The legal framework for Awaab’s Law and social housing safety.

1.1The Ombudsman’s thematic report published in October 2021, drawn from its casework on damp and mould. The Coroner’s inquest heard evidence about it.¹

• Two systemic issues persist in casework: over reliance on residents, and lack of overall responsibility for ensuring complaints are resolved.
• Four chapters: from reactive to proactive, from inferring blame to taking responsibility, from disrepair claims to resolution, and from complaints to a learning culture.
• The Coroner’s report records that the court heard evidence from the Ombudsman about this report.

1. Housing Ombudsman Service, Housing Ombudsman, Spotlight report on damp and mould: it’s not a lifestyle, October 2021. Source (opens in a new tab)

England · Published October 2021 · Last checked 17 October 2026

1.2The Ombudsman’s report on severe maladministration decisions about damp and mould, grouped by delays in inspection, starting work and completing work.¹

• Published 16 October 2024 with an annex of damp and mould decisions.
• The Ombudsman said the cases show landlords still struggling with timescales and that redress offered was repeatedly inadequate.
• Twenty landlords are named in the report, as published.

1. Housing Ombudsman Service, Housing Ombudsman press release, 16 October 2024; Learning from severe maladministration (October 2024). Source (opens in a new tab)

England · Published 16 October 2024 · Last checked 17 October 2026

1.3Maladministration in the handling of reports of damp and mould in a bathroom and in the associated complaint. The landlord is a local authority and the resident a secure tenant.¹

• Report date: 9 November 2023. Finding under paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme: maladministration.
• The Ombudsman found the landlord placed the onus on the resident to clean the mould and there was a significant delay in further action.
• Orders included paying £650 compensation (£500 for the delays in completing work to remedy the damp and mould and £150 for poor complaint handling).
• The Ombudsman noted it cannot determine liability for damage where that is disputed and that this is a matter for insurers or the courts.

1. Housing Ombudsman Service, Housing Ombudsman, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, complaint 202126740, 9 November 2023. Source (opens in a new tab)

England · Published 9 November 2023 · Last checked 17 October 2026

1.4Maladministration in the handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould. There were delays, and the landlord could not show the inspection was sufficiently robust and accurate.¹

• Report date: 31 August 2023. Finding under paragraph 54 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme: maladministration.
• The Ombudsman noted the landlord did not keep records of the inspection and took no steps to confirm the works met the required standard, for example by post inspection.
• Orders included an apology from a senior member of staff, £400 for distress and inconvenience, a further inspection with a recorded action plan, and a review of record keeping practices.

1. Housing Ombudsman Service, Housing Ombudsman, Lambeth Council, complaint 202221633, 31 August 2023. Source (opens in a new tab)

England · Published 31 August 2023 · Last checked 17 October 2026

2.1Awaab Ishak died on 21 December 2020 at the Royal Oldham Hospital, aged two. The investigation concluded on 15 November 2022 with a narrative conclusion.¹

• Coroner: Joanne Kearsley, Senior Coroner for the Coroner area of Manchester North. The investigation began on 27 December 2020.
• Medical cause of death: acute airway oedema with severe granulomatous tracheobronchitis, due to environmental mould exposure.
• Narrative conclusion: Awaab Ishak died as a result of a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment. Action to treat and prevent the mould was not taken.
• The Coroner’s report records that the presence of mould in the flat was notified to the landlord in 2017, and that no action to treat the mould had been taken by the time Awaab died.

1. Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths, Awaab Ishak, ref 2022-0365, 16 November 2022. Source (opens in a new tab)

England · Published 16 November 2022 · Last checked 17 October 2026

2.2The Coroner reported five matters of concern to the then Minister for Housing and the Secretary of State for Health, on 16 November 2022.¹

• The 2006 Decent Home guidance gave no consideration to damp and mould or to adequate ventilation.
• The HHSRS data sheet for damp and mould did not reflect the current known risks.
• There was no evidence that up to date health information on damp and mould was easily accessible to the housing sector.
• Housing associations had a policy, where a disrepair claim had been brought, of waiting for agreement from the claimant before rectifying recognised disrepair.
• Private landlords’ tenants had no access to the Housing Ombudsman for complaints.
• The recipients had a duty to respond within 56 days, by 13 January 2023. Responses are published on the same judiciary.uk page.

1. Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths, ref 2022-0365; Coroners and Justice Act 2009, Schedule 5, paragraph 7; Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, regulations 28 and 29. Source (opens in a new tab)

England · Published 16 November 2022 · Last checked 17 October 2026