Tenants are urged to report shoddy housing

Social housing tenants will be urged to complain about shoddy and dangerous housing in a major new Government advertising campaign.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove claims the campaign, which will encourage tenants to voice complaints first to landlords and then to the Housing Ombudsman if necessary, will "shine a light" on rogue landlords.

The new focus on substandard housing comes after an outcry following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in his home.

The Government has since put forward Awaab's Law, which requires landlords to fix reported hazards in social housing in a "timely fashion" or rehouse tenants.

Mr Gove said: "Too many social housing tenants are being let down and ignored. This Government is determined to stand up for them and give them a proper voice.

"This campaign will make sure tenants know their rights and how to make a complaint - giving them the confidence to go to the Ombudsman and ensure action is taken."

Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: "Effective complaint handling starts with landlords getting things right first time.

"If and when things do go wrong, landlords must fix the issue, apologise, offer appropriate compensation, and show they have learned from those errors.

"If that doesn't happen then residents can take their complaint to us at the Housing Ombudsman. We're free, independent and impartial.”

Labour's Lisa Nandy said: "It is scandalous that anybody has to live in mouldy, damp housing but a decade of decay and drift has left us with a chroniclackofsocialhousing.”