New research has revealed that 99.2% of UK social landlords have mould problems in their housing stock and 32% of tenants reveal their homes have mould present in five to six rooms.
The study, conducted by Zehnder Group UK, polled both social housing landlords and tenants to find out to what extent they are suffering with mould and condensation in their homes.
More than one in 10 landlords claim that mould affects over half of their housing remit and 41% believe that the main root cause of the mould is simply down to the weather.
Within the study, questions were asked to understand more about the mould problems landlords and tenants face, how widespread the problems are, how it is currently being dealt with, what help they seek as well as any barriers to change.
While they have tried multiple strategies to solve the problems, landlords admitted that while some of these methods worked for a time, but 51% said the mould came back and 16% said the approach didn’t work at all and the mould is still there.
When asked how the returning mould makes them feel, 64% of Landlords admitted to feeling frustrated and angry, 57% feel worried and scared and 30% feel embarrassed.
Mark Trowers, Zehnder RMI national manager, said: “While a third of landlords in our survey are approaching this widespread issue in the right way by installing better ventilation or calling in an expert (29%), others are following generalist advice that won’t solve the root cause of the problem, either temporarily fixing it, or not fixing it at all. These include applying anti-fungicidal wash (28%), using an anti-mould spray (25%) or bleaching the area (24%). A quarter of landlords we surveyed claimed they asked the occupants to change their living habits, yet large numbers are still just washing it off with soapy water (21%) or painting over it (17%), so it isn’t surprising the mould comes back.
“Mould outbreaks are caused by excess moisture build up in the property and lack of adequate air flow to ventilate that moisture effectively, causing condensation to form on cold surfaces, turning water vapor into liquid. Routine activities such as boiling the kettle, cooking, bathing, showering and even breathing can produce significant amounts of water vapour – up to 24 pints per day for the average family. The conditions created by condensation provide the perfect environment for mould and mildew to develop – creating conditions for dampness and toxic black mould to takeover and spread, which poses serious health risks to humans.
“In our study, over half of tenants (54%) admitted to turning off the extract fans in their bathrooms and kitchen, which is often the only form of ventilation in the property. Yet the reasons for doing so are rooted in a lack of understanding, with 36% claiming heat loss from the fan, running costs (34%), noise (33%) and nearly a fifth (18%) claiming they just don’t need them.”
The research found that 37% of landlords see technology as a key barrier to solving their mould problems. Other barriers cited include cost, 36% and lack of knowledge/understanding, 31%, local authority, 29%, and lack of support, 28%.
Mark continued: “Managing condensation in homes, particularly in social and rented housing, requires a multi-faceted approach and the right balance of heating and ventilation. Upgraded insulation must be considered in partnership with an effective ventilation system to help regulate indoor humidity levels and promote a healthy indoor environment, minimising the conditions conducive to condensation. Without it, we risk living in airtight boxes that turn bad in time.
“Extractor fan technology has come a long way in recent years and no resident should feel the need to turn off their fan due to noise or cost. In fact, to run a modern Zehnder fan, 24-7, 365 days with two hours of humidity boost per day, can cost under £1.65 per year.
“As an industry, we need to help landlords navigate this epidemic and arm them with information and tools available to make their properties healthier – we are part of a bigger and quite complex puzzle where education, accessibility and collaboration is key.”