Awaab Ishak: Failing landlords will be named and shamed, Gove says

Two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in December 2020

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said his department would "name and shame" landlords who breached standards after the death of toddler Awaab Ishak.

The two-year-old died of a respiratory condition caused by exposure to the mould in his flat, a coroner ruled.

Awaab's father repeatedly raised the issue with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but no action was ever taken.

Speaking in the Commons earlier, Mr Gove said new legislation would hold landlords to account.

"The time for empty promises of improvement is over," he said.

"My department will now name and shame those who have been found by the regulator to have breached consumer standards or who have been found by the ombudsman to have committed severe maladministration."

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing acknowledged more should have been done to treat the mould

He said: "Awaab's death does make painfully clear why we must do everything we can to better protect tenants.

"At the moment ... the system has been too reliant on people fighting their own corner and we are determined to change that.

"So, the reforms that we're making will help to relieve the burden on tenants with an emboldened and more powerful regulator."

Shadow Communities Secretary Lisa Nandy said the case had "to mark the start of a real step change in the levels of urgency that we have about improving the condition of our social housing stock".

A lack of ventilation led to mould developing in the property

Awaab died in December 2020 following a cardiac arrest after living in the damp one-bedroom flat in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

His father Faisal Abdullah had complained about the mould but said the family had been "left feeling absolutely worthless at the hands of RBH".

Coroner Joanne Kearsley criticised RBH for not being "proactive" and asked: "How in the UK in 2020 does a two-year-old child die as a result of exposure to mould?"

However, it comes amid a "dramatic increase" in cases of damp and mould, the housing ombudsman has said.

'Do your job, man'

Speaking earlier, Mr Gove said local authorities and housing associations could not blame a lack of government funding for the child's death.

"We all know that local authorities are facing challenging times when it comes to finance but, frankly, that is no excuse," Mr Gove said.

"When you have got a situation where you have a young child in a house that is unfit for human habitation, it is a basic responsibility of the local authority - but particularly the housing association - to make sure that people are in decent homes.

"All this what-aboutery, all this 'Oh, if only we had more government money' - do your job, man."

• How dangerous is mould in the home?

Mr Gove said he had summoned the head of the housing association, who earned £170,000 in the year of Awaab's death, to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

RBH's financial reports show Mr Swarbrick's pay increased to £185,000 the year after Awaab's death.

Mr Swarbrick said Awaab's death should be a "wake-up call for everyone in housing, social care and health".

He said: "We didn't recognise the level of risk to a little boy's health from the mould in the family's home."

The housing boss added: "We must make sure this can never happen again."

Awaab turned two shortly before his death

Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: "This is an appalling, heartbreaking case but, sadly, the kind of failures that we saw here... they often happen and they often cause deep distress, profound distress to residents."

He said landlords "have not always prioritised or focused on issues like damp and mould" and there was "almost a dismissive attitude by some, a kind of fatalism by some".

"You can see now the consequences of it," he added.

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