According to a recent announcement, the UK government will review guidance to landlords about health risks from dampness and mould quickly. Michael Gove and Steve Barclay, the housing and health secretaries, made the announcement. The new guidance will be published by the summer, and the Health Security Agency will be part of the review.

This decision follows the unfortunate death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak last year. Awaab was staying with his parents in a house rented from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, a social landlord. He died after prolonged exposure to mould, which was confirmed by the coroners report. The coroner for north Manchester, Joanne Kearsley, had instructed the ministers last November to take action to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Reports were emerging in the media last week that two other young children were hospitalized with lung issues. Reportedly, the condition was caused by living in a Greenwich council flat with mould. In the UK, the introduction of reform in tenant rights is fast becoming a pressing political priority. According to the 2021 census, households renting has more than doubled in the last two decades in England and Wales, with the homeownership rates falling. One in five households is now private renting, accounting for five million such households. The number of private renting homes in 2011 was 3.9 million.

However, nearly a quarter of these private rented homes were rated non-decent in 2021. Shockingly, one in every 10 homes had a dampness problem (according to the English Housing Survey). In November, Coroner Kearsley told Gove and Barclay that the housing safety rating system, which was 16 years old, was clearly outdated and did not reflect the known health risks posed by dampness and mould. The coroner also noted that many private renters did not have access to the housing ombudsman. It prevented them from getting their grievances investigated by an independent agency.

It was wrong that social housing landlords so often waited for agreement from tenants or their lawyers before fixing faults, Kearsley pointed out. Gove assured that the government will work closely with Awaabs family to deliver stricter laws on dampness and mould.

Awaab Ishaks death was a tragedy, which shone a light on the appalling conditions that can exist in the social housing sector, and we must do all we can to ensure it never happens again, Gove added. We have already taken tough action against failing landlords blocking Rochdale Boroughwide Housing from receiving taxpayers money to build new homes until it can prove it is a responsible landlord and warning others that they will face similar consequences unless they dramatically raise standards.

Gove is hopeful that the new social housing bill will place more powers in the hands of the regulator to ensure their complaints are heeded and addressed.