Track room temperature and relative humidity over time to see where and when a concern recurs. Review the readings with resident reports and inspection findings, then agree who will investigate and what they will do next. Continue any urgent assessment or repair while monitoring is under way.
Choose a question the team can act on
Start with the concern and the decision it raises. If a resident reports a cold bedroom each morning, record the room and timing. The housing team can review the readings alongside heating availability, controls and inspection findings while the case progresses.
For an estate-wide pilot, choose the rooms and periods that can help answer the question. A small sample can help plan the next investigation. Broader conclusions need evidence from the homes and conditions they are meant to represent.
What to record
Room temperature
Record when the room is repeatedly cold or warm and how long the pattern lasts. The sensor measures air temperature at its location. Use an inspection to assess cold surfaces and building defects.
Relative humidity
Read humidity alongside temperature and look at how both change. Use the pattern to guide checks for moisture sources and ventilation issues. Establish the cause through investigation.
Heating and building context
Record any known changes to heating availability, schedules, ventilation and recent work. Where equipment provides heating or energy data, label schedules, control requests and metered consumption separately.
Resident reports and inspection findings
Record the reported problem, its timing and how it affects the household. Use observations from visits to interpret the readings and to decide where more evidence is needed.
Agree where to measure and check the data
Choose locations that relate to the concern. Follow the device manufacturer’s guidance and agree placement with the responsible housing and technical teams.
- Record the room reference, sensor position, installation date and commissioning check.
- Check that the device records the right measurement and that readings reach the system reliably.
- Record outages, gaps, moves and replacements. Flag gaps when they limit what the team can conclude.
- Explain to residents what is measured, who uses the information and how they can report concerns.
Give each review a named owner
Agree who checks the readings, what prompts a call or visit and where the team records its decision. Consider the timing and persistence of a pattern, the condition of the home and the circumstances of the household. Route urgent concerns through the landlord’s response process as soon as they are identified.
Use the readings to support that response. A routine alert level or an average reading alone cannot determine whether a statutory hazard exists. Use the current official guidance and the appropriate assessment for that decision. GOV.UK guidance for social landlords in England.
Questions to ask before a pilot
Can readings diagnose the cause of damp and mould?
Use readings to spot patterns worth investigating. A competent assessment can examine likely causes such as leaks, building defects, inadequate ventilation and condensation. GOV.UK damp and mould guidance.
How long should a pilot run?
Match the period to the question. A winter sample can help investigate a cold-room concern. Assess summer overheating using evidence from relevant warmer conditions.
What should the team get from its first review?
A short list of concerns to investigate, supporting records, gaps in the evidence and a named person responsible for each next step.
Related guidance
Review your team’s monitoring process
Use the eight-question check to review how your team collects room-condition evidence, acts on it and follows up.
Take the capability check