The Renters Rights Bill - The application of ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the private rental sector ⚠️
The Renters’ Rights Bill contains some major reforms that will impact landlords, tenants, and agents in the Private Rented Sector. One of these is the introduction of Awaab’s Law. What’s this?
The tragic death of 2 year old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 shocked the nation. The death of a child is always heart-breaking –more so when it is entirely preventable!
Awaab died as a direct result of exposure to mould in the social home his family rented. His parents raised concerns about their living conditions time and again and the landlord not only repeatedly failed to act, but blamed the family for causing the hazardous mould.
As the Coroner’s ruling into Awaab’s death makes plain, landlord’s must take residents’ concerns about health and safety seriously. The government’s new guidance on the health risks of damp and mould for landlords states that residents should not be blamed for its presence in their homes, and mould in homes must not be pinned on ‘lifestyle choices’ – cooking a meal, having a hot shower and putting clothes out to dry are not discretionary activities but part and parcel of living in your home. It is therefore the responsibility of landlords to identify and address underlying causes, such as structural issues or inadequate ventilation.
Awaabs Law has already been introduced for Social Housing and will be introduced to the PRS as part of the Renters Rights Bill.
This will require the landlord to address damp and mould safety hazards within a specific time period and failure to do so will mean that tenants are able to bring enforcement against the landlord, and potentially the agent, if action has not been taken.
The Government has recognised that there is a difference between the social housing sector and the PRS and have committed to carefully consider how best to apply Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector in a way that is fair, proportionate and effective for both tenants and landlords, and will consult on this. They will set out further detail on plans in due course.