Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with the London Borough of Havering on tackling mould in council accommodation in Romford constituency.

All landlords have legal obligations to remedy disrepair, ensure homes are fit for human habitation and to ensure that homes are free of serious ‘category 1’ hazards, as defined through the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. As a registered provider of social housing, the London Borough of Havering is also required to ensure its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard.

Following the death of Awaab Ishak, the Secretary of State wrote to all providers of social housing, including the London Borough of Havering, setting out that he expected providers to go further than the letter of the Decent Homes Standard and have particular regard to damp and mould. He also wrote to local authority chief executives and council leaders setting out his expectation that they take action to resolve poor housing conditions in their area.

The Government is taking action on damp and mould. We have introduced ‘Awaab’s Law’, which sets out new requirements for landlords to address hazards such as damp and mould in social homes within a fixed time period. We published our consultation on 9 January 2024. We have also, with the Department of Health and Social Care, developed new consolidated guidance for the housing sector on the health impacts of damp and mould in homes. This guidance was published in September 2023.