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To: Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Housing

Extend Awaab’s Law to the private rental sector

Awaab’s Law has been announced to force landlords to deal with mould but currently it only applies to social tenants: it must be extended to the private rented sector as well.

Why is this important?

I have lived with mould in my flat since I moved in. It seeped through the roof into my bedroom meaning I’ve not been able to use the top of my wardrobe for fear of my clothes getting damp and ruined. I managed to speak to the previous tenant and he had experienced the same problem. The landlord and letting agents consistently denied the mould was because of a fault to the property. The source of the mould was condensation from the roof tiles caused by a lack of proper, basic insulation.

Since the tragic death of Awaab Ishak was confirmed to be due to prolonged exposure to mould a few months ago [1] renters like me have felt more anxious than ever about the potential consequences of mould harming our health. 1 in 9 private rented homes have some form of damp (including mould) in them according to the 2022 English Housing Survey. [2]

Thousands of renters have to live with the threat of mould ruining their home but also ruining their lives. According to a Survation poll, 37% of private renters experienced damp and mould in the previous 5 years. [3]

Many things cause mould, including leaks, rising damp and poor insulation, but too often landlords dismiss complaints and blame tenants.

Renters shouldn’t have to pay for the negligence of landlords and the Housing Secretary Michael Gove wants to change the system [4]

Gove has announced that social landlords will have to respond to damp and mould problems within a certain time limit, in what he calls Awaab's Law. The new amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill aims to tackle damp and mould in social housing by giving the Housing Ombudsman powers to force landlords to deal with hazards swiftly. [5]

Awaab’s Law needs to be extended to the private rented sector, which is getting its own Ombudsman under the proposed Renters’ Reform Bill.

Both social and private tenants experience mould and have to deal with its consequences and both private and social landlords should be held responsible for fixing it.

So please sign this petition today so that we can tell the Housing Secretary that private renters deserve to live in homes that don’t threaten their health and that landlords have to be held accountable.

Notes:
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/15/death-of-two-year-old-awaab-ishak-chronic-mould-in-flat-a-defining-moment-says-coroner
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2021-to-2022-headline-report/english-housing-survey-2021-to-2022-headline-report
[3] https://www.generationrent.org/survation_april_2021
[4] https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/michael-gove-homes-unsafe-rochdale-black-mould-inquest-b1042263.html
[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-deliver-awaabs-law

England, UK

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Updates

2023-03-29 14:33:10 +0100

5,000 signatures reached

2023-03-17 17:29:24 +0000

1,000 signatures reached

2023-03-17 17:11:22 +0000

500 signatures reached

2023-03-14 23:26:00 +0000

100 signatures reached

2023-03-14 20:50:43 +0000

50 signatures reached

2023-03-14 20:19:46 +0000

25 signatures reached

2023-03-14 20:10:06 +0000

10 signatures reached