The report found cases where carpets were wet to touch, mushrooms were growing in children’s bedrooms, and a child had water running down their walls when it rained
Children in London have been living in rooms where mushrooms had started to grow a new report has found, in the same week Awaab’s Law comes into effect.
The Housing Ombudsman boss Richard Blakeway on Tuesday released his latest report into critical failings involving damp and mould, including cases where carpets were wet to touch, mushrooms were growing in children’s bedrooms, and one scenario where a child had water running down their walls when it rained.
The watchdog said residents in council and housing association homes were often having to throw away their belongings, including beds, because they were “covered in mould”.
In east London, housing association Hackney Co-op took 2.5 years to address damp and mould in a resident’s flat. By the time the landlord did visit the property – two years after the resident lodged her first complaint – mushrooms were growing on her daughter’s bedroom wall.
Although the inspectors recommended a “range of works” across various rooms, the landlord did not try to reduce the impact of damp and mould. Five months later, the works were marked ‘closed’ because the resident refused access, even though there was no evidence they were told about the appointment date or that the landlord had tried to enter the property.
“The landlord knew closing the repairs left hazards present,” Mr Blakeway found. Hackney Co-op said its managing agent had since introduced a new damp and mould policy and procedure and improved record-keeping. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Hackney Co-op said it had apologised to the tenant and was committed to listening, working with the watchdog and promoting a “positive complaint handling culture”.
Other London borough councils named in the report included Barnet, Ealing, Lambeth and Lewisham. Camden Council took 18 months to inspect “terrible” damp and mould in one home, having not realised this until it was preparing its response to a Stage 1 complaint.
Even after the council teams surveyed the property, the watchdog found no evidence it had taken any action, explained what it was doing or why it had not brought in interim measures sooner – despite the residents’ repeated warnings of damp in the bedroom.
Camden acknowledged it had let its resident down and fully accepted the Ombudsman’s finding. Following the introduction of Awaab’s Law, the council said it had established a “dedicated rapid response team to ensure that our residents are kept fully informed about the progress of their requests,” a council spokesperson said.
On Monday 27 October saw new legislation designed to protect social housing tenants from dangerous living conditions officially come into force. Described as the lasting legacy of a two-year-old boy, the law means social housing landlords in England will face court action and compensation orders if they fail to improve conditions for tenants quickly.
Awaab Ishak died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s housing association flat in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
In his most recent report, the Ombudsman identified poor and untimely repairs taking months and years. “This is far from action happening within days or weeks, as would be expected now under Awaab’s Law,” Mr Blakeway said.
Under Awaab’s Law, social landlords have to fix emergency hazards within 24 hours.
If a resident reports a potential significant hazard such as damp and mould, the landlord must investigate within 10 working days, after which they will have five working days to make the home safe.
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