Reports of damp soar in social housing as residents avoid turning on heating

Condensation dampness – regarded as major public health risk – is said to be increasing, with experts blaming rising energy bills

An explosion in reports of damp and mould in social housing because tenants on low incomes can no longer afford to switch on their heating has emerged as the latest unwelcome sign of Britain's cost-of-living crisis.

Social housing maintenance experts say a new condensation damp phenomenon – which was considered a marginal issue for social landlords until a few months ago – is a direct result of increasing poverty and rising energy bills.

Condensation dampness – regarded as a major public health risk because it can exacerbate respiratory diseases such as asthma – has emerged as a particular problem in northern England and rural areas where social housing tenants have been hit worst by welfare reform policies.

One housing association, Aragon, recently started to monitor reports of damp and mould and discovered they had more than tripled over the past year, a rise it attributes to hard-up tenants not being able to afford to put money in the electricity meter – or being too worried about their finances to turn on the heating.

Aragon housing association's managing director, Aileen Evans, said: "This is about poverty. It is not about a malfunctioning technical component; it is about people who cannot afford to use their heating system. These tenants are choosing not to heat."


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