22 Round Table Review
Key points included the development of an app for knowledge sharing, the importance of continuous professional development, and the need for better training standards. T e discussion highlighted the inadequacies of current training, the lack of enforcement of regulations, and the need for better collaboration between trades and organisations. Dr Hector Altamirano-Medina from the UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings
at University College London, reiterated his advocacy from the 2025 round table of using residents’ experience in order to inform designs, and ensure they are engaged in the process. “We need co-creation with residents as well as scalable systems to manage cases eff ectively.” David Bly of Cornerstone also revisited a point he highlighted in the 2025
round table, the benefi ts of a tenant education programme around how their lifestyles and behaviours aff ect the healthiness of their home. Organised as a set of “did you know,” this was helping to prevent problems occurring, and providers to “move away from reactive maintenance.”
CONCLUSION T e new accountability as well as focus given to managing the risks of damp and mould is long overdue, and is at least some constructive legacy from the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in December 2020. Our round tables have been a small part of the process of identifying the viable approaches to responding to hazards and engaging tenants. But they have also revealed that organisational behaviours are still holding progress and information sharing back, while clarity on what ‘safety’ looks like still requires further clarifi cation. Our delegates also showed how sensible, straightforward construction
solutions exist to prevent moisture issues in the fi rst place. However, despite the sector having had many months to prepare for Awaab’s Law, progress is patchy, and the sharing of good practice and property data across diff erent providers was hard to come by. One key outcome of the discussion was an agreement that the group should
come together again in 2027 and discuss practice as it evolves. T is would also be a chance to collate research on creating healthy homes, to provide the sector with a repository of usable examples of practical measures and their relative eff ectiveness. Once more, thanks to our delegates and sponsors for contributing their expertise and time to this crucial topic for the whole social housing arena.
REVIEWING PROGRESS The group discussed the sector’s results so far in compliance with Awaab’s Law, since coming into force in October 2025
THE ROUND TABLE’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMPLIANCE
• Dr Douglas Booker: We need to better understand health as an outcome; that should be a KPI.
• Holly Hickin: We need to really work on relationships between landlords and tenants.
• Craig Cundey: If we all stick to a silo mentality of a box ticking exercise, we’re never going to improve anything. At least start by sharing the knowledge.
• Hony Premlal: We need more collaborative work with the customers, and diff erent agencies need to work together easily – that doesn’t happen often.
• Naomi Sadler: At least one member on the design team for new builds should have some form of certifi cation on Awaab’s Law, and it should be incorporated as standard CPD.
• Dan Fitch: Don’t be afraid to share knowledge and maybe to expose yourself; everyone wants the same outcome.
• Paul Smith: Half of all tenancies are home to someone with a long-term condition or disability; their homes shouldn’t be making them worse, so prevention is better than cure.
• Sarah Garry: Bring together all the data from the various social housing organisations, so we’re learning from each other across the industry, not just specifi c regions.
• Martin Hancock: We need clearer guidance on what ‘made safe is’, so we can go above and beyond. Also, get some power behind gaining access, not relying on tenancy breaches.
• Andrew Cameron-Smith: Recognise and embrace the fact it’s a cultural as much as a technological challenge.
• Andrew Burke: More about what solutions are being used, and how they are working, plus evidence. Too many people are reinventing the wheel, and there are lots of square wheels.
• David Bly: A ‘did you know’ framework for everybody to go to, because all will have input, even landlords; factual experience.
• Dr Hector Altamirano-Medina: In terms of knowledge, we don’t work enough with residents; they know a lot about how to solve the problem, co-creation with residents is important.
ACADEMIC INPUT Dr Douglas Booker of the University of Leeds said that because demontrating health impacts is “quite tough,” a cross-sector body of data was needed
• Dale Holroyd: You can have frameworks, education, better surveying skills, a clear template, and a certifi ed list of products, services and solutions; none of that will work unless the organisations that are responsible for managing this have the scalable resources and systems to be able to manage cases.
Housing Management & Maintenance Spring 2026
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