Awaab's Law: Government criticised for 'lack of urgency' and told 'act quickly'

The Government has been urged to 'act quickly' on the outcome of its consultation on Awaab's Law - named after a two year-old boy who died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale.

The Conservative chairman of a committee which looked into the impacts of poor housing on health has criticised the Tory Government for what it called a 'lack of urgency' in its response to issues raised.

The Health and Social Care Committee published its report in January, calling for swift action to update the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) for the social rented sector and put in place a similar set of standards for the private rented sector. It also urged the Government to 'act quickly' on the outcome of its consultation on Awaab’s Law, named after Awaab Ishak, who died in December 2020.

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While the Government, in its response published on Thursday, said it had accepted these recommendations, committee chair Steve Brine voiced his disappointment at the lack of timetable for urgent change.

He said: “There appears to be a general theme running through the Government's response to our report. It is a lack of urgency."

Mr Brine said Awaab's death had brought the need for action 'into sharp focus', adding: "Tenants in both the social and private rented sectors deserve greater legal protection.

“While the Government has accepted our call to update the Decent Homes Standard for the social rented sector and to implement a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector, we are no closer to seeing an update and there’s no timetable for the changes to happen.”

The DHS sets out the minimum standards for the condition of homes. As part of a consultation on updating it in the social rented sector, the Government has proposed landlords in social housing would be obliged to make emergency repairs within 24 hours and to investigate and start fixing hazards within a certain time period, as part of Awaab’s Law.

Mr Brine reiterated that it is “critical that the Government acts quickly on legislation that will force landlords in the social rental sector to ensure that tenants do not suffer wholly preventable harms to their health through housing hazards”.

Public health minister Andrea Leadsom said responses to the consultation into Awaab’s Law, which closed in March, were being analysed. She added: “Once this has been completed, we will publish a response setting out findings and will then bring forward secondary legislation to bring Awaab’s Law into force in the social rented sector as soon as practicable.”

Ms Leadsom said it had been acknowledged that the DHS “is no longer fully effective and does not meet present day concerns” and that the Government had committed to reviewing the DHS within social housing and extending it to the private rented sector.

The Government consulted on applying the DHS to the private rented sector at the end of 2022 and “will be publishing our response to that in due course”, the minister said. She said residents, landlords and technical experts had been consulted to ensure they “have their voices heard on what the new DHS should cover” and that an analysis on costs and benefits of updated DHS options had been commissioned.

Ms Leadsom said: “It is critical that the DHS is introduced to all rented sectors and that it sets the right requirements on decency. We are working towards this and we intend to publish our consultation on an updated DHS soon.”

Ms Leadsom said the Renters (Reform) Bill will bring the private rented sector under the scope of a DHS for the first time. But Mr Brine said the committee is “concerned that protection for tenants in the private sector will depend on the extent of measures” in that Bill “to prevent landlords evicting tenants who raise concerns, ensuring that they can report and receive vital repairs without fear of losing their homes in the process”.

The Bill is set to have its second reading in the House of Lords next week, but housing charities have criticised amendments made as it went through the Commons, saying it has been watered down to favour landlords over tenants.

MPs and campaigners hit out at the Government for implementing an “indefinite delay” on plans to abolish so-called “no-fault” Section 21 evictions which were first announced in 2019.

The results of the consultation should precede the setting in stone of exact timeframes for repairs and inspections. The Government confirmed the consultation closed on March 5 and said it was now 'analysing responses and preparing the Government response setting out the consultation findings and next steps'. It said it intends to 'bring forward secondary legislation to bring Awaab's Law into force as quickly as possible'.