What is Housing Disrepair

Disrepair or Social Housing Disrepair is a blanket term used to describe a host of issues that lead to a property being in poor condition. So much so that it leads to severe damage to the property, the resident or tenant’s health, and finances. Both tenants and landlords (including Registered Social Landlords and Housing Associations) have a duty of care towards the property by law. Tenants are usually responsible for maintaining the upkeep of the property on a day-to-day basis and dealing with minor maintenance such as changing the lightbulbs or decoration. Landlords normally have greater responsibility and are responsible for the structure and exterior of the property, including walls, foundations, the roof, drains, pipes, windows, and doors. Plumbing and utilities including water, gas, and the central heating system are included within this. If a landlord corrects any issues through repairs, then the problem will often be solved. However, if an issue is left unresolved after being reported then a breach of duty has occurred. For example, incorrect insulation installation could lead to condensation, resulting in black mould forming within the property and potentially a legal claim against a Housing Association or landlord.

The Housing Disrepair Protocol

The Housing Disrepair Protocol was created by the Ministry of Justice as part of the Civil Procedure Rules after recommendations from Lord Woolf. It is intended to be used in the case of a claim being made by a leaseholder and applies to tenants in rented premises in England. 

The layout of the protocol describes the conduct that a court would expect parties involved in a claim to follow. Ideally, the protocol is intended to encourage the sharing of information between parties. Some of the key points of the new legislation are to encourage early and full information about any prospective claims, avoid litigation by agreeing to a settlement before court proceedings, and to support efficient case management if attending court cannot be avoided. 

Thermal Surveys Identify Issues in Housing Disrepair Claims

Under the right conditions, thermal cameras can identify heat loss, dampness, condensation, thermal bridging, and missing or poorly installed insulation.

Whether you are a landlord or tenant, understanding what the thermal camera can identify when operated by a trained professional, can only help identification of any disrepair issues. 

Drone Site Surveys qualified pilots are also BINDT (British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing) Level 2 qualified thermographers. It is important in housing disrepair claims to use minimum Level 2 qualified thermographers as they are trained in the data collection and subsequent analysis of the images. Level 2 thermographers can also write reports that could be used as evidential facts in the case of any litigation.  

Issues Highlighted by Thermal Cameras

Thermal images can hold secrets unable to be seen by the naked eye. 

Taken under the right conditions by a trained thermographer, thermally tuned images can identify anomalies that can affect thermal comfort, fuel poverty, and even health conditions.

In the 4K example picture shown in this section, no visible signs of staining or anomalies are visible. However, in the thermal example picture shown here, a dark patch is noticed near the ceiling and wall junction which highlights a cold area. In the thermal scale next to the image, we have included a dewpoint marker which shows all areas with corresponding colours to be prone and open to condensation. The thermal scale next to the image shows the highest and lowest recorded temperatures in the image at the time of capture. This picture could highlight a number of anomalies that require further invasive investigation such as a thermal bridge, a leaking roof, or missing or poorly fitted insulation. In this particular instance, the insulation hadn’t been fitted in the eaves correctly and was a minor fix. If the problem had not been identified and resolved, it could easily have turned into condensation, then damp, then mould spores, and ultimately the resident could have experienced health issues.   

Qualified thermographers can ensure that the correct conditions are met and recorded before taking the imagery. Once the thermal images have been taken, a trained thermographer will “thermally tune” the “noise” out of the image, so that they can analyse effectively any issues shown. Also by adding the dewpoint calculation which is created by taking the humidity reading (at the time of data capture) and air temperature into a mathematical equation, we can highlight areas that have hidden defects or are prone to condensation and ultimately more severe building faults.