A mould wash, a closed job, and the same call in six weeks
A tenant reports black mould in a bedroom. The contact centre raises a repair job. An operative treats the wall with mould wash and closes the job. Six weeks later the tenant calls again, and a new job is raised, with no link to the first. The surveyor who might have found the cause, a failed extractor or a cold bridge, is never involved.
By the time the case is looked at properly, there are four closed jobs, several photos on different systems, a complaint and possibly a letter from a solicitor.
Why damp and mould keeps coming back
Damp and mould is a condition in a home, with causes that need diagnosing, not a single task. Most housing management and repairs systems are built around jobs. A job is raised, done and closed. The case-level view, what is happening in this home over time, has nowhere to live.
- Each report creates a new repair job with no link to earlier ones.
- Jobs are closed when the treatment is done, not when the cause is fixed.
- Inspections and surveys sit in a different system or in email.
- Household vulnerability is known to the housing officer, not to the repairs team.
- Timescales in your damp and mould policy are tracked by hand, if at all.
What the job-by-job approach costs
Repeated visits for the same problem cost operative time and materials. Complaints escalate, and some cases turn into disrepair claims. More important than any of that, the household keeps living with damp and mould. The regulatory focus on damp and mould means boards now ask for clear reporting on it, and job data does not answer their questions.
The case tracking we build
- Every damp or mould report, whether from the contact centre, the tenant portal, a housing officer or an operative, opens or joins a case for that property.
- The case pulls in previous jobs at the address from your housing management system, such as NEC Housing or Civica CX, so history is visible from day one.
- Household vulnerability flags held by housing teams are shown on the case to the people who need them, so the case can be prioritised under your policy.
- The case follows the stages your policy sets: initial contact, inspection, diagnosis, works, and follow-up visits. Each stage has its own timescale and owner.
- Inspection findings, photos and moisture readings are recorded on a tablet and attached to the case.
- Repair jobs are raised from the case in your repairs system and linked back, so completion updates the case.
- The case cannot be closed until the follow-up visit confirms the result, and your managers see cases approaching their timescales.
| Stage | Job-based handling | Case-based handling |
|---|---|---|
| Report | New job each time | Joins the property case |
| History | Search old jobs | Shown on the case |
| Diagnosis | Often skipped | Inspection stage with evidence |
| Works | Treat the symptom | Jobs linked to the diagnosed cause |
| Close | When the job is done | After a follow-up visit |
Your damp and mould policy and the timescales you work to are set by you and your advisers. We build the case tracking around them; we do not give legal advice or promise compliance.
What your teams see with it
Every home with a damp or mould problem is one case with its whole history. Contact centre staff can tell a tenant what is happening. Surveyors see previous treatments before visiting. Managers can report to the board on open cases, timescales and repeat reports without a manual extract. When a complaint or claim comes in, the evidence is in one place.
Is this how damp and mould works for you?
- Damp and mould reports are raised as individual repair jobs.
- The same homes report the problem repeatedly.
- Inspections and photos are spread across systems.
- Timescales in your policy are tracked by hand.
- Board reporting on damp and mould takes days to put together.