St Martins Damp Campaign – 2013–2020
In one of the most significant victories for a Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) in the UK, residents on St Martins Estate in Tulse Hill successfully organised leading to a successful damp campaign and major improvements to living conditions for residents. This landmark campaign was led by collective action, persistent community leadership, and a decade of support from High Trees, using the Community Organising approach.
St Martins Estate, the fifth largest estate in Lambeth, with over 1,300 properties, surrounds the High Trees Hub. Early listening campaigns in 2013 revealed the scale of challenges residents faced, with damp and mould standing out as one of the most harmful and widespread issues. Residents reported being dismissed or blamed when raising concerns with their housing associations. Many were told that damp was due to lifestyle choices like drying clothes indoors, and those who sought legal help often ended up worse off.
Determined to improve living conditions for residents, local leaders supported by High Trees organisers shifted their strategy. From 2016 to 2018, our organisers worked closely with the TRA to move from isolated complaints to coordinated action. Through targeted training in power analysis, strategy, and escalation tactics, residents built the skills and confidence to confront the deeper, structural causes of the damp and to demand accountability.
The campaign gained momentum when the TRA began focusing on securing an independent environmental inspection. With strong local leadership, backing from a committed councillor, and support from High Trees, the group made a deputation to Lambeth Council to ask them to commission a report into the causes of the damp.
In 2020, their efforts paid off. The report confirmed what residents had long known, that the housing associations had failed to address nearly £2 million worth of structural repairs needed to resolve damp and mould issues on the estate. Armed with this evidence, the Council began using its legal powers to compel housing providers to take action. Essential works were completed, and for the first time in years, hundreds of families began living in safe, dry homes.
The campaign also prompted Lambeth Council to establish a borough-wide housing scrutiny panel, shifting how the Council responds to issues across all housing associations. The local councillor later reflected that the Council had previously had a reason to consider its powers in these areas until residents on St Martins used their organised, collective voice and made them impossible to ignore.
The TRA continues to organise and campaign for improvements, going from strength to strength in ensuring residents’ voices are heard and acted upon.