These four associations form the Fife Housing Association Alliance, and their chief executives were keen to provide a joint educational event which would look at the causes of damp and mould in residential properties, an issue which has been brought to the fore in recent times. Coming together to share knowledge and learn from one another, the event also gave colleagues the opportunity to discuss the procedures each provider had put in place since the end of last year.

Caroline O’Donnell, director of operations at Fife Housing Group, said: “Dealing with mould and damp is a priority in the sector and it is important that we all have a solid understanding of the causes and solutions to enable us to deal with it properly. That was the focus of the morning and it was great to be in a position to share that knowledge and to learn from each other as well.”

The session was led by Fife Housing Group with a presentation from Matt Portburn of NLM Building Consultancy, who provided training on the causes of mould and damp and ways these issues can be addressed. The remainder of the morning gave colleagues from the different associations the opportunity to work collaboratively to share how their organisations manage mould and damp issues and to discuss best practice.

The session received positive feedback from attendees, with colleagues requesting more events like this in the future.

Craig Brown, maintenance officer from Fife Housing Group, commented: “Dealing with mould and damp is important to us so that we can prevent it from causing real issues for the tenants that live in our homes. Educating colleagues on what can be done and having the opportunity to learn from our peers has been extremely valuable. It will allow us to tackle the issue and help us to educate our tenants as well.”

The learnings from the event were collated and circulated to all attendees. Key themes that emerged from the day included education for tenants, listening to what tenants were saying and working more collaboratively to tackle the issue.