The issue of remediation for damp and mould is becoming a priority concern for public sector landlords – side by side with building safety, cladding and retrofit. Legislation could follow, including a policy statement to tackle damp and mould as a serious hazard and a refining of the HHSR linked to Decent Homes Standard 2 plus Michael Gove’s call for reforms to ensure housing managers hold an appropriate qualification.
This driving up of standards goes hand in hand with the call for competency and proof of that competency. Recent requirements for SHDF retrofit funding are conditional on PAS2035 qualification and the Hackitt Review drew more attention to the failures of cladding and building safety measures. What followed was mass investigations and surveys of stock condition – but this may have been an opportunity missed due to lack of awareness of building pathology.