Respiratory nurse guide: referring patients to Support for Tenants

If you are a respiratory nurse, COPD specialist nurse, or asthma nurse and you have patients whose conditions are made worse by damp, mould, cold, or poor ventilation at home, this guide explains how to refer them for help with a housing disrepair claim.

Why housing matters for respiratory patients

Housing conditions have a direct and well-evidenced impact on respiratory health:

• Damp and mould release spores and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that trigger and exacerbate asthma, allergic rhinitis, and COPD
• Cold air is a recognised trigger for bronchospasm and can worsen COPD exacerbations
• Poor ventilation causes indoor pollutant levels to rise, worsening conditions including occupational asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis
• Radon gas exposure in poorly maintained ground-floor properties poses a lung cancer risk over time
• Tobacco smoke or cooking fumes trapped by inadequate ventilation worsen chronic airways disease

Patients who are managing these conditions in unsuitable housing deserve to know they may have legal recourse.

What Support for Tenants does

Support for Tenants is a housing disrepair claims management company. We help private, housing association, and council tenants whose landlord has failed to address disrepair, including damp, mould, broken heating, and poor ventilation, that has been reported but not fixed.

If a patient qualifies:

• We assess the claim at no cost
• We arrange a property inspection by a qualified surveyor
• We handle all contact with the landlord and legal proceedings
• There is no upfront cost and no charge if the claim fails

Which patients might benefit?

A referral is worth exploring if a patient:

• Rents from a private landlord, housing association, or council
• Lives in a property with damp, mould, cold conditions, or poor ventilation
• Has reported the problem to their landlord and not had it resolved
• Has a respiratory condition that is being affected by the housing conditions

Conditions we frequently see linked to housing include asthma (particularly in children), COPD, bronchiectasis, chronic rhinitis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

How to refer

1. Explain to the patient that they may be entitled to compensation or to have repairs forced through legal proceedings
2. Get their consent to share their contact details
3. Call us on 0800 030 4669 or direct the patient to our website

You can also call us to discuss a patient's situation without identifying them, and we can advise on whether a referral is likely to be helpful.

Medical evidence that helps

A letter from the respiratory team can strengthen a disrepair claim. A useful letter includes:

• The patient's diagnosis and current clinical status
• The treating team's view on whether the housing conditions are likely to be contributing to the patient's symptoms or exacerbations
• A clinical assessment of specific triggers (mould spore exposure, cold air, poor ventilation) where relevant
• The impact of the condition on daily function and quality of life

You are not required to provide a legal opinion, clinical observations on the relationship between housing conditions and the patient's symptoms are what matters.

What if I suspect the home is causing harm but I cannot visit it?

Many respiratory nurses do visit patients at home as part of community management of COPD and asthma. If during a home visit you observe visible mould, condensation, damaged windows or doors, or inadequate heating, these observations can be documented and passed to the patient to use in their claim.

If you have documented a home visit where you observed housing conditions that you believe are harmful, this evidence can be very useful in a disrepair claim, and may be worth including in the clinical record.

Free resources for your service

We can supply free leaflets and posters for respiratory clinics, community respiratory teams, or pulmonary rehabilitation groups. Call us on 0800 030 4669 to request them.

Sources

• Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)

Related articles

• How to refer a patient to Support for Tenants
• Medical evidence letter for housing claim
• Signs of disrepair, a quick checklist for professionals
• A message you can send your patient or client