Research Into Damp And Mould In Council Houses

Damp and mould is becoming a more widely reported problem for many people in the UK. The issue is becoming so severe that people are contracting illnesses said to be caused by the fungi. In some tragic cases, it’s lead to people losing their lives.

We recognise how important this problem is and set out to uncover the full figures from local councils.

How We Conducted Our Research

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we wrote to every council in the country and asked them a series of questions.

Namely, we sought details of the number of complaints made about damp and mould by their tenants, how much has been spent on repairs, and the number of complaints and housing disrepair claims that have been made.

Below, you can find the results of our research, broken down by area.

If you’d like to see the results of our FOI requests, please get in touch.

Damp And Mould In Council Houses: Area Breakdown

Aberdeenshire Council

New data from LegalExpert.co.uk has revealed that Aberdeenshire Council has forked out a staggering £21 million on council house repairs. 

This is the result of 351 complaints about disrepair received by the council during this time.

Complaints include delays in routine repairs being carried out, behaviour of staff carrying out repairs and quality of repairs carried out.

Our research can confirm that Aberdeenshire Council spent a total of £21,329,577 on council house disrepairs between November 2021 and November 2023. 

This is the total cost of completed emergency and response repairs to occupied properties raised between this period, according to the council.

Additionally, a total of 41 complaints about damp or mould within a property were raised by tenants during the same period.

The council paid out a total of £152,535 in relation to these issues.

Adur Worthing Council

Adur Worthing Council forks out £3K following complaints from tenants about mould and damp.

After receiving a total of 88 complaints regarding damp and mould in council properties, Adur Worthing Council confirmed it has paid a total of £287,049.81 on repairs since November 2021.

Central Bedfordshire

Central Bedfordshire Council paid out £350,000 in repairs following damp and mould complaints in the last two years.

After receiving a total of 52 complaints regarding damp and mould in council properties as well as others on housing disrepair, CBC confirmed it has paid a total of £354,321.23 between November 2021 and 2023 on repairs.

Cardiff Council

Mould and Damp problems cost Cardiff Council over £1.5k following complaints from council house tenants.

After receiving a total of 136 complaints regarding damp and mould in council properties, Cardiff Council confirmed it has paid a total of £153,758 on repairs since November 2021.

East Renfrewshire

East Renfrewshire Council paid out £4.5 million on council house repairs. 

This is the result of just 91 complaints received by the council on issues including mould, damp and housing disrepairs in council-owned properties.

ERC has confirmed that it spent a total of £4,405,959.91 following complaints from tenants. Of this amount, £189,548.48 was spent on tackling dampness alone.

Fareham Borough Council 

Fareham Council has spent more than £400,000 on damp and mould repairs in council properties following hundreds of complaints.

A total of 637 complaints were made to Fareham Council about damp and mould alone since November 2021.

This amounts to a whopping £439,821.73 spent on tackling the issues. Figures we obtained also show the council spent a further £4,970.30 on housing repairs following just 5 complaints from tenants.

Fife Council

Fife Council received a whopping 1,652 complaints and mould and damp in council owned properties since November, 2021. 

The Council has spent around £400,000 on tackling the issues. A further 92 complaints were made in regards to housing disrepair.

Great Yarmouth Council

Great Yarmouth Council received 1,048 complaints about mould and damp in council owned properties since November, 2021. 

The Council has spent around £350,000 on tackling the issues. A further 51 complaints were made in regards to housing disrepair. 

In total, GYC forked out £343,480.93 just on mould and damp issues in their properties.