Resident housing problems fuel report to improve housing standards across London.
MOULD-infested properties in Islington have been the driving force behind a new report by the London Assembly Environment Committee, which will put pressure on the Mayor of London to improve the quality of London properties.
Cllr Caroline Russell, who is chair of the committee, said that her personal experiences with residents in the borough had heavily influenced the report, titled ‘Keeping out the chill’.
“More and more households are having to manage condensation and black mould. It’s widespread in my ward of Highbury East – the Park View estate especially.
“One woman told how she had to throw out her baby’s bedding because of black mould. Another mother on Taverner Square estate had had her windows fitted by the council but was still being affected by condensation. Others residents had black mould coming through wallpaper.”
Multi-faceted problem
Cllr Russell said that the problem was multi-faceted.
“Without airflow you end up more likely to get condensation. So in overcrowded households they are more likely to suffer – there are more people in the home to cook for, having a shower, drying clothes after a wash.
“By being in an overcrowded home, Londoners are more at risk.”
The report demands that the Mayor should specify that “new housing, especially social and affordable rent properties, has ventilation designed to cope if the home were to become overcrowded [and that] programmes should account for occupancy levels and the need for heat, ventilation and energy advice as well as insulation, to prevent condensation.”
Changes made
There has already been practical changes made to properties in Thamesmead in Greenwich and Bexley.
The council there has focused on over-crowded homes and put in extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms. The fans cost just £1 a month.
Next to the fans there is a vent that reacts to amounts of moisture. If people are cooking, or in the shower, the vent opens wide and takes in more air. When the air is dry it goes narrower because of nylon strips that expand and contract in relation to moisture.
“Thamesmead is a great example,” says cllr Russell. “The system of active ventilation is a way to affordably make these homes fit to live in. If your home is not a sanctuary and you’re constantly struggling with mould and condensation – if it’s an ongoing battle to make your home fit to live in – then it’s depressing.
“This issue absolutely affects mental health as well as people suffering from physical conditions such as COPD and asthma.”
