What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaabs law – A significant amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill

The Social Housing Regulation Bill which was introduced to Parliament in 2022 will bring in a number of measures to give tenants greater powers, improve access to swift and fair redress, and enhance the powers of the Regulator of Social Housing.

Following the recent inquest into the death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, the Government has now proposed to take action to ensure that no further deaths occur due to mould and damp in social housing properties. Awaab Ishak sadly died as a result of damp and mould in his home. The Rochdale Borough Housing (RBH) who managed the property were made aware of the mould issues on a number of occasions but failed to take any action to solve the problem. At present, the RBH have received reports from over 2000 of its properties that are currently affected by damp and mould.

The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove announced on 9th February that the Bill will be amended to include the following;

·         Strict time limits for Landlords to investigate and fix any reported hazards

·         The Ombudsman will have powers to be able to instruct landlords to measure their service against guidance on issues such as damp and mould, to help drive improvements following complaints from tenants.

·         The rules will form part of a tenancy agreement so tenants can hold landlords to account if they fail to provide housing of a decent standard.

·         Councils and housing associations will also be given fresh guidance on the health and safety risks of damp and mould, while the Regulator for Social Housing will be able to carry out Ofsted-style inspections as part of the Bill.

Mr Gove stated that “Our Social Housing Bill will enshrine tenants’ rights in law and strengthen the Housing Ombudsman and Regulator’s powers so that poor social landlords have nowhere to hide. Awaab’s Law will help to ensure that homes across the country are safe, decent and warm.”

Whilst the bill does only relate to social and not private landlords, it is hoped that the standards in the whole sector are driven up as a result of this and that more landlords are held to account over the service they provide to their tenants.

There will be a consultation later this year to decide the timeframes within which landlords are required to look into hazards and make the required repairs.

The government has already committed to a rapid review of existing guidance on the health impacts of damp and mould, followed by new guidance tailored to the housing sector, to be published by Summer 2023.