New plans to clamp down on rogue social landlords who fail to provide safe homes have been announced today (9th January 2024), supporting the Government’s pledge to deliver Awaab’s Law.
The two-year-old from Rochdale died from a respiratory condition caused by extensive mould in the flat where he lived, and the Government is taking action to introduce life-changing reforms in social housing to prevent future tragedies.
The Awaab’s Law consultation has been launched by the Housing Secretary, which proposes introducing new strict time limits for social housing providers and force them to take swift action in addressing dangerous hazards such as damp and mould.
It proposes new legal requirements for social landlords to investigate hazards within 14 days, start fixing within a further 7 days, and make emergency repairs within 24 hours. Those landlords who fail can be taken to court where they may be ordered to pay compensation for tenants.
Landlords will be expected to keep clear records to improve transparency for tenants – showing every attempt is made to comply with the new timescales so they can no longer dither and delay to rectify people’s homes.
Consultation
Everyone deserves to live in a home that is decent, safe and secure. As above, Awaab’s Law, which was introduced in the landmark Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, requires landlords to investigate and fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes.
The primary purpose of this consultation is to set those timeframes, and government is seeking views from across the sector. The new rules will form part of a tenancy agreement, so that tenants can hold landlords to account by law if they fail to provide a decent home.
This is part of a package of publications relating to social housing quality, forming a crucial part of the government’s action to eradicate hazards from social homes and improve standards across the sector.
Awaab’s Law consultation will be open for eight weeks and further details on how to respond can be found here.