In December 2020 a two-year-old boy died from mould exposure in a Rochdale flat. His parents had been reporting it for years. The law that bears his name is the result.
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This is the story behind the law. Some of what follows is hard to read.
December 2020
Awaab Ishak was a two-year-old boy. He lived with his parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, in a one-bedroom flat in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The flat was owned and managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), a community-based housing association.
Mould had been in the flat for years. Awaab's father reported it again and again: by phone, by visiting the office, in person to housing officers. He was a refugee from Sudan with limited English. RBH's records would later show his complaints were not consistently logged.
When the mould was treated, it was painted over. Paint doesn't fix the cause; it covers the symptom. The mould came back within weeks.
On 19 December 2020, Awaab was admitted to Royal Oldham Hospital with severe respiratory distress. He died on 21 December.
The coroner's findings
The inquest ended in November 2022, nearly two years after Awaab's death. Senior coroner Joanne Kearsley found that long exposure to mould in the family's flat had directly caused Awaab's death.
The coroner's narrative was unflinching:
- RBH had been on notice of the mould for years
- Maintenance staff had advised the family to paint over the mould themselves
- A senior staff member had implied the family's lifestyle was at fault
- A health visitor's letter raising concern about Awaab's health and the property had prompted no action
- The family had been told they were on the transfer list, but the transfer never came
The coroner went further than usual. She issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report, addressed directly to RBH, the housing minister, and the Regulator of Social Housing.
The political reaction
The case became a national scandal. Within days, the then housing secretary Michael Gove demanded the resignation of RBH's chief executive. RBH's governance grade was downgraded, and a sector-wide investigation into damp and mould followed.
Politicians of every party quickly agreed on one principle: no tenant should ever again be ignored when reporting damp and mould.
How the law changed
In 2023, Parliament passed the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which requires social landlords to act on hazards within strict legal time limits.
The provisions came into force on 27 October 2025, almost five years after Awaab's death.
The law became universally known as Awaab's Law even before the legislation formally adopted the name.
It requires social landlords in England to:
- Investigate and make safe an emergency hazard within 24 hours
- Investigate a significant hazard within 10 working days
- Complete the safety work within 5 working days of the investigation ending
- Send the tenant a written summary of the findings within 3 working days of the investigation (this runs at the same time as the 5-working-day works window, not after it)
There is no exception for a landlord being short of money or staff. The landlord must act, or face enforcement by the Regulator of Social Housing. A landlord that misses these deadlines may also leave itself open to a disrepair claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.
Why the family kept pushing
In a statement after the inquest, Awaab's father Faisal said:
"I would like to ask: how was this allowed to happen? What did we, as a family, do to deserve this? My son Awaab paid the highest price possible. I just don't want any other family to go through what we went through."
The family kept going, through bereavement, through grief, through years of legal process. Their persistence is the reason every other family now has these protections.
What it means for tenants today
Awaab's Law applies to every social landlord in England. Has your landlord missed the 24-hour deadline for an emergency hazard, or the 10-working-day deadline for a significant one? That fact alone strengthens any future legal claim.
Awaab's Law is being brought in over time. Damp, mould and emergency hazards are covered now. More hazard types, such as excess cold, fire and electrical dangers, follow in 2026 and 2027. The full list of housing dangers comes from the government's Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which has 29 categories.
Welsh tenants do not have Awaab's Law: it is English legislation. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2 (WHQS2) give similar protection.
Private renters in England are getting similar protection under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
What the family wants going forward
The family has campaigned, alongside groups including Shelter and ARC, for:
- Awaab's Law extended to private landlords (the Renters' Rights Act 2025 makes this possible, but it has not been brought into force yet)
- Required training on mould and damp for social landlords' housing officers
- A national review of how all social landlords handle damp and mould complaints
- Faster enforcement when landlords fail to comply
Some of this has happened. Some hasn't.
In practice
If you have damp or mould and your landlord ignores you, this is the law that protects you. It exists because a two-year-old child died, and his family refused to let it be forgotten.
Sources: Prevention of Future Deaths report for Awaab Ishak, Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (2022-0365).
Support For Tenants is a trading name of Cyntex Group Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Claims Management Company. FRN 1020217. Registered in England and Wales.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 23 May 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
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