Tips for Dealing with Damp and Mould

What is mould?

Mould is a type of fungus that grows in damp places. If you’ve got mould at home, you’ll probably notice fuzzy black, white or green patches on the walls, ceilings or tiles. It might smell damp and musty.

Mould is more common in homes which need repairs like window frames fixed, or leaks sorted out. You might notice it’s more damp and mouldy in bathrooms or kitchens because of condensation from washing and cooking.

Why damp and mould are a problem for asthma

Living in a damp, mouldy home is not good for asthma. Babies, small children, older people, and people with allergies are more likely to be affected.

Mould produces spores which can be breathed in. If you’re allergic to mould spores you might have symptoms like coughing, wheezing, sneezing or watery eyes. And it could trigger your asthma symptoms.

Damp and mouldy housing can put you more at risk of other things that can make asthma worse like chest infections, colds and flu, and rhinitis.

What to do if you’ve got damp and mould at home

If you think your home is damp, or you’ve noticed mould, it’s best to act quickly to sort out the problem before it gets worse.

You need to:

• Deal with the damp – find out what’s causing the damp, such as leaks, or condensation from cooking, showering or drying clothes indoors.

• Deal with the mould – don’t try and get rid of any mould by yourself if it triggers asthma – ask a friend to help. And always get a mould removal specialist or builder in if the mould covers more than a square metre, or if it’s caused by problems with the building itself, or sewage.

• Report any repairs or leaks, or problems with mould to your landlord

5 Top tips to prevent damp and mould at home

1.  Open windows and doors so air can move around.

2. Try to avoid drying clothes indoors. If you have nowhere else to dry them, open a window if you can.

3. Use extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom or open a window when cooking or after a shower.

4. Close the door of the room you’re in if you’re cooking or showering – to prevent condensation in other rooms

5. Try to keep your home at a good background temperature so it never gets too cold – at least 15 degrees in all rooms.

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Bad Weather Causing Delays to Roof Repairs for Tenants – Update with Out of Hours Advice for the Weekend

We are receiving a lot of calls requesting repairs to leaky roofs. Unfortunately, due to the severe weather and the danger to contractors of carrying out such repairs, they may have to wait until the weather improves so they can be repaired safely. We ask tenants to try to minimise damage to their properties from leaks until we can undertake works safely. We fully appreciate that this is not what tenants want to hear but we must consider health and safety for all at this time. Please continue to report repairs as normal during normal office hours, but be aware you may have to wait as the telephone lines are very busy.

The weather will affect our emergency out of hours repairs service over the weekend. We are prioritising those who are at serious risk of flooding, so please only phone the ACCESSLine if your repair is an absolute emergency. Our contractors are having great difficulty travelling in Angus because of the weather, and if you have a roof leak, please try to contain the leak before contacting us as our repairs contractors will not be able to go onto roofs to repair leaks until the weather improves.

Best Group of Housing award for the new Cliffburn flats in Arbroath

We are delighted to announce that our recently completed development of 14 new flats at Cliffburn in Arbroath was voted winner in the category of ‘Best Group of Housing’ at the Dundee Institute of Architects Awards on 17 November 2022.

It’s great that the project has been very well received generally and especially by our tenants. The simple but clever design has transformed a vacant site in this part of Arbroath, and this award is recognition for the efforts of all involved.

Important Safety Notice – Glen Dimplex Home Appliances – What to do if you have a Belling, New World or Stoves gas cooker

On Wednesday 2 November, Glen Dimplex Home Appliances (GDHA) issued a public announcement for more than 66,000 dangerous gas cookers which pose a carbon monoxide poisoning risk. 

GDHA have to visit every home with an affected Belling, New World or Stoves cooker to carry out a free technical modification so that the operation of the gas grill is safe. Affected consumers can contact the company immediately to book an appointment.  This action follows intervention by The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) following a death reported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in February 2022.  The HSE concluded a Belling gas grill had been used with the door closed which caused a significant build-up of carbon monoxide to escape into the property.  OPSS analysed product safety data which revealed certain models of GDHA gas cookers with a separate gas grill have an inherent carbon monoxide risk putting consumers in danger.

Until their cookers are made safe, the key advice from GDHA and OPSS is to ensure that affected consumers leave the grill door open when in operation.

Consumers must call 0800 110 5728 or email consumersupport@glendimplex.com to register for the free modification. In the meantime, consumers must only use the gas grill with the grill door open.

For further information, please access the following webpages:

• https://www.belling.co.uk/en-gb
• https://www.stoves.co.uk/en-gb
• https://newworld.family/safety-notice

OPSS has also required GDHA and retailers to remove the product from sale immediately.

A link to the news story is available on the Scottish Government website.