Mid Devon Housing is actively involving tenants to collect invaluable feedback as it seeks to combat damp and mould in properties within the district.
Since 2017/18 Mid Devon Housing (MDH) has been looking at ways to tackle challenges with damp and mould and improve the environmental performance of its homes. Over the last six years MDH’s approach to damp and mould has evolved and significant improvements have been made. Recent improvements include enhanced data collection and analysis, the introduction of in-home environmental monitoring, investment in enhanced ventilation and heating, additional diagnostic tools, and a targeted tenant survey.
Councillor Simon Clist, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Property Services, said: “Thanks to Rosie and our dedicated Mid Devon Housing team for their proactive approach to tackling damp and mould. Their excellent work showcases Mid Devon District Council as a responsible landlord, and their hands-on approach reflects a commitment to ensuring the wellbeing and satisfaction of tenants. I would encourage all MDH tenants to fill out our damp and mould survey which will provide an invaluable opportunity to address concerns.”
To further strengthen its environmental monitoring project MDH has joined Project Empower, a project run by Ambisense. During the six-month project MDH will be deploying environmental sensing technology in a portion of homes to understand their performance. This work compliments MDH’s existing environmental monitoring project with Aico HomeLINK, which has seen 50 environmental sensors connected across 12 homes to date, providing insights into damp, mould and air quality risks.
Rosie Wills, Technical Support & Repairs Manager, said: “By actively involving tenants, and making best use of the expertise of our long-standing staff, we are confident in our ability to staying true to our mission of providing safe, comfortable homes for our residents.”
The Chartered Institute of Housing has published a blog sharing ‘A holistic approach: Mid Devon Housing’s journey to tackle damp on mould’ which summarises Mid Devon Housing’s approach to tackling damp and mould.
Rosie continued: “Recent reports have highlighted our proactive work to tackle the nationally important and prevalent issue of damp and mould. Another example of our continued drive to put tenant welfare at the heart of what we do.”
Chris Jones, CEO AICO|Homelink, the firm that provided the sensor technology behind the damp and mould initiative, commented: “Mid Devon District Council’s efforts are an example of proactive social landlord that is embracing technology to improve the health and wellbeing of its tenants. In line with some of the Housing Ombudsman’s examples of best practice, they have been using our new technology to identify and address the root cause of mould issues as well as ascertain the effectiveness of remedial works.
“They are among a growing band of social housing pioneers that are looking to understand homes by measuring indicators such as moisture levels and temperatures which help them to understand and tackle issues like damp and mould before they become a crisis.”
AICO|Homelink works with other housing providers throughout the UK, including Poplar Harca, Stirling Council and Hull City Council.
