Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing specific funding to social housing providers to eradicate damp and mould in properties.

Social housing providers must meet the Decent Homes Standard, which includes the requirement to keep properties free from dangerous damp and mould. The Government has been clear that they should be able to meet this standard based on the rent settlement (rental income across the sector exceeded £21 billion in 2021-22), and must prioritise repairs when making funding decisions. Government is also providing capital funding to help social landlords meet the costs of carrying out building safety remediation and making their homes more energy efficient, to support the delivery of new affordable housing as well as a £30 million fund for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to support improvements in the quality of social housing in their area with a focus on damp and mould.

We are reviewing the Decent Homes Standard. We also introduced Awaab's Law into the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, committing to set strict time limits for social landlords to investigate and repair significant hazards in their homes, including damp and mould.

We will consult on the details of Awaab's Law shortly. The Government also published consolidated damp and mould guidance in September, setting out clearly for landlords and other housing professionals the health risks associated with damp and mould.