More than one and a half million children in England are living in cold, damp or mouldy homes, according to estimates from charity Citizens Advice.
Around 2.7 million households are living in drafty rentals, new research suggests, costing the average private tenant in England £350 more a year in heating bills.
The government is taking action against social housing landlords to make sure they are fixing damp and mould in their properties, after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his Rochdale home.
A review by the Regulator of Social Housing after Awaab’s death found an estimated 120,000 to 160,000 social homes in England had “notable” issues with damp and mould.
Charity Citizens Advice is calling on the government to bring in further regulation on the private rental sector, in line with the action taken on social housing following his death.
In response to a poll of 2,000 private renters, 30 per cent of people said that they can’t heat their home to a comfortable temperature. This rose to 45 per cent for disabled tenants.
Some 58 per cent of private renters surveyed said they were struggling with damp, mould or excessive cold in their properties.
Laurie, a single mother with two sons under five, said she worried about how her children’s health was impacted by their mouldy, damp home.
She moved into the rented property in April 2022 but a few months after moving she noticed issues with mould and damp. She has since been able to find a new property and move out.
Her letting agent at the time put a vent in the roof and told Laurie to keep the heating at a certain temperature. However, Laurie, who was on a prepayment meter, couldn’t afford to keep the heating on high.
She said: “I was so worried about both my son’s health. They’ve been so poorly and I’ve had them both in hospital with chest infections. They were never sick like this before.
“My youngest son was waking up in the night, absolutely freezing. I’ve had that worry of ‘are they going to freeze to death because it’s that cold?’”
She added: “The agency made me think the issue was with me, and the condensation was due to ventilation issues. I’ve dealt with condensation in previous houses, but nothing like the mould and damp in this house.”
The problem is particularly acute in the least energy-efficient homes, with private tenants 73 per cent more likely to live with damp if their property had a low energy performance certificate.
Poorly insulated and damp homes cost £350 more a year in bills, but this rose to £950 for homes with the poorest insulation, according to analysis from Citizens Advice.
Gillian Cooper, head of energy policy at the charity, said: “Every week we hear stories of people living in cold, damp and mouldy properties they can’t afford to heat properly.
“It’s shameful that more than 20 years since legislation came into force to reduce fuel poverty and improve the energy performance of homes, people are still suffering.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are covering around half of the typical household’s energy bill this winter, but these conditions are unacceptable.
“That is why we are introducing a Decent Homes Standard for the Private Rented Sector for the first time ever which will make sure tenants have a safe and decent place to live.”
