AI app to combat moisture and mold inspired by death of Awaab Ishak

“We've started working on something that's a little more available and accessible to the public, using AI to determine whether it's mold, moisture or something else like a stain.”

Dampness and mould are a widespread problem in British homes. In England, one million homes are affected by this problem – that's around 4% of all homes.

The problem is most pronounced in the private rental sector, where 10% of households are affected, compared to 7% of local authority tenants, 4% of housing association tenants and 2% of homeowners.

While Awaab Ishak's case exposed institutional deficiencies and racial inequality in social housing, IntelOptic's developers said the app could empower tenants to become more active themselves.

A scientific paper detailing the AI ​​technology used in IntelOptic, which was trained on over 27,000 datasets, is currently pending publication.

As part of the project, Aaron, a Masters student at the University of Salford, worked on the AI ​​platform under the supervision of Mansouri and Ali before moving to claim.co.uk to further develop the technology.

Aaron from claim.co.uk said: “Our mission is to make legal advice and the process of making a compensation claim more accessible to everyone – regardless of their financial situation or background. We know that navigating the legal system can be overwhelming and costly, and that's why we've developed this app: to give individuals the tools they need to better pursue their claims, whether it's for home damage, mis-sold financial products or personal injury.”

According to Mansouri, in addition to tenants, local authorities, landlords and social housing providers can also benefit from the app.

There will be an increased need for action, particularly for local authorities, if the Tenant Rights Act passes through Parliament.

The bill would introduce a standard for decent housing and extend Awaab's law to the private rental sector, requiring landlords to take urgent action to remove hazards from the properties they rent.

In addition, councils will have greater obligations and ability to take enforcement action amid warnings from local authorities that they are on the brink of bankruptcy due to the housing crisis.

The app could reduce the number of on-site inspections, allowing councils to use their resources more efficiently. At the same time, early preventative measures could avoid costly repairs later, the university said.

Lecturer Mansouri added that while it was particularly significant that a solution to the problem of damp and mould had been found in the north-west of England, not far from where Ishak died, he hoped it would have an impact across the whole of the UK.

“It is a very powerful example of academic collaboration with local companies, especially with start-ups that had a brilliant idea,” said Mansouri.

“It's a widespread problem in the UK and people are suffering because of it. It's a good idea if we have accessible tools and techniques that can help us detect it at the earliest stage because sending experts out and carrying out investigations or surveys is very cost-prohibitive for landlords and tenants.

“Municipalities and social housing providers can save a lot of money by using this application and providing relief right from the start.”

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