Calls are being made for another Awaab’s law
FRESH calls are being made for another ‘Awaab’s Law’ to help tenants in private rented accommodation.
It’s one of a number of ‘urgent’ recommendations being made by a cross-party committee of MPS as part of a new report.
Published by the Health and Social Care Committee, the new report calls on the Government to act as soon as possible, to protect tenants living in homes that could have a ‘catastrophic impact’ on their health.
It comes more than three years on from the death of two-year-old boy Awaab Ishak, from Rochdale.
His death was linked by a coroner to mould at his family’s social flat in Rochdale, in a tragedy which led to a successful campaign to change the law. Awaab’s Law will set strict timeframes for social landlords to inspect and repair health hazards, including damp and mould, with a consultation currently taking place.
But now the Health and Social Care Committee made up of six Conservative MPS, including Bolton West’s Chris Green, plus four Labour MPS and one SNP MP - is urging the Government to go further. Steve Brine MP, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said: “Poor quality homes can have a catastrophic impact on the health of the those who live in them.
“The death of two-yearold Awaab Ishak from a respiratory condition caused by mould in his home should leave ministers in no doubt that tenants in both the social and private rented sectors deserve greater protection by law.” While welcoming Awaab’s Law, the committee is calling on lawmakers to ‘consider how similar safeguards could be extended to tenants in the private rented sector’.
Figures released by Shelter last year showed that 79 per cent of private tenants in the North West had experienced disrepair in their home in the year up to March 2023. That included 51 per cent who had damp and/or mould, and 27 per cent who had
either a problem with their boiler, no heating or no hot water.
According to the English Housing Survey 202223, published last month, 21 per cent of private rented homes were classed as ‘non-decent’, compared to 10 per cent in the social housing sector. It also found damp was more prevalent in the private rented sector, while the most serious ‘category one’ hazards were three times as prevalent in private rented homes than social housing.
Greater Manchester Tenants Union has previously called on lawmakers to extend the benefits of Awaab’s Law to tenants in private rented homes. The union previously tweeted: “No one should live in damp, mouldy, and dangerous homes.
“Awaab’s Law must include the private rented sector to ensure that everyone whether they are living in social housing or are a private renter will have a safe and comfortable home.” Last February, Citizens Advice England also called on the Government to extend the new legislation to the private rented sector.
Gillian Cooper, Head of Energy Policy at Citizens Advice, said: “Every week we hear stories of people living in cold, damp and mouldy properties they can’t afford to heat properly. It’s shameful that more than 20 years since legislation came into force to reduce fuel poverty and improve the energy performance of homes, people are still suffering.”
The Health and Social Care Committee heard evidence from the Building Research Establishment which found that leaving people in the poorest housing was causing health issues that cost the NHS £1.4 billion every year. The new report also calls on the Government to ‘proceed without delay’ in updating the Decent Homes Standard for social housing for the first time since 2006, and to set out a timetable to extend it to the private rented sector.
It says the most serious housing hazards include damp and mould - as well as fire and electrical risks, excess cold, excess heat and air pollution. The report also calls for improved quality housing and development to protect residents’ health, with better design standards.
Committee chair Mr Brine added: “The government has dragged its feet on updating the Decent Homes Standard for the social rented sector and in extending it to cover the private rented sector.
“We’re calling on the government to set out its timetable for doing so without delay.
“Our report welcomes the government’s plan to introduce Awaab’s Law for tenants in the social sector. We urge swift action on the outcome of the consultation, but the government must also consider safeguards for tenants in the private sector where risks of damp and mould can pose an immediate danger to health.
“Creating healthy places to live to prevent ill-health among the population must take priority for Ministers. Not only will that reduce pressures on the NHS but will save vast sums spent each year on treating people with preventable illness.”
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) says the Renters (Reform) Bill currently going through Parliament should benefit private renters with a ‘crackdown on rogue landlords’ and improvements to housing standards. It has also set a target to reduce nondecency in rented homes by 50 per cent in the next six years.
A DLUHC spokesperson added: “Everyone deserves to live in a safe and decent home. We have already made strong progress on improving housing quality, reducing the number of non-decent homes in all tenures by over two million between 2010 and 2020.
“Our landmark Social
Housing Act will drastically improve the quality of life in social housing, granting residents a proper voice to fight those who think they can cheat the system, and Awaab’s Law will force landlords to fix their homes within strict new time limits. We are also introducing a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented for the first time, and creating a new ombudsman to resolve issues quicker and empower tenants to challenge poor practice.”