Updated professional guide sets the standard for tackling damp and mould in social housing

Two of the leading professional bodies in England's social housing sector have joined forces to publish updated guidance on dealing with damp and mould. The Chartered Institute of Housing and the Chartered Institute of Building have produced the guide jointly, refreshing advice the CIH first issued in 2022 and bringing it into line with recent legal changes.

The guide, titled 'Tackling damp and mould: Professional practice, cultural change and regulation in social housing', takes account of legislative developments including Awaab's Law and the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. It also adds a new section on the construction causes of damp and mould, an acknowledgement that the problem is not always one of maintenance alone.

In terms of content, the guide combines practical advice with a theoretical framework for addressing the two issues. It walks landlords through the scenarios they most commonly face: recognising damp and mould in a home, problem solving with residents, resolving root causes and responding to hazardous situations. Just as importantly, it confronts the culture and stigma that so often surround these complaints.

Case studies drawn from across the sector illustrate collaborations that have benefited towns, tenants, children, families, combined authorities and housing associations alike.

Eve Blezard, policy lead at the CIH and co-author of the report, set out the stakes clearly. Providing safe homes, she argued, is central to a landlord's role, and damp and mould can pose a significant risk to residents' health while often being symptoms of wider problems in housing, including disrepair, inequality, stigma and systems under pressure. Tackling them well, with professionalism and genuine care for residents, is both a legal requirement and a measure of the kind of sector social housing wants to be. Her message was that the guide is about resident safety, but also about people being listened to and treated with respect, which takes professionalism, empathy and follow-through.

For the construction side of the sector, David Barnes, head of policy and public affairs at the CIOB, described the guide as a valuable resource for members across a wide range of roles and responsibilities, noting that the need to prevent and better deal with damp and mould has rightly become a higher priority. He stressed the importance of maintaining a strong focus on each individual property's building pathology rather than rolling out one-size-fits-all measures, saying the guide is designed to support the professionals who build, retrofit and maintain social housing so that interventions are impactful and do not exacerbate problems. With the new Prime Minister putting social housing high on his agenda, he added, the guide is being published at an ideal time.

For renters, the practical message is that damp and mould complaints should be met with professionalism, empathy and follow-through. If you have reported mould and been fobbed off, the combination of new legal requirements and this refreshed professional guidance strengthens your position: the sector is being told, explicitly, that listening to residents and treating them with respect is part of the job, not a bonus.

For landlords, the takeaway is starker. With Awaab's Law and the 2025 regulations now part of the legal landscape the guidance reflects, treating damp and mould as a box-ticking exercise is an increasingly risky strategy. Embedding the guide's emphasis on root causes, building pathology and resident care into everyday practice offers landlords the surest path to compliance, and to the kind of trust that the sector's own leadership says must be earned.