A huge step away from my normal blogs but seeing an article on the BBC today raising the awareness of Awaab’s Law and the initiation of Andy Burnhams ‘good Landlords’ charter I felt inclined to write.

It is with a happy heart that I read:

‘Rogue social housing landlords could be forced to repair mouldy homes within 24 hours as part of government proposals after a toddler's death.’

Awaab Ishak: Plan to force landlords to tackle mouldy homes - BBC News

About time we all think….and then we move on with our day as it is not us dreading getting up in the morning, coughing due to the damp and clearing up rat droppings before we start our day.

So is this this just another headline or will we finally see some action.

When Box Legal first started to work in this area, we did our usual due diligence, our research and we worked closely with our firms who were experienced in the Housing Disrepair legal market. However, it wasn’t until a few years later that my colleague Jon Gouldsmith and I decided to take a more in-depth approach and work with referrers to learn more about the suffering of tenants – (our clients).

We worked with clients to take information about the social housing repairs that despite numerous conversations and complaints, had yet to be completed.  Many of these clients were vulnerable, with mental health illnesses, respiratory problems, and disabilities. It was our role then to look at whether they had a legal case. Very sadly, and due to the current stance of law at that time surrounding housing disrepair cases, only around 15% of all calls fell into that category. This was despite the many issues and the desperation these clients were living in and through. Of these 15%, motivation was lacking.

Many of these clients had made so many complaints and had been failed by the system that they believed nothing would ever be done and did not want to take a claim any further. It was too much for them. They had made calls, sent emails, often been told that someone would come out to repair problems but did not ever show. Constantly palmed off with the same information over and over. Most commented that the majority of the people in their street had matching issues with the same Landlords and had been told the same story – someone would come out and look, someone would get back to them, someone would repair, someone would help!

Problems with properties included damp and mould, with parents moving children from one room to another to find them a dry safe area to sleep. Vermin, rats, and mice. Cracks breaking through into properties letting in water, problems with roofing and guttering – and this just scratches the surface.

It gave Jon and I a closer insight into a world we had been circling – but, we had not ever known such deprivation. We were shocked, sad and I expect extremely naive to not realise that in the UK this seems to be commonplace. People are living in slums.

Andy Burnham comments that a charter needs to be set for ‘Good Landlords.’ I appreciate there are many good Landlords out there, however the issue we see, seems to lie with the social housing companies.

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

I couldn’t help thinking of this closing scene from Animal Farm when I read that the UK’s housing associations made record operating profits of £3.5bn in 2017. Many critics have argued that housing associations have drifted so far away from their philanthropic roots that it is often hard to distinguish them from red-at-claw property developers. The latest figures appear to prove the point.  Colin Wiles, The Guardian, 2018.

The quote above is from 2018. Awaab died in 2020. Two years after these figures were released. Two years after we knew there was something rotten in social housing.

As ATE providers, all we can do is help to find a solution once the problem has occurred, but surely as a country, we should be looking for more preventative measures. Surely as humans, we want the best for each other.

Awaab and every other person that has been subjected to this level of inhumane squalor deserves justice – or more importantly, should not ever have been exposed to this horror. Please tell me this is not our best.