Death of a two year old in substandard social housing

Grantanow

Unfortunately I think nothing will be done about this once the media circus has moved on to the next problem. Substandard housing is a real problem in the UK and it won't be solved overnight. There may be culpability in this case but it's not obvious what the solution was in the absence of alternative accommodation or technical solutions. Better social housing is the answer but Councils have not been building much if it over the years since the sale of Council houses started by the Tories. So-called affordable homes are out of reach of many tenants.

I fear you are right.
This will cost a great deal of money, and sadly I can’t see the government, particularly this one, prioritising this awful problem. Houses and flats need to be properly constructed, but retrospective remedial treatment, ie ventilation and insulation and adequate heating will cost millions. This is a symptom of our grossly unequal society, where the poor have no power and can be ignored.

It depends on the cause of the damp. If it's penetrating mould, it's because there is some fault in the structure of the building.

My understanding in this case is that the property had been inspected. A new extractor fan was recommended and replastering, but nothing was done. From the pictures, it looks like more than surface mould from condensation.

Whitewavemark2

The Tories voted against a bill that called for housing to be fit for human habitation.

Their actions led to this.

Yes, they did. Yet another inconvenient truth. I think the board of the Housing Association should be tried for Corporate Manslaughter, yet I predict another enquiry, and another 'Lessons will be learned' PR exercise with some mealy mouthed spokesperson trying to look concerned for anything other than their own job

Esspee

The landlord is getting the blame but surely the parents have a responsibility to keep the property aired, heated and cleaned. It is relatively cheap to kill off mould with a simple bleach spray, one done, if the damp is controlled it shouldn’t return.

I have had great difficulty trying to get highly intelligent overseas tenants to understand that sealing up windows over the winter will cause damp buildup from breathing, cooking, and drying clothes inside without using the dryer supplied.

Now that energy is so expensive this problem is only going to get worse.

It is not always the landlord to blame.

and another one victim blaming. Some of you just don't get it do you? Or is it just an inconvenient truth?

Should people who aren't in social housing be educated, then?

Caleo

Growstuff, then the landlords needed to educate the tenants about how to ventilate and heat the flats.

If they can't afford the heating then that is a separate issue.

nice bit of victim blaming there. No amount of opening bloody windows or 'educating clients' in how to ventilate their homes would have solved this issue. The mould was everywhere, the property unfit for habitation, and nobody listened

Unfortunately I think nothing will be done about this once the media circus has moved on to the next problem. Substandard housing is a real problem in the UK and it won't be solved overnight. There may be culpability in this case but it's not obvious what the solution was in the absence of alternative accommodation or technical solutions. Better social housing is the answer but Councils have not been building much if it over the years since the sale of Council houses started by the Tories. So-called affordable homes are out of reach of many tenants.

Callistemon21

growstuff

Callistemon21

It seems to be standard practice to blame tenants.

Yes.

Indeed!

See the post above yours.

Probably a X post.

I know all about this from the present experiences of one of our DC.
It's shocking.

Yes, it is. My student DS had a problem with damp in a flat and the landlord tried to blame him. Students are an easy target because they tend to be poor, don't have experience of property maintenance and have a reputation for reckless living. What the landlord didn't realise was that my DS's father is a qualified surveyor, who produced a list of faults not only to the flat but to the building and threatened to report the landlord to the council.

Urmstongran

In the Telegraph this morning:

“MICHAEL GOVE has said it “beggars belief” that the head of a housing association is still in his job after a two-year-old boy died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home.

Awaab Ishak’s parents repeatedly complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the state of their flat, which was described as unfit for human habitation.

But nothing was done to remedy the problem and in December 2020, Awaab, who had suffered from breathing problems, died from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

Mr Gove, the Housing Secretary, described it as an “unacceptable tragedy” and said that he had summoned Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of RBH, to his department to explain himself.

He accused the housing association of ignoring the family’s concerns and hiding behind procedure, adding: “It beggars belief that this guy is still in office. He’s coming here in order to explain to me why it was that this tragedy was allowed to happen.” Rochdale coroner’s court heard Awaab’s father, Faisal Abdullah, came to the UK from Sudan in 2016 and was joined by his wife a year later.”

Gove voted against the bill.

So excuse me if I don’t believe anything this mealy mouthed individual says.

growstuff

Callistemon21

It seems to be standard practice to blame tenants.

Yes.

Indeed!

See the post above yours.

Probably a X post.

I know all about this from the present experiences of one of our DC.
It's shocking.

Well having read what happened RBH have introduced safeguards to prevent any reoccurrence and to try to deal with the problems. How Michael Gove has the nerve to say anything I do not know. If there had been more affordable housing and more social housing built in the years the Tories have been in power perhaps there would have been a more suitable place to house this family. But we have a severe housing shortage. We have families living in temporary accommodation for years. We have families occupying unsuitable housing because there is nothing else available.
There was also in this case a complete failure to provide proper medical treatment, partly because of covid and language difficulties, which could also be due to underfunding of the NHS.
It wasn't the failure of one organisation it was the failure of a society based on profit and ignoring the weakest and poorest.

Homes for tenants need to be of good design and high quality with fast access to remedial action when there is a problem. Not just boxes with the minimum square feet of living space.

Most buildings will get damp areas if there is no outlet for moisture from showering cooking and even breathing, but many examples of severe mould seem to be more prevalent in blocks of flats.
I’m not a building expert but wonder if some of these buildings may be inadequately insulated at construction and is there for example insufficient ventilation built into the structure?
There should also be secure facilities in all blocks where residents can wash and dry clothing.
It’s just too easy to blame tenants for not adequately ventilating their property.

Callistemon21

^It seems to be standard practice to blame tenants^.

Yes.

Indeed!

See the post above yours.

It seems to be standard practice to blame tenants.

Yes.

We all know that every rented property should be in a good, habitable condition, whether it’s council or privately owned, but the tenants definitely have their part to play in looking after the property.

Some years back now tenants of ours reported mould starting to form in the bathroom. The letting agent sent someone round and the tenants admitted that they rarely opened any windows. We ended up putting a dehumidifier in the flat. They left soon after that and we had no further problems with subsequent tenants.

In the Telegraph this morning:

“MICHAEL GOVE has said it “beggars belief” that the head of a housing association is still in his job after a two-year-old boy died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home.

Awaab Ishak’s parents repeatedly complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the state of their flat, which was described as unfit for human habitation.

But nothing was done to remedy the problem and in December 2020, Awaab, who had suffered from breathing problems, died from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

Mr Gove, the Housing Secretary, described it as an “unacceptable tragedy” and said that he had summoned Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of RBH, to his department to explain himself.

He accused the housing association of ignoring the family’s concerns and hiding behind procedure, adding: “It beggars belief that this guy is still in office. He’s coming here in order to explain to me why it was that this tragedy was allowed to happen.” Rochdale coroner’s court heard Awaab’s father, Faisal Abdullah, came to the UK from Sudan in 2016 and was joined by his wife a year later.”

Non profit doesn't mean non accountable! This is a heartbreaking damnation of our values in UK today. In Ve seen many documentary highlighting the disgusting state of social hous in my all over but in the north, the dreadful damp we have forms mould/moss/algae to form everywhere! Even on our car window seals if its parked facing north!! Something I never see in South so we have a particular issue that needs acknowledgment.this poor little more and his family were treated abismally and I was heartened to see Michael Gove (don't actually like him) get genuinely angry on TV summoning the head of housing group to answer for this disgusting issue! Hope he gets named and shamed-and of course SACKED with loss of benefits

Certainly having housing associations at arm's length from the relevant council is a great factor. Sometimes those arms can be very long. This is a variant on the Grenfell tragedy but how can it be put right if tories continue to blame the doctor, the midwife, the social worker - anyone and everyone ex the root of the problem.

J52

The Buck Stops with the CEO. They are paid 6 figure salaries to ensure the housing stock is fit for purpose and the tenants are not suffering through inadequate housing or poor environments.
They should have systems in place, through robust monitoring and reporting, involving all department under their remit, including building maintenance and liaising, with the Chief officers of Social Services and Education.
Systems should be in place for lower levels of management to regularly report to their line managers, so that failings can be dealt with appropriately.
Clearly none of this happened, so responsibility lies at the top, for not overseeing the structure.

This wasn't a council property. It's managed by a mutual, which presumably took control from the local authority.

Exactly that.
That isprecisely what the water company told me.

The Buck Stops with the CEO. They are paid 6 figure salaries to ensure the housing stock is fit for purpose and the tenants are not suffering through inadequate housing or poor environments.
They should have systems in place, through robust monitoring and reporting, involving all department under their remit, including building maintenance and liaising, with the Chief officers of Social Services and Education.
Systems should be in place for lower levels of management to regularly report to their line managers, so that failings can be dealt with appropriately.
Clearly none of this happened, so responsibility lies at the top, for not overseeing the structure.

Sadly, issues like this will become more common over the winter due to the cost of energy. People won’t be able to afford to heat homes adequately, and won’t be able to use tumble dryers so damp washing will be dried inside. People will be reluctant to open windows, letting out what little heat they have. Such conditions are particularly dangerous for the vulnerable - very young; elderly; disabled. Sadly it’s perfect storm.

It seems to be standard practice to blame tenants.

That is certainly the case with my local authority.

When our flats started to show signs of mould, it was because we had not ventilated properly.

Except it wasn't.
It was due to the gaping great holes in the roof, which allowed animals to nest (and drown in the uncovered tanks)

I contacted the water company, and our council was given two weeks to start rectifying five issues, or court proceedings would be started against them.

Whitewavemark2

rosie1959

Whitewavemark2

The Tories voted against a bill that called for housing to be fit for human habitation.

Their actions led to this.

Do supposedly intelligence councils actually need a bill advising them that housing has to be fit for human habitation. If they do then probably they are not fit for purpose either

They have no recourse to law to enforce this.

Surely the 2018 act fitness for human habitation covers this