News09.02.23by Stephen DelahuntyThe government will introduce new legislation to crack down on damp and mould, in memory of Awaab Ishak, which will force landlords to investigate and fix serious problems within strict time limits.The senior coroner for the inquest into Awaab Ishak’s death said the tragedy should be a “defining moment” for the sectorSharelinesThe government will introduce new legislation to crack down on damp and mould, in memory of Awaab Ishak, which will force landlords to investigate and fix serious problems within strict time limits #UKhousing Housing secretary Michael Gove has announced today that the government has tabled amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill to introduce ‘Awaab’s Law’, which will require landlords to fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes.
The move comes in the wake of the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak. Senior coroner Joanne Kearsley found that the toddler died as a direct result of prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) property.
During the inquest in November, she said that Awaab’s death should be a “defining moment” for the sector. Mr Gove announced the government’s commitment to ‘Awaab’s Law’ on a visit to Rochdale, where he today met with Awaab’s family and Yvonne Arrowsmith, RBH’s new chief executive.
She replaced RBH’s former boss Gareth Swarbrick, who was sacked in November, after initially resisting calls to step down after a coroner’s report.
A consultation will be launched later this year to set the timeframes within which landlords will have to act to investigate hazards and make repairs.The new rules will form part of the tenancy agreement, so tenants can hold landlords to account by law if they fail to provide a decent home.
Mr Gove said: “The tragic death of Awaab Ishak should never have happened. He was inexcusably let down and his family repeatedly ignored. I want to pay tribute to Awaab’s family for their tireless fight for justice over the last two years.
“Today we have announced tough new laws to force social landlords to fix their homes within strict new time limits.
“Those landlords who continue to drag their feet over dangerous damp and mould will face the full force of the law.” RBH announced yesterday that it was looking to appoint a new chair to replace Alison Tumilty.
It said that the successful applicant will be someone who wants to “listen, learn, meet and hear from others and work collectively to ensure we remain on track to embed and sustain improvement – and to deliver for our communities and our tenants”.
The decision to replace the chair, as well as other members of the board, was announced after the Regulator of Social Housing deemed RBH non-compliant in December.
The changes come as the government makes amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill that aim to drive up standards in the sector and hold landlords to account over the service they provide to their tenants.
Mr Gove added: “Awaab’s Law will help to ensure that homes across the country are safe, decent and warm.”
The government committed itself to a rapid review of existing guidance on the health impacts of damp and mould in January, followed by new guidance tailored to the housing sector, to be published by this summer.
Further powers will enable the Housing Ombudsman to instruct landlords to measure their service against guidance on issues such as damp and mould, to help drive improvements following complaints from tenants.
Other amendments tabled today will include improvements to insolvency arrangements, data protection and the requirement for written reports after inspections.
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