Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, produced by rocks such as granite deep in the ground. It can seep up through the soil and find its way into your home. You can’t see or smell radon but if there is a lot of it in your home it could affect your health. Some parts of the UK are more badly affected than others and Public Health England (PHE) is the government body that is responsible for tracking which areas are at risk across the UK. PHE has recently told us that new information shows that some of our homes and estates could be affected . The risk is small – the chance of your property being affected is between 1% and 3%. However, it’s important that we make sure that levels of radon inside your home are safe.
How we test for radon
Testing is the only way to find out the actual levels of radon inside your home as factors such as the exact location, style of construction, and ventilation can all have an effect. So it’s important that you work with us to help us identify those homes that are most badly affected so that we can carry out work to make your home safer to live in.
If your home has been identified as at risk?
If your home is found to have higher than acceptable levels of radon, we will take steps to reduce it. Works may include improving sealing, openings in floors or improving ventilation in your property. Once we know which properties are affected, we will plan work to deal with the problem.
Leaseholders
If you are a leaseholder and your property has been identified as requiring additional monitoring to record the level of Radon in the property, we will contact you making you aware of the risk and provide details of how this risk can be mitigated keeping you safe in your home
When can I expect to hear from us?
We will aim to contact all property occupiers as soon as possible, following receipt of the test results from Public Health England. We will tell you the results of the test and details of any further action required. All properties will be contacted if a risk has been identified or not.
More information
- Please visit Public Health England’s Radon website. The site is full of handy information including maps and facts to help you understand more about Radon.
Read this blog post, Five facts every home owner should know about radon.