Big change gives chance to make your voice heard

LEFT: The Freehold Estate in Rochdale. INSET: Mould led to a terrible tragedy in Rochdale

ABIG change is on the way. It will give you more power. But to make the new law as powerful as possible, we need you to speak out. If you rent your home from the council or a housing association, now is the time to talk to the Government.

Awaab’s Law will soon come into force. It’s something this newspaper campaigned for – and we believe it will save lives in the future.

It’s named after Awaab Ishak, a twoyear-old boy from Rochdale. He was a much-loved, smiley little boy, who loved to play outside in the park with his parents.

They lived on the Freehold estate, where they rented a one-bedroom flat from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. The flat had a problem with damp and mould which kept coming back.

When he first spoke about the problem, Awaab’s dad was told to ‘paint over’ the mould, but this did not fix it. In 2020, Awaab’s family made several complaints about the issue, but it was never fixed by their landlord.

Awaab became ill, and, tragically, he died on December 21, 2020. A coroner ruled that the mould at the flat led to Awaab’s death.

It was a tragedy that should never have happened in modern Britain. Awaab’s Law should mean it never happens again in social housing across England.

What is Awaab’s Law?awaab’s Law will force social landlords to inspect and repair issues that can harm your health within strict time limits. Social landlords provide homes which are often known as ‘council houses’.

Some councils still provide social housing including Manchester and Wigan - but most of these houses and flats are rented out by housing associations.

Under Awaab’s Law, these landlords must agree to meet the new timescales for inspections and repairs as part of the tenancy agreement. If they fail to meet the strict new requirements, tenants will be able to take their landlord to court for breach of contract.

Awaab’s Law was passed in the Parliament last summer. But before it starts to work, the Government needs to set the strict timeframes that social landlords must follow.

The Observer and the Manchester Evening News campaigned for Awaab’s Law along with the housing charity Shelter, change.org and Greater Manchester MPS. We worked with Awaab’s family and their legal team, while more than 177,000 people signed a petition calling for change.

At the time, we called for damp and mould issues to be inspected in 14 days, with repairs in the next seven days. The Government agrees that issues should be inspected in 14 days.

It also says repairs should begin in the next seven days. For the most severe cases, the Government wants emergency repairs to be done within 24 hours.

Awaab’s family suffered with a damp and mould issue that should have been fixed before he died. Awaab’s Law was drawn up to stop other social tenants suffering in the same way.

These are examples of how Awaab’s Law could work if the current plans are approved:

If you have an issue with damp or mould, the landlord must inspect it within 14 days

If there is extensive damp and mould which is affecting your health, or the health of someone you live with, or if they they have a weaker immune system, repairs should begin within seven days

If you have a large amount of widespread damp and mould, your home has poor heating or ventilation, and you or someone you live with has breathing issues, this would be repaired in 24 hours as an emergency

If the damp or mould is not affecting your health, this should be logged as a normal repair by the landlord.

While the Awaab’s Law campaign focused on damp and mould, the new powers will also be used for other hazards that can affect your health.

The Government needs to hear from as many relevant people as possible before Awaab’s Law can begin to work. That’s where we need your help.

A consultation began on Tuesday January 11 and will last for eight weeks. In that time, the Government wants to hear from different people who may be affected by Awaab’s Law.

This will include councils, housing associations and charities. But it also includes tenants like you and your voice will make a difference. The full consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/ consultations/awaabs-law-consultation-on-timescales-for-repairs-in-thesocial-rented-sector/awaabs-law-consultation-on-timescales-for-repairs-inthe-social-rented-sector

It has 29 questions, plus the first question asking if you are a social housing resident.

Most of the questions are ‘yes or no’. Some include space to write a full answer in your own words - but you don’t have to fill these in if you don’t want to.

Once the consultation ends after eight weeks, the final plans for Awaab’s Law will be put together as ‘secondary legislation’. The Government hopes to approve this as soon as possible, so tenants can benefit from Awaab’s Law quickly.

The easiest way to respond to the consultation is online. Alternatively, written responses can be sent to: Awaab’s Law Consultation, Social Housing Quality and Residents Division, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 3rd Floor, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF.

For more information on your rights as a social housing tenant, see the Make Things Right website.