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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children living in homes with damp; and the impact of damp and mould on children's health in (1) 2021, and (2) 2022.

The department does not collect data on the number of children living in homes affected by damp and mould. We do, however, have the following information which sets out the proportion of households in each tenure with dependent children and the proportion of each tenure affected by damp. The English Housing Survey, at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-housing-survey, found that in 2021 – 2022 46% of mortgaged households, 32% of private renters, 33% of social renters and 7% of outright owners had dependent children. In 2021, 11% of privately renters, 4% of social renters and 2% of owner-occupiers had problems with damp.

Damp and mould has a serious impact on children’s health. Our consolidated guidance, developed with the Department for Health and Social Care (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers), assesses this and sets out how landlords should address damp and mould.