be discussed at a meeting on November 16.