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Landlords must not hide behind legal process when dealing with damp and mould complaints, Gove warns
Housing secretary Michael Gove has warned landlords that they “must not hide behind legal process” when responding to damp and mould complaints following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.
Mr Gove issued the warning to all providers of social housing in a letter over the weekend that also called on providers to “go further than the letter” of the Decent Homes Standard.
His letter comes after an inquest into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak concluded that the toddler died from prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s housing association flat.
The coroner described it as a “defining moment” for the housing sector.
In his letter, Mr Gove described the tragedy as an “appalling case of the utmost gravity” and said it is “abhorrent that anyone should have to live in such conditions in Britain today”.
He said: “Together, we must raise the bar dramatically on the quality of social housing and empower tenants so that their voices are truly heard.
“I want to be clear about what this must mean in relation to damp and mould, as I have been made aware of many cases where this has gone unaddressed for far too long and am concerned that they are not treated with sufficient seriousness.”
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The housing secretary said he expects landlords to read the coroner’s report into Awaab’s death in full and to absorb its lessons, and to go further than the Decent Homes Standard when dealing with damp and mould complaints.
“Damp and mould are not ‘lifestyle issues’ as the Housing Ombudsman Service underscored last year,” he added.
“Where people complain about damp and mould, you must listen; where you find them, you must take prompt action. To keep tenants safe, you must not hide behind legal process.”
Mr Gove’s expectation is for landlords to be undertaking assessments of the damp and mould issues affecting their properties, including the prevalence of Category 1 and Category 2 damp and mould hazards.
Providers should also identify the action they may need to take to remedy any damp and mould issues affecting their properties.
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) will also write to all landlords on this issue and Mr Gove said providers “should respond promptly”.
Any landlords that become aware of any issues that breach regulatory standards should self-refer to the RSH.
In calling for landlords to take more responsibility, the housing secretary reiterated his commitment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill, saying it “will enable a rigorous new regime that holds all landlords to account for the decency of their homes and the service they provide”.
Mr Gove said: “The RSH will proactively inspect landlords – and will have the power to issue unlimited fines. It will be able to intervene in those cases where tenants’ lives are being put at risk because landlords are dragging their feet in actioning repairs.
“And in the very worst cases, it will have the power to instruct that properties are brought under new management.”
He added: “It is vital that we learn from the mistakes that led to the tragic death of Awaab, and I look forward to working collaboratively with you to improve standards.”
Mr Gove said last week that he was considering rehousing tenants enduring “unacceptable conditions” in Rochdale, following the inquest into Awaab’s death.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), which owned and managed the flat that Awaab lived in with his family, failed to do anything to fix the disrepair despite repeated complaints, the verdict stated.
The chief executive of RBH, Gareth Swarbrick, initially refused to resign over the incident before being removed by the provider’s board over the weekend.
The Housing Ombudsman has also sped up three investigations into RBH, following the coroner’s ruling.
Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway said the three separate investigations were brought to his attention following the watchdog’s decision to review the RBH cases in response to the inquest.
Mr Blakeway said that his organisation is particularly interested in cases involving damp and mould.
As part of the investigations, his team will be using an ombudsman power for the first time that allows them to “gather any information required, including interviews with staff”.
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