The App Helping Housing Providers Detect Damp and Mould
Housemark has launched a damp and mould detection app to help housing providers detect and record damp and mould in homes. Housing Industry Leaders looks at how this can increase residents’ health and safety and customer satisfaction.
The release of Housemark’s property inspection management platform, Photobook+ coincides with new data from the housing data specialists which shows that complaints by social housing residents in the UK have risen by 50 per cent since 2022 – much of this relates to damp and mould.
In addition, the latest Housemark data shows the number of repairs in England completed within the target time has dropped to 83 per cent.
How Can The App Speed Up Safety Inspections?
It is said by Housemark that Photoboook+ gives providers the ability to detect mould in their properties, up to six months before spores become visible.
Landlords such as Hyde Housing, Thirteen Group, Home Group and Nottingham City Homes has already began using the app.
Zack Hodge, Head of Photobook at Housemark explained that the app will help housing providers support their residents and ensure that their residents’ health is a key priority: “As the data is showing, landlords are struggling to complete repairs within their target times which will impact the well-being of tenants and also likely lower landlords’ customer satisfaction scores.”
Our new Photobook+ module can speed up the entire process of checking for and remediating damp and mould.
It can speed up the entire process with the help of a thorough step-by-step guide which means that any member of staff can carry out a full damp and mould inspection, also eliminating the expense of hiring damp and mould specialists.
Scientific readings from Photobook+ damp and mould inspections are analysed through a unique predictive insights engine. This provides building and maintenance teams with prioritised workloads of corrective actions or reschedules the local housing officer to visit again to monitor.
Zack continued to express that tackling damp and mould in housing is crucial: “In the wake of the Awaab’s Law amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill in England, the guidance and requirements for monitoring damp and mould as well as overall housing decency is clear, and it has never been more vital to get ahead.”
Photobook+ gives landlords the ability to change the way this vital challenge is tackled.
How Will Technology Help To Detect Damp And Mould?
Technology can be extremely helpful when it comes to identifying damp and mould, for example, using devices like Invisible Systems IoT sensors, housing providers are able to monitor environmental conditions inside their houses to detect potential risks or existing issues.
Data collected from IoT sensors will play a crucial role in future regeneration projects as analysing the data for trends and patterns can show housing providers which regions or properties are particularly prone to damp and ensure that properties have the proper insulation installed.
By viewing collected data by these wireless monitors, housing providers can see which properties are at risk of mould, damp, and condensation. This incentivises them to take pre-emptive measures or tackle the problem areas before they deteriorate further. By acting early, housing providers can stop excessive costs.
In addition, based on repeated patterns or data-driven insights, housing providers can then deliver tailored advice to their tenants and provide accurate information about where they need to adopt better ventilation or heating practices, for example. Also, as the data can be analysed remotely, there is less need for intrusive on-site investigations.
