G15 landlord Hyde agrees contract to boost repairs service

Landlords have had to step up their efforts to address damp and mould in homes, following the high-profile death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak.

In June, it emerged that the regulator was investigating 12 social housing landlords that had referred themselves over potential breaches around damp and mould in their homes.

Steve Austin, head of maintenance at Hyde, said: “There is a lot of specialised trade in the market, from individual contractors to small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which may not be used to working with large organisations.

“Through Plentific, we can tap into this resource, safe in the confidence that each contractor has already been vetted, so we can focus on completing the works for our residents in a timely and professional manner.”

Other landlords that have recently signed with Plentific include Platform, Midland Heart, Longhurst, Change Housing, Phoenix Community Housing and SW9. 

In February, the Housing Ombudsman said it was “disappointed” that only 35% of social landlords had introduced a specific damp and mould policy, as the number of complaints it received on the issue continued to soar.