Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in December 2020, from respiratory conditions caused by damp and mould in his home in Rochdale, the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) wrote to all of the local authorities in England.
He wanted to make sure that each local authority is meeting its legal and regulatory requirements for managing damp and mould. The Regulator of Social Housing also wrote to us to check that the homes we provide are well-maintained and of a decent standard.
Secretary of State's letter to local housing authorities
The Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) wrote a letter to all local housing authorities dated 19 November 2022 directing us to:
- Have particular regard for high-scoring Category 2 damp and mould hazards.
- Supply the DLUHC with an assessment of damp and mould issues affecting privately rented properties in the borough, including the number of Category 1 and Category 2 damp and mould hazards.
- Supply the DLUHC with an assessment of what actions may need to be taken to address damp and mould issues affecting privately rented properties in the borough.
- Provide information about specific actions taken to address damp and mould hazards in the private rented sector over the last 3 years. This information should include the amount and nature of remediation, enforcement activity, Civil Penalty Notices and prosecutions.
- Provide information about plans in place to prioritise the enforcement of housing standards. There should be a particular focus on how we'll ensure there's enough capacity to drive up standards in the private rented sector.
- Provide an initial response by 30 November 2022, and a full response by 27 January 2023.
- Read the Secretary of State's letter to local housing authorities
Our full response to the Deputy Director of Private Standards
We submitted our full response to the Deputy Director of Private Standards on 25 January 2023.
We answered specific questions about the prevalence of damp and mould issues in the borough of Rochdale.
The activity included taking enforcement action on damp and mould hazards over the last 3 years. This included taking action on both Category 1 and Category 2 hazards in the private rented sector.
Data sources were used to inform us of the condition and quality of the stock in the area. There were also questions about the capacity of officers, their expertise, funding and prioritisation of enforcement action.
Read our full response to the Deputy Director of Private Standards