A housing association chairman is confident mistakes will not be repeated after Awaab Ishak’s death.
Image source, Family handoutThe chairman of a housing association at the centre of the death of a toddler from mould says he is confident it will not repeat past mistakes.
Awaab Ishak, aged two, died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould at his Rochdale home in December 2020, an inquest found.
His father repeatedly raised concerns with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but no action was taken.
Kevin Brady said RBH’s priority was making its 12,000 properties safe.
RBH was widely criticised after the coroner’s conclusion regarding Awaab’s death, and an investigation by the Housing Ombudsman said it had been “dismissive” and “unsympathetic” with residents.
It was consequently stripped of £1m in funds for new housing by the government, with Housing Secretary Michael Gove saying it had “failed its tenants”.
Mr Brady, who was appointed chair of RBH’s board of directors in April, told BBC Radio Manchester it had investigated more than 7,000 of its homes for damp and mould, of which around 850 had serious problems that needed urgent treatment.
He said it aimed to complete checks on all its properties by the end of the year.
RBH’s main priorities were making homes safe and rebuilding trust with tenants, Mr Brady said.
He said RBH had spent £1.2m on ventilation on the Freehold estate, where Awaab lived, in the past six months.
He said his priority was “making homes safe for our tenants, and as high a quality as we can possibly make them, and that needs a huge amount of investment”.
“We have identified some of that investment but we will need more, and we will be looking to government and other sources to help us.”
Awaab’s Law
It comes after Awaab’s Law, which sets time limits for social landlords to fix hazards such as damp and mould, came into force last week.
Mr Brady believes RBH’s recovery plan means it is now well placed to meet the new demands of Awaab’s Law.
“Our current systems in place for dealing with damp and mould will meet the requirements of Awaab’s Law and keep us ahead of the legislation, I’d like to believe.”
He said he believed the tragedy of Awaab’s death would never be forgotten and mistakes would never be repeated.
“We have built those lessons learned into our recovery plan.
“It will be built into the DNA of the organisation going forward,” he said.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
