Awaab’s Law: New Time Limits for Social Landlords to Fix Damp and Mould Hazards

An undated image of Awaab Ishak, who a coroner ruled died as a direct result of mould and damp in his home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in December 2020. PA

Social housing landlords will have to abide by strict time limits when addressing hazards such as damp and mould, a government consultation has proposed.

The consultation was launched by Housing Secretary Michael Gove and introduces measures under legislation named after Awaab Ishak.

Two-year-old Awaab died in Dec. 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The boy’s father, Faisal Abdullah, had raised concerns with the Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but they were ignored.

“The landlord not only repeatedly failed to act, but shamefully blamed the family for causing the hazardous mould,” said Mr. Gove in a statement.

Awaab’s death sparked calls for change in how social housing landlords secure the safety of homes. Awaab’s Law was introduced in the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, which requires landlords to investigate and fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes.

Downing Street took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say: “No family should go through what Awaab Ishak and his family went through. Awaab’s Law will hold social housing landlords to account, bringing in strict timeframes for landlords to respond to emergency hazards, including damp and mould.”

Under the proposals, which have gone out for consultation on Tuesday, social landlords will be required to investigate hazards within 14 days. The time limit to start fixing reported issues is seven days, and 24 hours for make emergency repairs.

“Today is about stronger and more robust action against social landlords who have refused to take their basic responsibilities seriously for far too long,” said Mr. Gove.

Landlords who fail to adhere to the new rules, could face legal action and orders to pay compensation for tenants.

The housing secretary said that the goal is to improve the quality of life in social housing and to “ensure rogue landlords face the full force of the law.”

Landlords will also be expected to keep clear records showing the attempts made to comply with the new deadlines.

Mr. Abdullah backed the proposals, set out by the eight-week consultation.

“We hope that Awaab’s Law will stop any other family going through the pain that we went through. Landlords need to listen to the concerns of tenants and we support these proposals,” he said.

The government has reported “consistent improvement” in the quality of social homes since 2010. This includes a reduction in non-decent social homes from 20 percent to ten percent in 2023.

The government seeks to deliver Awaab’s Law as soon as possible. In the meantime, under the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing and tenants will have stronger powers and rights to hold the small “minority of rogue landlords” accountable.

The regulator will be able to stop landlords from issuing unlimited fines and entering properties with only 48 hours’ notice to make emergency repairs in the most severe cases.

The government ran a consultation last year to inform the regulator on how to better educate tenants about their rights when challenging social landlords.

“As we know many families across the country are still living in homes with damp and mould, creating misery but more worryingly risks their health and safety,” said social housing campaigner, Kwajo Tweneboa.

The direction to the regulator will be published in the coming weeks.

Awaab’s death led to a decision by Mr. Gove in 2022 to block £1 million in funding for RBH, the housing association which owned the flat where Awaab died.

The housing secretary had also threatened to strip other social landlords of funding for new homes if he found evidence they had failed to properly maintain their existing properties.