Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment they have made of the adequacy of guidance on the treatment of established mould in homes; and whether he has had discussions with industry bodies in the housing, surveying and remediation sectors on developing more consistent technical standards for mould remediation.

My Department publishes guidance on ‘Damp and mould: understanding and addressing the health risks for rented housing providers’ which can be found on gov.uk here. This guidance was developed with an advisory group consisting of academics and experts as well as contractors involved in remedial and preventative work.

The guidance is clear that simply treating surface mould will not prevent it from reappearing, and that its underlying causes, including building deficiencies, inadequate ventilation and condensation, should be identified and tackled.

On 23 June we brought into force the review to Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), the tool used to assess health and safety hazards including damp and mould in homes. Over 1000 specialists with experience and relevance to the HHSRS and the housing sector contributed to the review, which includes detailed technical guidance covering how to assess damp and mould hazards.