Landlords must deal with mould in one day, Gove says

ROGUE landlords will have to repair mouldy homes within 24 hours under a new push to improve social housing standards, Michael Gove has said.

Under new government proposals, landlords will be expected to investigate hazards found within their properties within 14 days and start fixing within a further seven days.

Emergency repairs will have to be repaired within 24 hours, with tenants able to take their landlords to court should they fail to comply with the timescales.

The planned social housing reforms will be set out as part of a public consultation on Awaab’s Law, originally announced following the death of a two-year-old boy in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in December 2020.

Awaab Ishak died of a severe respiratory condition shortly after his second birthday, with a coroner concluding that his death was caused by “chronic exposure to mould” in his family’s flat.

Faisal Abdhulla and Aisha Amin, the boy’s parents, had repeatedly raised concerns to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the flat’s conditions but no action was taken, with the social landlord blaming the mould on “family lifestyle”.

The Housing Secretary’s new proposals would also demand landlords keep clear records on reported hazards within their properties and attempts to resolve them.

Mr Gove said: “The tragic death of Awaab Ishak should never have happened. His family have shown courageous leadership, determination and dignity to champion these changes and now it’s time for us to deliver for them through Awaab’s Law.

“Today is about stronger and more robust action against social landlords who have refused to take their basic responsibilities seriously for far too long. We will force them to fix their homes within strict new time limits and take immediate action to tackle dangerous damp and mould to help prevent future tragedies,” he added.

Faisal Abdullah, Awaab’s father, said: “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.”