Awaab Ishak’s Father Is Hopeful New Law Will Save Lives
In an emotional interview, Faisal Ishak expressed his gratitude towards the government for its intervention in passing Awaab's Law to prevent further tragedies.
In 2020, two-year-old Awaab Ishak died of severe respiratory illness due to prolonged mould exposure from his social housing flat in Rochdale, Manchester. His death sparked outrage, prompting the passing of Awaab’s Law in a bid to improve conditions for social housing tenants. Now, Awaab’s father is hopeful his son's Law will protect others.
What happened?
Mr Ishak had complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing consistently for three years before his son's death; however, the complaints remained unanswered, and the social housing provider took no action.
Two-year-old Awaab Ishak's death, which was officially due to "environmental mould pollution", sparked public outrage over the tragic and largely preventable case, sparking government intervention. Awaab's Law was passed in 2023 as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and enacted in October 2025.
Since Awaab's death became public knowledge, hundreds of people have stepped forward to report landlord negligence; however, as of October 2025, landlords must legally address damp and mould hazards within a fixed timescale.
Will social housing landlords be held accountable?
Since the 27th October 2025, landlords must comply with new legal requirements for responding to tenant complaints and actioning emergency repairs within specific timeframes. The requirements will inform social housing tenancy agreements, making it easier for tenants to hold their landlords to account through making a legal claim or taking their case to the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS).
If you live in social housing in England and report damp, mould, leaks or other health hazards:
-
Your landlord must investigate within 10 working days
-
They must tell you the outcome of that investigation in writing within 3 days
-
If your home is unsafe, repairs must start within five working days
-
If it’s an emergency, action must be taken within 24 hours
-
If the problem can’t be fixed quickly, you should be offered a safe alternative place to live
Landlords who break Awaab's Law face significant penalties, including fines up to £40,000, court orders to carry out repairs and potentially criminal prosecution.
What is the Housing Ombudsman (HOS)?
HOS is an independent body responsible for settling disputes between landlords and tenants. Tenants who have raised a complaint that remains unresolved, or who are in an active dispute with their landlord, can take their case to HOS for a final judgment.
Before raising a complaint with HOS, tenants should ensure they have completed the complaints process and raised the issue with their landlord. If there is no response, a copy of the complaint can be passed on to HOS. If there is evidence that the landlord is not following its own complaints process, and the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, HOS will support you to the end of the complaint process.
Premier Legal Assist are on hand to help
If you are living in disrepair, with unresolved issues such as mould, leaks, broken heating, or structural problems, and your landlord has refused to act, or has not acted within a reasonable timeframe, you may be entitled to make a claim.
Premier Legal Assist can connect you with a team of specialist housing disrepair lawyers who operate on a 'no-win, no-fee' basis. Our panel of housing law specialists has years of experience dealing with local councils and housing associations across the UK.
To find out if you may be eligible to make a 'no-win, no-fee' claim, complete our short form.
Other Insights
Important Information
Premier Legal Assist is a claims management company. You do not need to use a claims management company to make your complaint, you can complain to the organisation you are complaining about directly. If the issue is not resolved, you can refer it to the relevant independent Ombudsman service for free.