The father of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who was killed by mould in a social housing flat, has welcomed a new law to prevent a repeat tragedy, saying: “We are finally starting to feel like we are being treated fairly.”
Faisal Abdullah met Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, on Thursday as the government announced a new “Awaab’s law” that will set deadlines for landlords in England and Wales to tackle reported hazards.
Abdullah, whose social landlord repeatedly failed to fix the mould problem in the family flat in Rochdale, blaming it on “family lifestyle”, thanked Gove for “doing the right thing”.
Last November, a coroner found mould caused the infant’s death by respiratory failure in 2020. Abdullah said he and his wife “still struggle to deal with the loss of our son”.
It then emerged that the landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, left hundreds of other tenants exposed to harmful damp for nearly two years after Awaab’s death. The social landlord’s chief executive, Gareth Swarbrick, was fired and the chair of the organisation, Alison Tumilty, resigned under pressure from Gove, who continues to block public funding to the landlord to build new homes.
“We hope that Awaab’s law will help stop any other family going through the pain we have gone through,” Abdullah said. “We would not wish this pain on anybody.”
To create Awaab’s law, the government has tabled amendments to the social housing regulation bill. It said a consultation would be launched this year to set the timeframes within which landlords will have to act to investigate hazards and make repairs. The new rules will form part of the tenancy agreement, so tenants can hold landlords to account by law if they fail to provide a decent home.
“The tragic death of Awaab Ishak should never have happened,” Gove said on a visit to Rochdale. “He was inexcusably let down and his family repeatedly ignored. I want to pay tribute to Awaab’s family for their tireless fight for justice over the last two years. Today we have announced tough new laws to force social landlords to fix their homes within strict new time limits. Those landlords who continue to drag their feet over dangerous damp and mould will face the full force of the law.”
Polly Neate, the chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, which was part of the campaign for the law, said: “Thanks to the campaigning by Awaab Ishak’s family, the inclusion of Awaab’s law in the social housing regulation bill will ensure landlords deal with serious hazards in social homes in a timely manner.
“We’re pleased ministers have listened and included these vital amendments. They must now make good on promises to Grenfell United too. Nearly six years after the fire, the bill has to include strong measures that require landlords to be qualified to do the job. To avoid another horrific tragedy, it’s vital social landlords are held to account in professionally managing homes.”
