The UK government has announced that landlords will be obliged to investigate and deal with damp and mould in English social housing to specific deadlines from October. The reforms, also known as Awaab’s law, had been sought by campaigners and followed the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak as a result of mould exposure in his Rochdale home in 2020. However, other timeframes, such as those for structural and electrical hazards, will not be put in place until sometime after 2026. Housing charity Shelter has warned that the delays “represent a real risk to the health and safety of tenants, and puts lives at risk”.
From October, social landlords, typically local councils or housing associations, will also have to repair any emergency hazards within 24 hours. Specific timeframes for examining other hazards are to be revealed in the government’s response to a consultation at a later date. Under prior Conservative plans, social landlords were to be requested to investigate and specify a timeline for repairs within 14 days of becoming aware of a hazard. For problems escalating to a significant safety or health risk, repair work was to begin within seven days. Non-compliant landlords risk potential legal action and compensation orders.
The phased implementation approach, disclosed officially by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, allows earlier protection against damp and mould risks and enables an initial testing period to verify the effectiveness of the changes. In 2026, timeframes for repairs impacting non-emergencies will apply to a wider range of risks such as excess heat and cold, electrical faults, fire, structural collapse, and hygiene hazards. In 2027, this will be extended to all except overcrowding, exposing the tenancy sector to the same standards as other housing forms. In practice, social landlords already have a duty to maintain properties fit for human habitation and must preclude dangers to health and safety.
Awaab’s law was first enacted in July 2023, but has yet to take effect. Polly Neate, Shelter’s CEO, stated that the recent government announcement means that social housing tenants will have to wait years before accessing essential protection. She urged the government to implement the law rapidly. The National Housing Federation’s CEO, Kate Henderson, suggested that financially beleaguered housing associations could only resolve overcrowding and other problems that contribute to damp and mould through funding for new social homes. The government plans to extend Awaab’s law to the UK private rented sector in the Renters’ Rights Bill, which is currently under parliamentary review, and targets passing the bill by the summer. In 2023, the English Housing Survey shows that dwellings in the private rented sector were impacted by damp issues more frequently, at 9 percent, compared to 7 percent in social housing
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