Dame Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport, has welcomed Awaab’s Law which comes into force today after being passed by the previous Conservative Government.

New legal duties will put tenants’ safety first with social landlords forced to fix emergency health and safety hazards within 24 hours of reporting. They must also investigate significant damp and mould within 10 working days of being notified and then make properties safe in five working days.

The tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 from prolonged exposure to black mould brought failings in the social housing sector into the public eye and resulted in the Conservative Government moving to introduce the new duties on social landlords. Awaab was found to have developed a severe respiratory condition as a result of exposure to black mould in a flat in Rochdale. An inspection of the property in July 2020 found mould in the kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom cupboard that needed treatment. Despite this, no action was taken by housing provider Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

The legal duties coming in force today were contained within the Social Housing (Regulation) Act which was passed in July 2023.

At the time, Conservative Minister Dehenna Davison said during the 3^rd Reading Debate in the House of Commons: “Hazards such as damp and mould have absolutely no place in their tenants’ homes. We must do more to ensure that people are safe in their own home, and that starts with landlords providing high-quality accommodation and a high-quality service to all of their tenants.”

Responding to the introduction of Awaab’s Law, Caroline said: “New duties on social housing landlords cannot come soon enough. My inbox is bulging with stories about substandard housing and slow response times to escalated complaints. This law will inject some urgency into dealing with housing problems that can have serious implications on tenants’ health and wellbeing.

“There are too many people in Gosport who are either on a waiting list for housing, in accommodation that doesn’t suit their needs, or who have to deal with appalling circumstances of damp and mould.

“I’ll be doing what I can to push Gosport Borough Council to improve their council house offering and writing to Ministers where I can draw attention to sub-par standards. If any constituents have experienced poor service from their social housing provider I would urge them to write to me at caroline.dinenage.mp@parliament.uk.”