Camden’s 5PS offices in King’s Cross

DAMP sensors are to be installed in council homes as repair teams prepare for a new wave of complaints about “unsustainable” council housing stock.

The internet-connected detectors can check if ventilation systems are failing and give air quality measurements directly back to the Town Hall.

More than 500 homes are expected to be fitted as part of a range of measures being introduced as new legislation comes into effect next month.

Awaab’s Law, named after a two-year-old boy whose death was caused by a mouldy room, is set to put serious pressure on Camden’s housing repairs department that is already struggling to keep pace with demand.

Council officers told the cross-party housing Scrutiny Committee on Monday night that 17 homes had been detected as having a “category 1” hazard for mould and damp during a preliminary survey.

The internal review was carried out to help the council understand how it is likely to be affected by the new regulatory standards coming into effect on October 27.

“We surveyed over 5,326 homes this year and of those, 17 had a Category 1 hazard for damp and mould,” said Gavin Haynes director of property management at the council.

“When you have that hazard highlighted, you are going to have very tight timeline indeed. There are clear targets that we now have to meet.”

Awaab’s Law legislation means the council must investigate potential hazards within ten working days, make full repairs in five working days and do any emergency work in 24 hours.

Around 100 staff have received training and working group has been set up, the meeting heard.

A report from the housing department contained some sobering facts about council housing stock.

“The average Camden property generates £10,000 in income but requires £15,000 in repairs, creating a structural deficit of £5,000 per home,” the report said.

“This gap is financially unsustainable …”

The meeting heard that customer satisfaction levels were improving following changes to the repairs service.

A council officer told the meeting a digital system for reporting and tracking council repairs, provided by the company MadeTech, was helping to rebuild trust in tenants.

Councillor Meric Apak, a former housing chief at the Town Hall, said tenants should not be left “in limbo”, adding: “My experience, speaking as a tenant, is that there has been a vast improvement [in the repairs service].”