Awaab's Law is about more than damp and mould – it’s about what kind of country we want to be

When I first met Awaab Ishak’s parents, Faisal and Aisha, it was clear that all they had ever wanted was for someone to listen.

Their two-year-old son had died in 2020 from prolonged exposure to mould in their social housing flat in Rochdale. They had reported the issue countless times. They had begged for help. But their warnings went unheeded.

At the inquest, I represented them as their barrister. The facts were devastating. Their home was deemed “unfit for human habitation” and the family had been told that the conditions were the result of their “lifestyle” – a claim the coroner made clear had no basis in fact. Rochdale Boroughwide Housing even suggested the problem could be linked to the family’s “ritual bathing habits” – an offensive and baseless assumption never once discussed with them. The family were understandably bemused, having always simply used the shower installed in their home.

Aisha told me that Awaab’s coughing fits had become so severe they could no longer take him outside – yet keeping him in the house only made him worse. They were trapped, caught between the walls that were supposed to protect them and the danger those walls contained.

When the coroner described the case as a “defining moment for the housing sector,” she was right.

In the aftermath of the inquest, Faisal and Aisha made an extraordinary decision: they wanted to fight for change. Together with Shelter, the Manchester Evening News and thousands of campaigners on Change.org, they called for a law that would ensure no other family would endure what they had.

What followed was a rare moment of unity in politics. MPs from across the spectrum supported the proposal. And today, almost five years after Awaab’s death, Awaab’s Law is officially in force.

The law sets strict timeframes for how quickly social landlords must respond when serious hazards are reported. It’s being implemented in phases. Phase One covers significant hazards caused by damp and mould – meaning hazards that present a significant risk of harm – as well as all emergency hazards, which are hazards posing an imminent and significant risk of harm. Later phases will extend those protections to other hazards (including falls, fire, and excessive cold or heat) where they present a significant risk of harm.

For years, families like Awaab’s lived in homes where serious issues piled up and pleas for help were ignored. Awaab’s Law says, simply and powerfully: never again. But legislation alone is never enough. The real challenge now is delivery.

If landlords are to act within 24 hours on emergencies or within days for other hazards, they need the people, budgets and systems to make that happen. Tenants need confidence that their complaints will be heard and addressed. And government must provide the funding and oversight to make those obligations realistic.

Because the truest measure of Awaab’s Law will not be in how many tenants take legal action against their landlords, but in the homes that never make the news, the child who does not develop breathing problems and the family who no longer sleep in damp bedrooms.

Read more:

• Meet the ‘activist lawyer’ who fought for justice for a toddler who died from damp and mould
• Cold homes are costing lives. Labour’s warm homes plan must deliver on its promise
• Renters’ Rights Bill set to become law – more than 2,300 days since Tories promised evictions reform

Awaab’s Law is more than a piece of legislation. It is a moral contract – an understanding between citizens, landlords and government that safety in the home is non-negotiable. It represents a shift in the fabric of renting across Britain.

It is also a reminder that change often begins not in Westminster, but in the courage of ordinary people. Awaab’s parents didn’t have power, privilege or political backing. What they had was the belief that their son’s death should mean something – that it should matter.

And it does.

For me, standing beside them through the inquest, the campaign, and now the law’s arrival has been a journey through both tragedy and hope. Awaab’s Law shows that when truth is exposed, and when families refuse to be silent, something good can grow from even the darkest circumstances.

But we must not stop here. The law’s success will depend on what happens next – on whether it is enforced, funded and embedded into how we think about housing altogether.

At its core – Awaab’s Law is not just about housing. It’s about health, dignity, and equality. It’s about the kind of country we want to be.

Christian Weaver is a barrister at Garden Court North Chambers and author. He was named a Big Issue Changemaker for 2025.

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