Southampton Council has set up a specialist team to reduce damp in its stock, after spending nearly £200,000 on related repairs last year.
It will provide tenants with technical advice about causes and prevention, as well as specially trained staff to advise on cases of persistent damp.
Last year the council raised 1,760 damp and mould repair orders for tenants’ homes for which the accompanying repair cost was £195,000.
Inside Housing revealed last Friday that landlords have reported a sharp rise in social housing tenants reporting mould and damp problems this year.
Warwick Payne, cabinet member for housing and sustainability, said: ‘We’re going the extra mile to be ready for damp this winter and take action to stop cases in council homes before they start.
‘We also aim to treat damp when it is reported as quickly as possible and would encourage residents to report it when it first appears.’
The council announced the introduction of its damp reduction initiative last week.