Tower Hamlets Council has launched a new Damp and Mould Policy, designed to align with Awaab's Law and the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023. The policy aims to improve the council's response to damp and mould issues in its housing stock.
The policy, which was discussed at the Housing Management (Cabinet) Sub-Committee meeting on 5 November 2025, sets out how the council will document attempts to resolve damp and mould within a set timeframe. It also outlines circumstances where the council might rely on this documentation as a legal defence if it is unable to comply with Awaab's Law requirements due to exceptional circumstances. These circumstances can include access issues, where the council is unable to gain access to the property to complete investigations or remedial works despite making multiple reasonable attempts to arrange access with tenants, including offering flexible appointment times and using various communication methods, and instances where the council is unable to contact a tenant to arrange necessary investigations or gather essential information about their circumstances, despite making reasonable efforts to do so.
The Mayor in Housing Management Cabinet Sub Committee has delegated authority to the Director of Housing Property & Asset Management to amend the Damp and Mould Policy in accordance with legal precedent or developments, in consultation with the Mayor.
The policy was drafted following consultation with residents, which revealed that many were unaware of what to do if damp and mould appeared in their homes. The consultation found that residents wanted to be informed how to tackle damp and mould with leaflets, and that the most frequent response about what residents want to see from the council was addressing the root causes. According to the public reports pack, 39% of respondents were unaware of what they should do if damp and mould were to appear in their home, and 33% were unaware of where they could get help. To address this, the council plans to distribute leaflets to residents, ensuring that those without online access receive the necessary information.
Key points of the new policy include:
- Clear timescales for response, including a 24-hour emergency response and 10-day standard investigations.
- Emphasis on proactive landlord responsibility and resident support.
- A communication strategy that includes leaflets and online resources to address knowledge gaps.
During the meeting, Karen from the council's Housing Management team reflected on discussions about the policy a couple of weeks prior, and noted that some changes had been made as a result. The policy previously included some things around what residents should do, which has been moved to comms material. She also noted that instead of creating a separate hotline, the housing contact centre triage system has been changed to prioritise damp and mould reports. When residents call the Housing Contact Centre, the first question they are asked is, Do you want to report damp and mould in your property?
. Selecting this option brings it to the top of the triage system.
Steve, Director of Assets and Repairs for Housing Management, said that the council has been coping well with the new legislation, and that they are dealing with damp and mould cases in line with the legislation.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman stressed the importance of performance managing the repair service to ensure contractors are carrying out repairs promptly and effectively. He also requested a comms strategy to make sure residents know what the council's policy is, and what the expectation is of the council. The council has escalated repairs performance issues at the highest level within its main Contractor, including the application of KPI performance penalties against overdue repairs. According to the public reports pack, this is the first time the council has applied penalties such as this since insourcing and demonstrates its commitment to robust contract management in order to deliver a better service for residents.
Councillor Kabir Ahmed added that the council will have proactive inspections, so when they do gas inspections and other statutory inspections, they will also be scoping out properties and identifying early if there are any issues around damp and mould and other repair issues so that that can fit in as well.
