Our natural inclination when warm weather hits is to open windows and let fresh air in, or to utilise ventilation systems in the home. Creating a comfortable environment in the warm summer months is essential for everyday living, but also impacts on health and sleep quality, and suitable ventilation in the home is a requirement for that. Opening a window might feel like the easiest and simplest thing to many people, but unfortunately such a straightforward option isn’t always a possibility.  

In some local authority homes or in social housing, disrepair issues can extend to windows being jammed shut, boarded up or frames being broken, which prevents the possibility of natural ventilation. Likewise, a repair issue might be outstanding on an extraction fan or an air conditioning system. In such cases, tenants have a right to report the repair issue and expect a landlord to make a timely repair, as providing natural ventilation and a cool, comfortable home is a basic right included in a tenancy agreement, and a legal duty of the landlord. 

The effects of poor ventilation during the summer months

If you are not able to open your windows or use proper ventilation systems, you could be open to a number of health and wellbeing issues. 

• Air quality – Natural ventilation from fresh air will improve the air quality of your home. It expels stale air and indoor pollutants, reducing the chances of picking up diseases or impacting on respiratory conditions.  

• Moisture – Without a source of fresh air, a home is reduced to recircling the same stale air, which can lead to humidity and moisture. In turn this will lead to mould and mildew forming, which can cause structural issues and health issues, if not dealt with.  

• Energy consumption – If windows can’t be opened in the summer months this may mean you rely on using ventilation systems, such as extractor fans, to create artificial cool air, when you otherwise wouldn’t need to. This increases your energy consumption and therefore your energy bills, while also increasing your carbon footprint.    

• Odours – Having to keep windows closed means that odours within the home start to build up. These can be caused by pets, cooking and dirty clothes. A general musty smell can also be unpleasant and if you have any kind of mould or mildew issue this exaggerates the discomfort. 

• Health and wellbeing – Of course overheating in a home with no open windows can cause various health issues. It is medically proven that natural ventilation reduces stress and provides energy, while it is also known to improve cognitive functioning and obviously also impacts on respiratory issues.  

How to ensure you have proper ventilation in the home over summer

If you have reported a repair issue with a window that can’t open or a broken ventilation system within your rented accommodation, and your landlord hasn’t resolved the issue after being given a reasonable period of time, you may be able to make a housing disrepair claim. Having functioning windows that enable natural ventilation, or having a functioning ventilation system within the home, contributes to the provision of a safe and comfortable living environment. Your landlord has a duty to provide this. 

You can make a claim for housing disrepair if your accommodation is rented through a housing association, a local authority or through social housing. So if you have reported a disrepair issue and your landlord hasn’t resolved it within a reasonable time period, you can claim for any costs in making the repair yourself, any damage to your property incurred by the disrepair issue and for your general discomfort in having to live with these conditions. This is particularly important over the summer months, when living in a small property without being able to open windows in hot weather can be uncomfortable and extremely dangerous.    

Contact Legal HD for support in making a housing disrepair claim 

If you are living with a disrepair issue and can’t create natural ventilation during the summer months, you can contact Legal HD today and start a housing disrepair claim. We are the housing disrepair claim specialists and can support you in advising on the validity of your claim and with the process of making the claim. Contact our team today.