Neglect

Both a noun and a verb, neglect is symultaneously the act of failing to care for something properly, and the state of being uncared for. In this sense, it traverses a sense of temporality, both the process of doing something and the outcome of that process.

Neglect by housing providers is one of the core causes of damp housing. However, neglect can be driven by many factors and have many causes. Interestingly, neglect is generally more passively framed than accusations of managed decline. For instance, an estate may be neglected, but due to external considerations such as cuts to a local authorities housing budget.

The Department for Housing and Levelling Up Committee named neglect of housing earmarked regeneration as one of the most common problems causing poor conditions in the social housing sector. Within this, however, they name many potential causes that could contribute to this act of neglect. This approach underscores how the framing of neglect almost acts as an umbrella term, encompassing multiple different strands.