The Housing Ombudsman, social housing professionals and academics will consider mounting concerns around dampness, mould and condensation in homes at an upcoming flagship industry event.

Organised by the Property Care Association (PCA), the annual ‘International Property Care Conference’ has established a reputation as a leading event for surveying, local authority and social housing professionals looking to learn more about the concerns of dampness and the management of moisture issues in buildings.

In the last 12 months, the media attention on dampness has been unprecedented. There is no doubt that there has been a seismic shift in people’s perception of what is acceptable when it comes to damp and mould with local authorities and social housing providers being in the limelight.

This year’s event, which takes place at The Slate, University of Warwick in Coventry on 21 September, draws attention to these issues where renowned speakers will share their professional insight in subject areas including:

• The Housing Ombudsman Report: One year on – Alan Park, The Housing Ombudsman.
• The challenges for the private rental sector – HMO Network:
• Could it be lifestyle? James Berry, PCA.
• The challenges of retrofit – Lady Renee Young, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
• Installation Assurance Authority: The dos and don’ts of insulating suspended timber floors.
• Property market forecast – Kate Faulkner, OBE.
• Surface waterproofing as a means of controlling water ingress into masonry walls – Henry Zhu, UCL.
• Structural drying techniques – Alan James, Dantherm Group.
• Flood testing facilities: What have we learnt? – David Ramsbottom, HR Wallingford.

The conference also includes a panel debate asking ‘how do we get ventilation and thermal efficiency working in harmony’.

James Berry, deputy CEO of the PCA, commented:

“The 2023 International Property Care Conference delivers content and insight to improve understanding of the principles and practices towards dampness in buildings, timber preservation, current market conditions, the latest technical content and future developments in the industry.

“Aimed at anyone associated within surveying, construction, the preservation industry and those that maintain social & local authority housing, this event continues to grow from strength to strength each year attracting internationally acclaimed speakers, the latest thinking in key industry issues and a platform to consider best practice in innovative thinking.

“We are all set for some great debates, with excellent guests and some really interesting subjects up for discussion.”

To find out more about the conference and the upcoming programme, details can be found at www.property-care.org/events/conferences