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Angela Rayner has announced that a Labour government would extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector if it wins the next general election.
The new rules have been proposed after Awaab Ishak died in December 2020 from prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale.
The initial plans put forward will set a stringent timeframe for social landlords to fix problems. Under the new legislation, known as Awaab’s Law, landlords would have to investigate hazards within 14 days, start repairs within a further seven days, and make emergency repairs within 24 hours.
Landlords who fail to meet the time limits may be taken to court under proposed plans.
Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, told the press: “The private rented sector has widespread problems with damp, mould and cold, driven by the poor energy efficiency of privately rented homes. It is a no-brainer to extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector and that is exactly what Labour will do.”
Awaab’s father has welcomed plans to force landlords to repair mouldy homes within 24 hours.
He wants landlords to listen to tenants’ concerns and said he hopes that the legislation will prevent other families from experiencing the death of a child.
Faisal Abdullah said: “We hope that Awaab’s Law will stop any other family going through the pain that we went through.
“Landlords need to listen to the concerns of tenants, and we support these proposals.”
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said that under the new measures, landlords will be expected to keep clear records to improve transparency for tenants, in order to avoid “dither and delay to rectify people’s homes”.
Housing secretary Michael Gove said: “Today is about stronger and more robust action against social landlords who have refused to take their basic responsibilities seriously for far too long.
“We will force them to fix their homes within strict new time limits and take immediate action to tackle dangerous damp and mould to help prevent future tragedies.”
The government is currently consulting on ‘Awaab’s law’.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed the interest of the political parties in tackling poor housing conditions but stressed that new laws alone will not solve the problem.
Louise Hosking, executive director of environmental health at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said: “We want to see more awareness and better resourcing of the crucial role played by environmental health professionals in tackling poor housing conditions in all types of tenure and thereby reducing ill health and saving lives.
“Local authorities are severely under-resourced. There is a need for sustained and predictable funding for the enforcement of housing standards – and a lot more of it.
“Poor housing imposes substantial costs on the health and care system, including costs associated with its impact on mental health.
“The regulatory framework around poor housing is already very complex and it can be hard for tenants themselves to use legal remedies. We would therefore like to see a greater focus on enabling local authorities to enforce existing legislation and will look forward to working with all the political parties on this issue.”
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