The inquest into the death of a two-year-old-boy, Awaab Ishak, in Rochdale, has found that black mould and the landlord’s repeated failure to fix the problem, was to blame. Delivering her verdict, senior coroner Joanne Kearsley said: “I’m sure I’m not alone in having thought: how does this happen? How, in the UK in 2020, does a two-year-old child die from exposure to mould in his home?”
If Awaab’s is a tragic and shocking story, it is not surprising. Campaigners and scholars have long highlighted the need for reform. We asked Professor Paresh Wankhade, who has written about the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster, to explain what this says about social housing and the private rental sector in the UK.
What constitutes disrepair in a property?
