Process
Did people receive and understand the advice? Did the reporting and referral pathway work?
4 · Deliver and learn
The leaflet, and what good looks like
Evaluate the tenant-rights leaflet and its proposed referral support. Check delivery, plausible contribution to outcomes and resources used. Leaflet theory of change · Separate policy and future work.
Magenta Book 2026 · proposed plan
Learn what works, for whom and why
Impact
What changed, and how plausibly did the leaflet and support contribute? Check other explanations.
Value for money
What did delivery cost? Consider outcomes, access and harms alongside cost per recipient.
Evaluation questions and evidence
| Question | Evidence needed | Decision supported |
|---|
Plan collection before rollout
Relative to the agreed pilot start; no start date or delivery commitment has been set.
Six-stage evaluation schedule and decision gates
Readiness, data quality and ethical safeguards
Outcome measures and success definitions
Proposed measures · no pilot results connected
Measure success along the whole pathway
| Stage / measure | How to calculate or record | When / owner | What good looks like |
|---|
Targets below are proposed standards for discussion, not agreed commitments or observed results. Set numeric improvement targets after a baseline and capacity review. Show denominators, missing records and follow-up response rates alongside every result.
Follow-up, humidity protocol and attribution limits
Before distribution
Use a short knowledge check and record existing reports, housing condition and barriers. Log the leaflet version, distribution date and venue code. Agree follow-up consent.
2–4 weeks later
Repeat the knowledge check; ask about reporting, service response and obstacles. Deduplicate households privately and distinguish a newly reported problem from newly occurring damp.
8–12 weeks later
Check repair evidence, tenant-confirmed improvement, repeated comparable readings and recurrence. Official guidance recommends inspecting at least six weeks after remedial work; schedule this from the repair date even if it falls beyond the pilot check. Record unresolved cases and suitability of accommodation separately.
Before estimating additional impact: assess data quality, suitable comparison units, realistic sample size, season, spillovers and analytical capacity. If feasible, evaluate enhanced outreach using an approved comparison or random phased design, with standard rights information and urgent support available to all. Pre-specify the primary outcome, timing and analysis. A few willing venues or a simple before-and-after change do not establish a causal effect.
Winter check: where feasible, revisit cases in colder weather to identify seasonal recurrence. Keep urgent and unresolved cases in active follow-up rather than waiting for the evaluation date.
Humidity protocol: compare the same room, device, placement and times of day over multiple days; record temperature and conditions. Lower humidity without temperature or condition evidence does not establish a successful repair.
Data: case IDs, dates, tenure, area, referral channel, consent, inspection/repair milestones, condition/readings and follow-up status belong in an approved private case system. Publish only appropriate aggregates with small-cell suppression under Porchlight’s disclosure rules.
Assess costs and value for money
Start with a transparent cost-and-outcome table. Unit costs alone do not establish value for money or a causal benefit.
| Measure | Definition | Interpretation |
|---|
What the leaflet should cover
- Recognise: damp patches, recurring condensation or visible mould; record where and when they appear.
- Measure: if a hygrometer is available, note relative humidity (%), temperature, room, time, ventilation and weather. Repeat consistently; a single reading cannot diagnose damp.
- Act safely: practical moisture and ventilation advice that respects heating costs, accessibility and household circumstances. Significant or recurring mould needs investigation of underlying causes.
- Know your rights: explain the relevant social or private tenancy route and what to do when a response stalls.
- Get help: clear landlord, council and Porchlight contacts, a reporting checklist and offline support.
Publication gate: the actual leaflet has not been supplied for content review. This is its proposed specification, requiring tenant testing and housing-specialist review before distribution.
Official damp and health guidancePractical routes to help
Social tenants: report to the council or housing association landlord’s repairs service first. Use its complaints process and the Housing Ombudsman route where applicable.
Private tenants: report repairs to the landlord or agent. For unsafe conditions, Thanet’s housing conditions team provides an assessment and enforcement route: housing.conditions@thanet.gov.uk · 01843 577437.
Unsafe housing or a move: involve the landlord and council Housing Options team. Keep temporary safety accommodation, permanent rehousing and a private-tenancy exit distinct; none should be promised by a leaflet.
Porchlight: support tenants to navigate services and check progress. Confirm service eligibility and capacity before local referral agreements.
Thanet reporting route · Housing advice · Porchlight support routesPrepare delivery before increasing reach
Agree service capacity, named case leads, escalation and accessible formats. Track harm, unequal access and unresolved cases alongside positive results.
Delivery risks and practical responses
| Risk | Early sign | Response / lead |
|---|---|---|
| People receive but do not understand advice | Low knowledge scores; uneven reach | Test plain-language, translated and verbal versions / outreach lead |
| Tenants fear reporting | High concern but few supported reports | Independent advice and consent-based supported reporting / case lead |
| Services cannot meet new demand | Delayed acknowledgement or stalled inspections | Agree capacity, triage and escalation before roll-out / housing leads |
| Advice shifts responsibility onto tenants | Reports closed with lifestyle advice alone | Keep landlord responsibility and underlying defect investigation explicit / content reviewer |
| Heating, repair or moving costs block action | Advice not affordable; accommodation unsuitable | Refer for relevant support and assess household needs / case lead |
| Reports rise or follow-up is incomplete | Apparent worsening or selective positive results | Separate awareness from prevalence; report attrition and unresolved cases / evaluation lead |
| Private case details leak into public reporting | Small cells, addresses or identifiable stories | Private storage, minimum data and disclosure review / data lead |
Resource intelligence · checked 10 October 2026
Fund useful support, not just more leaflets
Resource the whole pathway: accessible advice, trusted messengers, staff time for referrals and follow-up, consistent measurements and evaluation. Grant fit is an assessment, not confirmation of eligibility or an award.
Build a clear, costed request
| Resource | What to cost | Evidence of use |
|---|---|---|
| Reach and accessible advice | Tenant testing, design, translation, print, partner briefings and sessions | Briefed partners, unique households reached, accessible formats used |
| Supported action | Named caseworker hours, supervision, referral tracking and follow-up | Acknowledged referrals, investigation and repair milestones, unresolved cases |
| Measurement and learning | Loan equipment, consistent recording, consent, data quality and evaluation time | Comparable readings, knowledge checks and sustained condition improvement |
| Delivery overheads | Administration, safeguarding, travel and private case-system costs where allowed | Clear responsibilities and the funder’s full-cost requirements |
State the need, number of households, named partners, delivery period, total cost, confirmed contributions and requested resource. Link the request to the theory of change and show who owns follow-up. An eligible local partner should lead its own genuine work; it must not be a pass-through to avoid a funder’s size restriction.
Household retrofit or hardship support pays for eligible household needs. It is separate from funding Porchlight’s staff, and does not replace landlords’ repair responsibilities.