Council pioneers new process for dealing with damp and mould
Monday 4 December, 2023: Hillingdon Council is pioneering a new online system to track and tackle cases of damp and mould in social housing more effectively.
The new process uses the council's digital repairs management system Oneserve, but has been developed and adapted in-house by the council's housing repairs team. The updated system now allows the team to fully track any cases of damp, mould or condensation found in homes, from the initial discovery to final repair and every step along the journey.
The online repairs system pulls various workstreams into one cohesive system, which allows the council to be more responsive to new cases and has already resulted in more effective interventions and happier residents.
Cllr Jonathan Bianco, Hillingdon Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport, said: "We're committed to creating a borough with thriving, healthy households and being a council at the forefront of digital innovation.
"Residents can have peace of mind that once an issue is reported, it becomes fully accountable through this new system, which allows us to accurately track how many cases we've had and exactly where they are in the repairs process. This is no small feat with the council being responsible for more than 10,000 homes, generating between 30,000 and 40,000 repairs per year.
"With the multiple health issues posed by damp and mould this digital repairs system ensures the wellbeing of council tenants is front and centre in our approach, but also allows complete accountability over every stage of every case.
"It's a brilliant piece of work by our housing repairs team in creating this new channel and this is reflected in the fact that other councils are looking to adopt it too."
Find helpful advice on identifying and dealing with damp and mould in our guide which you can download at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/damp-mould.