DampFix Scotland

Accessibility

A damp and mould duty that only works for confident, literate, English-speaking people with a modern smartphone is not a duty that works. This is the part of DampFix that received the most attention.

What the tenant journey does

Built into the design

  • One question on each screen
  • Plain English at roughly a nine to ten year old reading level, measured rather than assumed
  • Large buttons with clear icons
  • Pictures of mould, damp, condensation and leaks to help someone choose
  • "I am not sure" accepted on every question
  • Photographs optional — a report is never blocked for want of one
  • No app to download, ever
  • No account to create before reporting

Help while they are using it

  • Read the page aloud, on devices that support it
  • Speak an answer instead of typing it
  • A visible "Stuck? Phone us" button with the number shown, on every screen
  • Save and resume with a short code that is easy to read over the phone
  • The emergency route on every screen, never hidden
  • Address entry needs only a house number and postcode
  • Errors explained in plain words, with nothing already typed thrown away

Routes for people who will not use a form at all

These are first-class paths, not consolation prizes. Each one produces exactly the same case, the same deadlines and the same evidence trail.

By telephone

A member of staff takes the report and records the true time the call came in, so the statutory clock runs from the call rather than from data entry.

Through someone they trust

A support worker, carer, family member, neighbour or housing officer can report on the tenant's behalf, and who reported it is recorded.

Without a smartphone

Any computer will do, including one at a library or housing office. The form works without JavaScript and on old browsers.

Technical standard

The journey is built to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA. In practice that means:

  • Server-rendered HTML that works with JavaScript switched off
  • Full keyboard operation, with a clearly visible focus indicator
  • Correct headings, labels and grouping for screen readers, with no question announced twice
  • Errors announced immediately and linked to the field they concern
  • Readable at 200% zoom and at large text sizes
  • Touch targets well beyond the minimum
  • Respects reduced-motion, high-contrast and dark-mode preferences
  • Text contrast beyond the 4.5:1 requirement

What has not been done yet

The build follows WCAG 2.2 AA and automated checks cover a number of these points, but an independent accessibility audit has not yet taken place, and the journey has not yet been tested with disabled users or with people who have limited literacy.

That testing is planned before the service is used for real reports, and a founding pilot is a good opportunity to do it with your own tenants.

Languages

A tenant can record their preferred language and any access needs, and this is shown to staff so an interpreter or a phone call can be arranged. The interface itself is currently English only. Translation is on the roadmap; saying otherwise would be misleading.

Why there is no tenant app

Asking someone to install an app, create an account and grant permissions before they can tell you their bedroom wall is black with mould is the single most effective way to stop the report being made. Downloads fail on old phones, storage runs out, app stores need a payment card on file, and a password is one more thing to forget.

So the tenant route is a web page, and it always will be. Staff are different — housing officers and technicians can install DampFix on a phone or tablet in one tap, because they use it every day and they benefit from an icon and a full screen. That is a tool for the people doing the job, not a hurdle for the person reporting a problem.

How we talk about people

Nothing in the tenant-facing service describes anyone as unable, struggling or hard to reach. Someone using a simple form is not being accommodated — they are being given a service that works properly.

The same applies to the cause of damp. The journey never implies the problem is the tenant's fault, and practical advice on ventilation and heating is never used to close a case.

If you find something on this site or in the product that falls short, please tell us at hello@dampfixscotland.co.uk. We will fix it and say what we changed.