Professor David Ormandy 1945 -2024

David died on 11 April having been unwell for a number of years. He had established a global reputation in housing and health and was a pioneer for many in the profession. Colleagues have also called him the conscience of the profession. He was someone who was inspirational to me and many others who worked with him.

He qualified as a Public Health Inspector in1966 and awarded a Fellowship in 2007.

Most of David's career was outside local government. My first encounter with him was as a founder of the Public Health Advisory Service (PHAS) at Shelter, and a board member of the Shelter National Housing Aid Trust (SNHAT). His dissatisfaction with the Association of Public Health Inspectors, and reluctance to campaign for better protection of those living in poor housing had led David with others to establish the Public Health Inspectors London Action Group (PHILAG). He continued to be a critical friend of the CIEH until his death. I suspect he thought that as a Vice-President I could achieve more.

David gave expert evidence in many leading cases on housing and health, in particular how s.99 of the Public Health Act 1936 (now s.82 Environmental Protection Act 1990) could be used against landlords of properties (including councils) that were prejudicial to health. It was when I was Assistant Secretary of the CIEH in the 1980s that I started to work closely with him. His expertise on dampness was used to prepare the "Background Notes on Condensation" published by the CIEH in the early 1980s. This reflected concern that housing officers and some EHOs, without proper investigation, blamed tenants for the occurrence of condensation and mould - some things never change! Despite his health he submitted critical responses to DLUHC on Awaab's law and the Decent Home Standard and the review of the HHSRS as well articles for Legal Action. We were due to update our book on Dampness in Dwellings this year.

He took work seriously, but we also had some fun working at Warwick University Law School on studies for the Government into controls on minimum standards in housing (starting after changes to the fitness standard in 1989). He led on development of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS); an Approved Code of Practice for Management Standards in Multi-Occupied Buildings; and production of Housing Disrepair Legal Obligations: Good Practice Guide. The CIEH collaborated with David on the Warwick (Un)Healthy Housing conferences in the late 1980s.

The CIEH awarded him ‘Researcher of the Year’ in 2015 for a paper on thermal discomfort and health and protection of susceptible people.

With the Building Research Establishment, and using the HHSRS, he developed a methodology to assess the cost to the NHS of inadequate housing. He also advised the BRE on production of a Guide and an Assessment Protocol on Overheating in Dwellings.

He worked with WHO from 2006 (to which he was seconded for a while) and colleagues in the USA, France and New Zealand including an appointment by the NZ government to the Assessment Panel for the National Science Challenge on Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities and recently worked on the impact of poor housing on people’s health in Wales.

His death leaves a huge void professionally and personally and a legacy that will be hard to follow. I am proud to have had him as a friend and work with him all these years.

Photo credit: University of Warwick

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