Government to deliver Awaab’s Law
Awaab’s Law will force social landlords to fix damp and mould within strict time limits, in new amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill. These are the headlines on the Gov.UK website last week as Michael Gove continues his campaign at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to bolster the rights of tenants.
According to the parliamentary website “The Government has tabled amendments to the Social Housing Regulation Bill to introduce ‘Awaab’s Law’, which will require landlords to fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes". The headline intent is to:
- Crackdown on damp and mould under new legislation in memory of Awaab Ishak
- Landlords must investigate and fix serious problems within strict time limits
- New powers for Housing Ombudsman to help landlords improve performance, in amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill.
On the face of it these changes in the law affecting social housing providers feels like good news and should be welcomed. Those who experience dealing with tenanted buildings may recoil a bit at the initial suggestions in relation to time however.
We all understand that the correct diagnosis of a defect is essential if we are to deliver long term solutions for any damp problem. The devil will be in the detail but we should warn against any legislation that promotes rapidly delivered “cover up” solutions over long term remediation strategies based on reliable professional diagnostic investigations, like those provided by members of the PCA.
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