The Government has pledged that Awaab’s Law legislation for the social rented sector will be brought forward this autumn, and protections will be extended to private rented sector through Renters Rights Bill
The move is part of a Decent Homes Standard for the rented sectors.
Awaab’s law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died from a respiratory condition caused by mold in his Rochdale social housing flat.
The law will require Landlords to respond to hazards within a set time frame, such as 14 days to investigate a hazard, 7 days to fix it, and 24 hours for emergency hazards
Landlords must conduct thorough property inspections and use professional services to prevent and fix damp and mold issues as well as performing regular maintenance and keeping a record of correspondence with residents and contractors
Alongside Awaab’s law thy will introduce new access to information requirements for housing associations, to enable tenants from the 2.5 million households managed by housing associations to hold their landlords to account and drive up the quality of the housing and services they provide.
Finally they will introduce a Competence and Conduct standard for the social rented sector that will ensure staff have the right skills, behaviours and experience to carry out the role they have in supporting often some of the most vulnerable in our society. The new standard, which will include qualification requirements for senior managers and executives, will help to raise standards across the sector, ensuring tenants receive a professional service and are treated with respect and dignity.
