Awaab Ishak died at just two years old as a direct result of prolonged exposure to black mould. A hazard that his parents had reported to their housing association landlord multiple times. And a hazard that the landlord did not resolve in time.
Awaab’s father began reporting the mould, including photographic evidence, in 2017, a full year before Awaab was born, however the landlord repeatedly “blamed the tenant” citing a failure to ventilate in conjunction with cooking and bathing regularly and did nothing.
After his birth, the mould in the flat continued to be ignored and the conditions became worse, an inspection was carried out, which confirmed the mould but still there was no action. Across his short life, Awaab was constantly ill with respiratory infections until, in 2020, he, contracted acute bronchiolitis exacerbated by the prevalence of toxic black mould and, died.
It is tragic that this loss of life was necessary for government to pay attention to the lack of legislation around landlord responsibilities, particularly in low-cost housing, it also speaks volumes that it has taken 5 years since the event for action to be taken to place the onus on landlords to fix emergency issues.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) which categorises hazards was introduced into the Housing Act 2004, and while recognising these hazards necessitated action there was no specific timeframe set, which meant that landlords could, and often did, drag their feet when responding.
Since the 27th of October 2025 landlords are required by law to respond within 24 hours to emergency hazards such as gas leaks, broken boilers, total loss of water supply, electrical hazards, significant water leaks, any broken opening that creates a risk to home security, structural defects and of course serious damp and mould.
Landlords are now required to respond to reports of significant damp and mould within a maximum of 5 days.
The introduction of this law is another step towards equality and the rehumanising of people who have been marginalised, either financially or through significant and uncontrollable changes in their lives.
Or put another way, the people we see and support every day.
As interim landlords for several properties within our supported accommodation project we have always felt the responsibility of advocating for the tenants to the property owners and our current property officer works tirelessly to ensure the living conditions of those we support are of the highest standard.
With the mandates of specific, legally binding deadlines as set out by Awaab’s Law, we will be able to move forward with more focus on prevention that repair and have the safety net of legal backing if, or when, we meet resistance.
It is encouraging to think that the work of Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, work that aligns with our own ethos that every person deserves dignity, respect and support to build a happy life in a stable home, has been enacted as law.
It is a powerful position to be in to say that: We are no longer simply advocating for safe housing; we are legally enforcing a person’s right to a safe home.