little awaab was in social housing where there has been some improvement in the last decade. in 2010 just over 7% of social rented properties had damp, now it s 5% but that is still 200,000 homes. 0wner occupied properties have also seen an improvement but damp is currently present in around 300,000 homes. in the less regulated private rented sector, one in ten homes still have damp problems that s more than 400,000 properties. there have been calls for damp and mould to be treated like gas safety and legionella, compelling landlords to sort it out or face prosecution. the government is also looking to introduce a legally binding decent homes standard in the private rented sector, matching rules already in place for social housing. but this is a scandal decades in the making, with millions paying to live in homes that are deficient, dangerous or deadly.
are dangerous to their health. it is estimated that, in england, illness caused by poor housing costs the nhs £1.1t billion a year. there is a decent homes standard set by government, but the latest english housing survey finds 3.5 million homes fail to reach the minimum requirement. and of those, 2.2 million have what is called a categoryi hazard, meaning they present the highest risk of serious harm or death. damp and mould dangers associated with allergies, respiratory disease and damage to the immune system, is found in almost one million homes in england. little awaab was in social housing where there has been some improvement in the last decade. in 2010 just over 7% of social rented properties had damp, now it s 5% but that is still 200,000 homes. 0wner occupied properties