In December 2020, a little boy who loved to joke and was “always full of smiles” died in a Rochdale flat surrounded by black mould. His name was Awaab Ishak, and he was just two years old. His death wasn’t a random tragedy, it was preventable. And five years later, his death is still reshaping how England protects people living in social housing.Awaab’s story is one of neglect and desperation. His parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, had reported the mould in their Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) property back in 2017, before Awaab was even born. They reported it again and again. But their landlord did nothing. By the time the coroner examined what had happened, the mold was present in every room of the flat. The official cause of death was a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mold. A 2-year-old died because a housing association couldn’t be bothered to fix a problem that tenants had pleaded with them to address for three years.What happened next was remarkable. Instead of disappearing into grief, Awaab’s family decided to fight. Not just for their son, but for every other family living in dangerous social housing conditions across England. In November 2022, the Rochdale Coroner Joanne Kersley issued a prevention of future deaths report, laying out clearly what needed to change. It would take two more years, but Awaab’s family’s determination eventually won. On October 27, 2025, Awaab’s Law came into force.“Awaab’s Law will come into force for the social rented sector from 27 October 2025. From this point social landlords will have to address all emergency hazards and all damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants to fixed timeframes,” the government said.
Image: BBC/ Family handout/PA
Here’s what the law actually does. Social landlords now have to fix emergency hazards within 24 hours of being reported. For damp and mould specifically, landlords must investigate within 10 working days and then make properties safe within 5 working days. Before Awaab’s Law, there was no specific timeline. Landlords just had to fix problems within a “reasonable time”—a phrase that clearly meant something different when a child was dying of respiratory disease from mould exposure.The scale is staggering. This law affects four million social rented homes across England. According to government data from 2023, 7% of social rented homes had a damp problem and 4% had hazards rated at the most dangerous “category 1” level. That’s hundreds of thousands of families living in potentially dangerous conditions right now.The law is being introduced in phases. October 2025 covered damp and mould. October 2026 will expand to cover excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, electrical hazards, and others. The final phase comes in 2027. Awaab Ishak never got to experience a home that was safe. He never got to grow up, go to school, or become whoever he might have been. But his death—and his family’s refusal to let it be forgotten—has forced a system to finally change. It’s an outcome his parents fought for, not as a consolation prize, but as the bare minimum their son deserved.
