The huge scale of how widespread damp and mould has been on Awaab Ishak's estate has been revealed. The toddler died two years ago, on December 21, 2020, following prolonged exposure to mould.
Over the summer, the Manchester Evening News spoke to other families on the Freehold estate in Rochdale, which is owned and managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH). They described similar conditions at their homes, with stubborn battles against damp and mould, and children suffering breathing issues.
That investigation prompted RBH to inspect every property on the estate, with the findings now revealed by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). It says that as many as four in five properties were affected by damp and mould that RBH was unaware of - with the worst cases amounting to a 'category one' hazard.
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Following further investigation in the aftermath of Awaab's inquest, the RSH downgraded RBH to 'G3' last week, meaning it is not compliant with governance requirements. A regulatory notice from the RSH says: "During the summer of 2022, following media reports about conditions on the Freehold Estate, RBH began visiting all properties on the estate to assess for damp and mould.
"This work is ongoing, but RBH has now found that hundreds of properties on the Freehold Estate have signs of damp and mould. This includes a small number of properties with damp and mould which would constitute a category one Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazard, and over a hundred with damp and mould which would constitute a category two HHSRS hazard. The remaining properties have smaller areas of mould growth or condensation."
The notice adds: "We now know that almost 80% of tenants on the Freehold Estate who have had their properties surveyed since summer 2022 have signs of damp and mould which RBH was not previously aware of. It is not clear why RBH was unaware of these problems given that they are widespread across the properties on the Freehold Estate."
The regulator says it is not taking immediate enforcement action against the housing association, but is keeping an eye on how RBH responds. The housing association says it is taking prompt issue to rectify the failures highlighted by the regulator - which also included IT weaknesses leading to vital information being missed, incorrect assumptions about mould in Awaab's home, and inadequate information being provided to RSH about Awaab's death.
Following the RSH's decision last Thursday, housing secretary Michael Gove said: "RBH failed - and it meant that Awaab Ishak needlessly and tragically lost his life. The regulator’s judgment reflects that.
“I will continue to block government funding from RBH to build new homes until it can prove each of its residents has a safe and secure home. I’ve seen and heard first-hand the issues tenants continue to face in Rochdale.
"But this isn’t just an issue in Rochdale - it is clear from today’s English Housing Survey there are very serious issues with the quality of homes in this country. The fact that 10% of social homes and 23% of private rented homes failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard last year must be a wakeup call for landlords. Get a grip of your homes and make improvements now.
“Our Social Housing Bill will strengthen the powers of the Regulator so they can issue unlimited fines to rogue landlords, enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice and make emergency repairs where there is a serious risk to tenants - with landlords footing the bill. And next year we will deliver a fairer deal for tenants in the private rented sector too. We must honour Awaab’s memory, so I am looking at new measures – including legislation – that will go further to deliver urgent action when people complain about damp and mould and make sure the rights of tenants are respected.
“There is consensus across the country that landlords must do better. Let RBH be a warning, I will use every power at my disposal to make sure people have good quality homes and are treated with dignity and respect.”
Mr Gove told the M.E.N. and Awaab's family that he supported the campaign for Awaab's Law on a visit to Rochdale last month. Following the regulator's decision, RBH has announced its entire board will be resigning in the new year, a move welcomed by Rochdale Council.
Coun Daniel Meredith, cabinet member for highways and housing, said: "The regulator’s findings have again exposed the inadequacies of RBH and laid bare its indifferent attitudes towards its tenants. The report also supports what we as a council have been saying for some time; that the organisation is not fit for purpose and a radical overhaul that includes the reinstatement of council representation is required urgently.
"We welcome the news that the board is to be replaced and look forward to working with the regulator and the interim chief executive to ensure the required improvements are delivered quickly and confidence is restored in the organisation.” In a statement issued to tenants following the regulator's decision, RBH interim chief executive Yvonne Arrowsmith said the move followed 'failings and mistakes' made at the organisation 'in recent years'.
She added: "We fully accept this judgement. Our entire team is already working to make the changes necessary to regain their confidence and demonstrate we meet the standards expected of us.
"Action is now underway to improve RBH for our tenants, including: a new Damp and Mould Taskforce which means we respond to reports of damp and mould quicker; new translation tools have been introduced to help us better communicate with tenants, particularly tenants who have English as a second language; a £1.2m programme is underway to improve ventilation in every home in Freehold.
"We are also making changes at a senior level. From January 2023, we will start recruitment for new board members, including the appointment of a new chair. In the interim, we are recruiting special advisors on tenant services and property management to provide additional oversight and support. All new appointees will be approved by our elected representative body to ensure tenant voice remains at the heart of everything we do."
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