Damp And Mould
I help housing providers and councils drive positive behaviour change — improving service delivery, resident engagement and communications.
In the wake of Awaab’s Law, there is a pressing and urgent need for housing providers to tackle damp and mould.
The challenge is that the solution is not always a simple fix. Missed appointments, refused access, delayed and incorrect reporting, mistrust and more continue to undermine outcomes.
This is where behavioural science and neuroscience play a critical role, offering a holistic solution that combines an analysis of the real barriers to change with interventions that actually work.
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Positive change, measurable impact
I work with you using my four-step behavioural framework – Behaviour, Examine, Solve, and Test (B.E.S.T.) – to understand what’s driving resident behaviour, build trust, and deliver measurable improvements.
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1) Behaviour – define the challenge
I start by understanding the real context of your challenge, working with you to identify a long list of the actual problems and behaviours you face.
Examples include:
- Do you face too many reports of damp and mould?
- What sort of reports do you get in? Are they actually damp and mould issues or something else?
- What is the user journey to report damp and mould actually like?
- How do you prioritise different jobs?
- How do your internal systems work?
- What are the actual reasons behind residents refusing access?
- Do residents refuse access because they don’t trust you?
- Do residents miss appointments because they forget or don’t want to let you in?
- Do residents fail to ventilate their homes because they are worried about heating bills?
Spending time compiling this long list is vital, as it allows you to take the time to consider which problems are most important.
From this point, I work with you to define these issues collaboratively, using workshops, one-to-one interviews and co-creation sessions to target the right behaviours.
I can also help you carry out new research – including surveys and focus groups – to achieve this.
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2) Examine – identify drivers and barriers
After defining the behaviours to target, we explore who needs to do what, when, and where — and what influences those decisions.
The COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation → Behaviour) is a practical way to diagnose what is really happening.
Capability barriers
First up are the knowledge and capability barriers. This can be a good place to start, but just focusing on communications and knowledge alone is often a temporary fix – it rarely changes behaviour when the barriers are complex.
Here are some of the knowledge barriers to consider. Residents may:
- not recognise the early signs of damp and mould
- lack confidence to report issues
- misunderstand ventilation or heating guidance, leading to repeated damp and mould reports
- struggle with digital reporting systems
Often, though, you may think that if only you tell residents enough or more times, it will solve the problem. But if residents are dealing with the cost of living and stressed, busy lives, the brain can prioritise these (and telling people what to do may not work, and may even make things worse).
Or if residents in older or poorly maintained homes come to see damp as “just how houses are,” this can delay reporting and prevent timely intervention. In this case, it’s the perception of their home that is a barrier to overcome.
In both cases, just telling people to report damp and mould is not the answer.
Opportunity barriers
This is where opportunity comes in, the environmental barriers to change. Residents are well informed, understand damp and mould, but face other barriers, which include:
- inconvenient appointment times
- contractors not turning up
- unclear repair pathways
- repeated re-reporting
- inaccessible channels
- poor coordination between teams
And on the landlord side, an in-depth analysis of the barriers — including residents, contractors, staff and partners — can reveal the root causes of damp and mould issues.
Motivation barriers
Finally, we come to motivation, often the most misunderstood element of behaviour change. This is all about attitudes, beliefs and planned decisions versus automatic ones, like habits.
Take refusing access, for example. This is rarely about “non-compliance”.
On the resident side, the reasons for refusing access are driven by much more complex reasons, which include:
- fear of blame
- shame or stigma
- previous negative experiences
- lack of trust
- emotional fatigue
Another good example of motivation is around ventilation. Residents may avoid putting on the heating or properly ventilating their home. Hyperbolic discounting explains this. This is where the brain gives more weight to immediate, visible costs than to future, abstract health risks. Understanding how we make choices about the here and now, our immediate concerns, is often overlooked and can be powerful when designing interventions that work.
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3) Solve – design the solutions
With the behavioural barriers clearly diagnosed, we move into solution design, focusing on a holistic approach.
Together, we co-create targeted interventions that make the right behaviours easier for residents and staff, and the wrong ones harder. For damp and mould, this typically includes a mix of:
- redesigned reporting pathways that remove friction and increase trust
- clearer, calmer communications that explain why access is needed, not just that it is
- appointment and access approaches that work around residents’ real lives
- trusted messenger models (who do residents know, like and trust)
- proactive prompts and reminders, based on the science, that reduce missed visits
- service changes that reduce repeat reporting and handoffs
Crucially, solutions are rooted in the reality of damp and mould, not generic engagement tactics. Where appropriate, I also help teams explore the use of data, sensors and AI-enabled monitoring to identify issues earlier and move from reactive responses to prevention.
Interventions can be piloted on a single block, estate or tenure type first — allowing you to learn quickly, refine approaches, and build confidence before scaling.
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4) Test – evaluate what works
Finally, we measure what matters. I help you create a robust evaluation framework to track what’s working — and what isn’t.
The means focusing on outcomes that matter for damp and mould, such as:
- earlier reporting of issues
- improved access rates
- fewer failed or repeated visits
- faster resolution times
- reduce escalations and complaints
- improved resident trust and satisfaction.
To find out how I can help you drive change, book a FREE planning call with me, and I’ll talk you through all four steps and how this can help you to tackle housing challenges.
Email me at dominic@behaviourchangenetwork.com
Dominic Ridley-Moy FCIPR, Chart.PR, Dip CIPR
Behaviour Change Network founder
Damp and mould in social housing – frequently asked questions
Housing associations, councils and landlords are facing increased regulatory, reputational and operational risk from damp and mould. Senior leaders are increasingly asking not just what to do, but why existing approaches fail — particularly around access, reporting, trust and resident behaviour.
These FAQs address common questions raised by housing directors, compliance leads, asset managers, repairs teams and housing officers in general looking to tackle damp and mould effectively under Awaab’s Law.
What is Awaab’s Law?
Awaab’s Law is a legal requirement in England that forces social landlords to investigate and fix hazards such as damp and mould within strict timeframes, following the death of Awaab Ishak from prolonged exposure to mould in social housing. The law strengthens tenants’ rights and places a clear duty on housing associations and councils to act quickly, communicate effectively and prevent health risks escalating.
Why was Awaab’s Law introduced?
Awaab’s Law was introduced to prevent tragedies caused by delayed responses, poor communication and failure to act on serious housing hazards. It aims to ensure damp and mould is treated as a health and safety issue, not a minor repairs problem, with clear accountability for landlords.
Why do damp and mould problems persist in social housing even after repairs are completed?
Because damp and mould is rarely just a building defect. Repairs often address the symptom, but behaviours, trust issues, reporting journeys, access barriers and internal service handoffs continue to drive repeat cases. Without addressing these behavioural and system factors, damp and mould returns.
How does Awaab’s Law change how housing associations and councils must tackle damp and mould?
Awaab’s Law turns damp and mould into a time-critical compliance and safety issue, not just a repairs problem. Landlords must evidence early identification, prompt action and effective resident engagement — including how they manage access refusals, delayed reporting and repeat cases, not just how quickly works are completed.
Why do residents refuse access for damp and mould inspections or repairs in social housing?
Refusing access is rarely about non-compliance. It is more commonly driven by fear of blame, stigma, previous negative experiences, lack of trust, appointment inflexibility and emotional fatigue. Treating access as a behavioural and trust issue leads to higher cooperation and better outcomes.
How can housing providers improve access rates for damp and mould works?
Access improves when journeys are designed around residents’ real lives. This includes explaining why access matters, offering flexible appointments, using trusted messengers, providing proactive reminders, ensuring consistent contractor behaviour and reducing repeat visits caused by poor coordination.
Why don’t traditional damp and mould communications change resident behaviour?
Because they don’t look at all the influences on behaviour. Traditional communication and solutions make not take into account that people may be stressed, worried about energy costs or distrustful of landlords. Behaviourally informed communications reduce anxiety, avoid blame, create psycological saftey, and make the right actions feel easier and safer.
How can behavioural science help housing associations tackle damp and mould?
Behavioural science explains why residents delay reporting, refuse access or struggle with ventilation. It helps housing providers design interventions that improve trust, access, reporting and compliance — rather than relying on awareness campaigns alone.
How can landlords encourage earlier reporting of damp and mould?
Earlier reporting helps remove fear and friction. This means simplifying reporting pathways, clearly explaining what should be reported, reassuring residents they won’t be blamed, and using language that encourages early action rather than escalation. This isn’t always the solution, but when these are the barriers to change, they make a difference.
Why do residents avoid ventilating their homes properly?
Ventilation can compete with immediate concerns like heating costs and comfort. Behavioural effects mean short-term financial anxiety outweighs long-term health risks. Effective interventions acknowledge this reality and provide practical, achievable guidance rather than generic advice. There are many other reasons, and the key is always to match the intervention(s) with the underlying beahviour(s) and influence(s) on those behaviours.
How do internal repairs and housing systems contribute to repeat damp and mould cases?
Disconnected systems, unclear ownership, poor data sharing and repeated handoffs create delays, duplication and frustration. A behavioural approach looks at both resident and organisational behaviour to identify where systems unintentionally reinforce repeat problems.
What does good resident engagement look like for damp and mould compliance?
Good engagement is proactive, honest and two-way. Residents understand what’s happening, why access matters, what they can influence and what is non-negotiable. Feedback is acted on, trust is prioritised and engagement supports safety rather than feeling like a tick-box exercise.
How should housing directors take a system-wide approach to damp and mould?
By treating damp and mould as a behavioural, operational and cultural issue, not just a repairs task. This means aligning compliance, asset management, repairs, communications and resident engagement around shared outcomes.
How do housing providers measure success beyond closing damp and mould cases?
Meaningful measures include earlier reporting, improved access rates, fewer missed or repeat visits, faster resolution times, reduced escalation and complaints, and improved resident trust and satisfaction — not just jobs completed.
Can damp and mould interventions be tested before scaling across a housing stock?
Yes. Piloting interventions on a single block, estate or tenure type allows teams to learn quickly, refine approaches and build evidence before scaling, reducing risk and improving value for money.
How can housing associations and councils get started?
A structured behavioural approach helps diagnose what is really driving damp and mould in your organisation and design interventions that work in practice. A short planning session can identify where behaviour, systems and trust are undermining outcomes — and where change will have the biggest impact.
