Industry News


Guidance on mould to be reviewed after toddler’s death


G


overnment guidance to landlords in England about the health risks posed by mould and damp in residential properties


will be reviewed, following the death of a toddler and similar high profile cases. Awaab Ishak was just two years old when he


died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould at the family’s housing association home in Rochdale. Te inquest into his death concluded late last year and prompted an outpouring of grief, anger and demands for action across the housing sector. Te housing and health secretaries of state


have committed to publishing new guidance in the Summer following a review by various bodies, including the UK Health Security Agency. Tis could have major repercussions for all


parts of the rental sector, with hundreds of thousands of homes known to be affected by damp. According to the English Housing Survey damp affects about one in ten of the country’s five million private rental properties. Te Housing Ombudsman is taking a tougher


line with social landlords where he finds they are not taking appropriate action to tackle mould and damp and are instead blaming tenants’ lifestyle for causing problems. Michael Gove and Steve Barclay said: “Awaab


Ishak’s death was a tragedy that should never have occurred. People across the country were horrified to hear about the terrible circumstances that led to it.”


The new Social Housing Bill is giving more powers to the regulator to ensure tenants are listened to and their concerns dealt with quickly and fairly, with unlimited fines for failing landlords


“Awaab’s case has thrown into sharp relief the


need for renewed action to ensure that every landlord in the country makes certain that their tenants are housed in decent homes, and they are treated with dignity and fairness.” He promised to work closely with Awaab’s family to deliver tougher laws on damp and mould.


KNOWN RISKS Senior coroner Joanne Kearsley said Rochdale Boroughwide Homes were not “proactive” in responding to complaints from Awaab’s parents and asked: “How in the UK in 2020 does a two-year-old child die as a result of exposure to mould?” She asked the Government to address the


fact its housing health and safety rating system does not reflect the known risks of damp and mould to health. She also questioned why private sector tenants do not have access to the Housing Ombudsman for their complaints to be investigated independently. In response, Michael Gove said his department


was working on a new policy that would specify time limits landlords must meet when investigating


hazards and acting on them where health concerns were identified. He also said there were plans to introduce a new private rented sector landlord ombudsman. Gove had previously announced that Rochdale


Boroughwide Housing would be blocked from receiving taxpayers’ money to build new homes until it could prove it is a responsible landlord. Tis immediately led to the landlord losing a £1million grant and he warned other landlords that they faced similar action unless they raised standards. Neighbours of Awaab’s parents have reported


similar problems in their homes within the same block of flats. Te new Social Housing Bill is giving more


powers to the regulator to ensure tenants are listened to and their concerns dealt with quickly and fairly, with unlimited fines for failing landlords. More than 170,000 people have signed a petition


calling for Awaab’s law to ensure no other child dies due to mould in their home. Te new law would give landlords 14 days to carry out inspections on damp and mould and seven days to start repairs if a medical professional deems there is a health risk.


34 children died unexpectedly in temporary housing since 2019


Homelessness may have been a contributing factor in at least 34 children’s deaths in England between April 2019 and March 2022, according to a damning report prepared for Parliament. Te report reveals the public health crisis


of homeless children who have been forced into temporary accommodation. It was compiled by an NHS funded body, the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Temporary Accommodation. Te NCMD report analysed data from 6,970


children’s deaths. It states: “Homelessness and temporary accommodation were recorded by the independent child death overview panels in 34 cases as factors that may have contributed to the child’s vulnerability, ill health or death. “Of child deaths reported between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2022 there were at least


200 individual records where homelessness or living in temporary accommodation (bed and breakfast, hostel, shelter, and in extended family accommodation) were recorded as present in the child’s mother, child, or child’s family life at some stage. Tere were a further 114 cases in which overcrowding within the property was recorded.” Te APPG say that the real number of


children who died while experiencing homelessness is likely to be higher than this new data shows because, as things stand, there is no requirement for the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) – an organisation which reviews all child deaths nationally – to ask whether the child who has died had experienced homelessness. Tis is the first time this research has been


done. Moving forward, the APPG is working with the NCMD to have a question on homelessness included in all child death reviews.


This is the first time this research has been done. Moving forward, the APPG is working with the NCMD to have a question on homelessness included in all child death reviews


Te number of homeless families with


children being put at risk by homelessness is growing. At the end of 2022, when the APPG’s report was written, there were 95,060 households living in temporary accommodation in England, including 119,840 children. Back in 2010 there were just 37,940 households


living in TA. As a result, the length of stays in temporary accommodation is getting longer, with some mothers and their children being placed for years at a time, as councils struggle to find them more appropriate long-term homes.


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMMFebruary/March 2023 | 5


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