With the introduction of Awaab’s Law, the way damp and mould is managed in social housing has shifted. Landlords (local authorities and housing associations) must comply with the following timeframes once they become aware of a potential hazard:
For many councils, this has highlighted a gap. Inspections and resident reports remain important, but they only provide snapshots. Conditions inside a property change throughout the day and across seasons. Early warning signs are not always visible, and by the time mould appears, the issue may already be well established.
At the same time, providers delivering retrofit programmes need to demonstrate that energy efficiency improvements were genuinely improving internal living conditions, not just raising EPC scores on paper.
There is a clear need for better understanding of living conditions inside the home.
YES has supported the introduction of environmental monitoring within live retrofit programmes.
In Calderdale, 4 properties were fitted with AICO environmental sensors as part of the Warm Homes pilot. Each property received four sensors, located in the kitchen, bathroom, living room and main bedroom to provide a representative picture of internal conditions.
YES has delivered monitoring over a 12-month period. This included six to nine months before insulation works began, followed by three to six months after completion. That timeline allowed the council to establish a baseline and then assess how conditions changed once improvements were made.
Rather than relying on assumption, housing teams were able to review trends in temperature stability, humidity linked to damp risk, ventilation performance and indoor air quality over time. This gave a clearer understanding of how properties were performing in practice.
A similar model was introduced within the North Yorkshire Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund programme. Environmental and fire safety sensors have since been installed in 84 properties alongside wider retrofit works.
Once installed, monitoring is managed directly by the council through the HomeLINK platform, with YES supporting installation and integration during delivery.
HomeLINK provides access to live and historical environmental data at property level. Housing officers can view trends, set alert thresholds and generate reports to inform investigations or ongoing case management. This ensures monitoring becomes part of day-to-day asset oversight rather than a standalone technical exercise.
Environmental monitoring has helped shift the approach from reactive response to informed oversight.
Where humidity patterns or ventilation issues suggest an emerging damp risk, properties can be reviewed and investigated before problems escalate. This supports a more timely and proportionate response in line with the expectations of Awaab’s Law.
Monitoring has also helped identify cases where low internal temperatures suggest heating may not be used consistently. In these situations, the issue may relate to affordability rather than building defects. Households can then be referred to the YES Advice team for energy guidance and additional support.
By integrating retrofit delivery, environmental monitoring and resident support, councils have strengthened both compliance processes and understanding of how homes perform in real conditions.
Environmental monitoring is now embedded as part of a wider strategy to manage the risk of damp and mould more effectively, with clearer visibility, better prioritisation and stronger evidence where action is required.
If your organisation is reviewing its approach to damp and mould management in light of Awaab’s Law, environmental monitoring can provide the visibility and assurance needed to act early and evidence compliance.
YES can support the installation and integration of environmental sensors within live retrofit programmes, assist with data interpretation and help shape proportionate response pathways. Where monitoring highlights fuel poverty indicators, our Advice team can provide additional resident support to address underlying causes.
