However, according to tenants rights campaigner, Ajay Jagota, the health of residents in millions of households is being put at risk as a result of them living in homes covered in mould.
An official government report into the “Thermal Comfort” of British homes has concluded that 27% of UK households currently have damp or mould patches on the walls or ceilings in their home -most commonly in a bedroom.
Households living in the private rented sector, housing association or local authority housing were described in a report as “significantly more likely” to report damp and/or mould problems than owner-occupiers
The most likely households to report problems with damp or mould are those made up of single parents with dependent children.
Research from the Building Research Establishment last year suggested that damp homes cost the NHS £38million a year and reported that 75,000 homes suffer from the “most serious” damp – enough properties to fill a town the size of Burton or Carlisle.
Ajay, who is also the founder of online claims management firm, Veriwise, responded to the figures: “Many of us have made a New Year’s resolution to get healthier, starting with a month without booze as part of Dry January. But in every corner of the country, there are renters whose health is being jeopardised by ‘damp January’.
“We get countless tenants asking us if their landlord has to repair damp or mould, and the answer is clear - if the damp or mould is a hazard to health or the result of a repair problem they have to.
“Sadly, too many landlords just ignore both the problem and their legal obligations, and what is even more horrifying is how often we hear from renters whose landlords would rather evict them than carry out repairs.
“This is another example of wilfully self-defeating behaviour from landlords who would rather go without rent payments than take care of their investments.
“When landlords don’t have their own interests at heart, it’s hard to expect them to think about their tenant’s interests. Veriwise was created to give renters who don’t have the financial resources or legal knowhow to protect their rights the backup they so clearly need”.
