Damp can cause mould or mildew on walls, furniture and even clothing. It is unpleasant, not nice to look at and can be bad for your health.

Our aim is to eradicate – as far as is possible – damp and mould from our homes. But to do that we need to work with you. In this leaflet we look at the different causes of damp and mould and suggest what we can do as landlord and resident to solve the problem.

Working out what is causing the problem

The reasons for damp and possibly mould growth arising are: leaks, structural damage, inadequate ventilation/heating and condensation. It is important for us to work out which of these is the main cause so we can adopt the most effective course of action.

What will we do if you report damp and mould?

The first thing we will do is to ask you to try some preventative measures for a 6-week period. The reason we do this is that around 1 in 5 cases of damp and mould can be solved with this approach and it is helpful to eliminate it as a cause. We have included some of the main tips overleaf. If, at the end of this period you still have a problem, contact us again and we will arrange for someone to come round to your home to investigate.

How to reduce condensation

Condensation appears when moist air touches a colder surface. This
can be a window, external wall or even a mirror. It also happens when
the air cannot move which is why you can find it behind furniture or
inside wardrobes.
There are 4 key things we can do to reduce condensation in our homes:

• Produce less moisture – tips include putting lids on pans when
  cooking, drying clothes outside if you can and venting your tumble
  dryer to the outside.
• Let the damp air out – use extractor fans if you have them, keep
  kitchen or bathroom doors shut and open the window so steam
  goes outside. Trickle vents and a gap between furniture and walls,
  keeps air moving and fresh. To keep air moving, keep a gap between
  furniture and walls.
• Heat our homes a little more – while you don’t want to be wasting
  money on heating, having heating on low in rooms you don’t use very
  much will help prevent them becoming damp.
• Insulate and draught proof them as much as we can – draught
  proofing will help keep your home warmer. When the whole house
  is warm, condensation is less likely to form.

First steps in dealing with mould

Wipe down areas with a fungicidal wash (not bleach or washing up liquid). Look for one with a Health & Safety Executive approval number. Spray onto the cloth, not the affected area. You can also paint areas with anti-fungicidal paint. Please let us know if you are struggling to afford this.

What we are doing to eradicate damp and mould

We have been researching with residents the issues they face and installed temperature and humidity sensors in some homes to monitor issues. We have collected data on our homes to plan for future investments which will include works to minimise the likelihood of damp and mould problems.

If you have an issue with mould or damp, call us on 0300 2000 120 or email customerservices@wandle.com.

We are delighted to announce that Martina Brown has been shortlisted at this year’s Women in Housing Awards in the Woman of the year category.

Martina is Wandle’s Neighbourhood Customer Services Manager. She is a passionate and dedicated housing professional, and Wandle are lucky to have her.

The ceremony takes place in Manchester on Monday 26 June. Good luck Martina!

Wandle’s estate improvement fund was set up in June 2020 to deliver much needed works to our estates.

Many of the projects have been hugely welcomed by residents, and it has delivered
a valuable improvement to their local communities.

Below are some examples of how the estate improvement fund has had a positive impact.

Thalia Court
The recessed area directly outside the bin chamber doors at Thalia Court was being
Used as a dumping ground for local shop keepers and passers-by.

This meant that the bin chamber doors were often blocked with refuse, and residents
were unable to get into the bin chamber which was creating an unsightly and
unhygienic mess.

For years, bulk refuse collections were arranged every week, often twice a week to
continuously remove the piles of rubbish mounting in this location. This was
incredibly costly and time consuming. And only resolving the issue for the short term.

The estate improvement budget was able to fund works to remove the recessed area
for dumping refuse.

The final costs for the work works were £20k, and they have added enormous value
to the quality of life of Thalia residents as well reduce bulk refuse collection costs.

Belville Close
Belville Close residents requested a review of the parking spaces arrangements on their estate.

They asked for the parking bay numbers to be altered, the line markings to be repainted as they were needed a fresh lick of paint, as well as additional visitor spaces.

The estate improvement fund helped resolve these issues, and create a more harmonious community.

One of the biggest challenges to the housing team in delivering these projects is the technical nature of the work. However, they are usually of huge importance to our residents and help create and maintain safe and secure communities.

We are inviting all our residents to attend an online consultation about our planned kitchen and bathroom works.

By taking part you will be helping us to develop the standards and specifications for our decoration and maintenance programme. We also want to hear from you about what you want to see in your communal areas.

The workshop is taking place on Tuesday 28 March from 6pm – 8pm. If you are interested in taking part, please email customerempowerment@wandle.com.

We are pleased to announce that we have recently completed the purchase of 33 new homes from Scape’s Canada Water scheme, Whaling House.

The scheme was purchased from Scape, a student accommodation provider, and comprises of 10 shared ownership properties and 23 available for social rent.

That is not all, the scheme also includes a communal rooftop garden for residents to spend time and relax.

Olajide Akintelure, Head of Assets and Portfolio Development said: “I am pleased that these much-needed homes will provide families with a home that allows them to thrive in one of our key boroughs. We aim to deliver homes which are genuinely affordable, safe, sustainable, and well designed’.

Maria Ramos, Head of Customer Service Delivery, said: “I am proud that we are providing social rent homes to those who would otherwise struggle to afford a home of their own, or rising rent costs.

“Social rent homes provide the foundation people need to get on in life, put down roots, plan their future, and make their house a home. We are excited to welcome our new residents from early April 2023.”

Keep your eyes open for updates on this story in the near future!

We are participating in the Mayor’s Business Climate Challenge (BCC), a voluntary energy efficiency programme developed to support businesses in reducing their energy consumption, costs, and carbon emissions. By taking part, we are pledging to reduce our energy consumption 10% in a year.

To achieve this, we will receive free customised technical advice from consultants to help make our workplace more energy efficient and future-proof our business against rising energy prices.

Findings from the BCC pilot indicate that in the first 9 months of the programme, participants reduced their energy consumption on average by 16%, saving £8,300 in energy costs. 

We will keep you updated on our progress throughout the year.

Residents living in our sheltered schemes were delighted to receive their winter warmer packages.

Our customer empowerment team delivered 120 packages to Wandle residents. The packs contained warm blankets, mugs, puzzle books, socks and packs of biscuits.

It was a team effort, as the bags were packed by fellow colleagues, and delivered by our repair operatives.

This time of year is challenging for everyone, but compounded by the ongoing cost of living crisis, means that many of our more vulnerable residents are most at risk.

All the items were purchased using donations from our partners K&T Heating, Pinnacle, RMA Stewart, Ellesmere Construction and TW Drainage.

“Thank you to our partners for their kind donations, and to the customer empowerment team for making this happen. Wandle is aware of the struggles many of our residents are currently facing, and encourage anyone who needs support to get in touch.”

Suzanne Horsley, Executive Director Customer Services

The helping hand fund is available to all Wandle residents who are on very low incomes and struggling financially. It can be used to purchase food and other household items. To apply email helpinghandfund@wandle.com.

We have also partnered with Healthy Living Platform and their community pantry service in Lambeth. We are offering £5 vouchers to residents who would like to use this service. For more information, email customerempowerment@wandle.com.

From 4 May 2023, voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in some elections.

This change applies to:

• Local elections
• Police and crime commissioner elections
• UK parliamentary by-elections
• Recall petitions.

From October 2023, this will also apply to UK general elections.

If you do not own a valid form of ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

You can read more on the electoral commission website.

Residents living in Lambeth have been suffering for years due to excessive noise made by a difficult neighbour.

The local council and Police had served the perpetrator with several warnings, including a community protection warning for hosting parties that would last for several days, ruining her fellow neighbour’s quality of life and overall wellbeing.

In addition, our managing agent company had attempted to resolve the issue, but unfortunately the tenant refused to comply and would quickly become verbally abusive when confronted about her behaviour.

Our community safety officer worked hard to restore order to the block by working with the building managing agent and residents to collate evidence and formal statements against the perpetrator. We were eventually granted an ASB injunction to stop the loud music and parties, as well as the abusive behaviour.

Unfortunately, the tenant breached her injunction, so we had to seek outright possession of her home. Ideally in this situation, the behaviour would improve, and no one loses their home. However, the actions of the tenant were making the lives of her neighbours miserable, and we were granted outright possession of her home. This is a success for the residents who can now relax and feel safe in their homes.

Taking legal action is always our last resort, and we always try to work with and support any of our customers who are allegedly perpetrators of ASB, but in some incidences we have a greater duty of care those suffering.

We appreciate working from home means you may hear your neighbours more often, and it can be frustrating. We define noise related anti-social behaviour if the noise is persistent during the day or evening after 11pm.

In the first instance, we encourage you to speak to your neighbour if you feel safe to do so. If this still doesn’t improve the situation, contact the Environmental Health Officer and keep a diary of incidents to share with us.

If you think you are experiencing anti-social behaviour, please refer to our anti-social behaviour guide, or report any incidence using MyWandle.

We are delighted to hear that our former board member, Ian Green, has been awarded an OBE in the King’s New Years Honours List, in recognition for his services to charity and public health.

Ian sat on the board for Wandle for 9 years and was also a member of the audit committee and chair of the asset investment committee.

Congratulations Ian!