AWAAB ISHAK DEATH - ROCHDALE HOUSING CHAIR TO QUIT

The chair of a social housing landlord is set to quit after an investigation found it left hundreds of tenants exposed to harmful damp for nearly two years following the death of a child from mould-related respiratory failure in one of its neglected homes.

After the death of Awaab Ishak, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing waited almost TWO YEARS before they checked the rest of their properties, concluded the regulator of social housing, and then they discovered hundreds of other families suffering from damp and mould.

The Chair of the landlord, Alison Tumulty, announced her resignation only minutes after the regulator returned its "unacceptable" verdict.

The Chief Executive had already been sacked, following his comments that the mould in the Ishak property was a result of "lifestyle issues".


New figures show 3.4m homes in England failed to meet the «decent homes standard» in 2021 and 4% of social rented dwellings – about 164,000 – were affected by damp. The problem is worse in private rented homes, where more than 10% have damp – 473,000 homes, according to the government's English Housing Survey 2021-22 – and 23% failed to meet the decent homes standard.

A coroner concluded last month that Awaab died as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in his family's flat in Rochdale.

Source: Awaab Ishak