Tenants urged to report landlords who fail to maintain housing standards
Telford & Wrekin Council is urging tenants to report landlords if they are living in poor conditions in the property they rent.
The council says it remains committed to clamping down on landlords who fail to provide a sufficient standard of housing for tenants to help create better housing for all in the borough.
The reminder follows the tragic case of toddler Awaab Ishak who died after mould was not treated and prevented at his rented Rochdale flat by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).
Following six days of evidence, an inquest at Rochdale Corners Court this week concluded that two-year-old Awaab died as a result of a severe respiratory condition caused due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment.
Awaab’s father, Faisal Abdullah, first reported the damp and mould in autumn 2017, a year before the birth of his son, made numerous complaints and also requested to be rehoused.
Tenants across Telford and Wrekin can contact the council’s housing team to report landlords who are ignoring the law or avoiding their legal responsibilities.
Once a case is reported, the council will investigate a range of issues relating to housing conditions.
They include landlords who deliberately allow tenants to live in unsafe housing, don’t provide Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for the property, rent a property which falls below the minimum energy efficiency standard and those who don’t use competent people to carry out essential maintenance work.
Telford & Wrekin Council launched ‘Better Homes For All’ in 2018 which set out to improve the quality of accommodation for private renters - supporting good landlords and cracking down on the bad.
Councillor Richard Overton (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Enforcement and Transport, said:
“We work closely with landlords and letting agents across the borough to make sure they bring properties up to standard and recognise that there are many excellent landlords in Telford and Wrekin.
”The very sad social housing case in Rochdale highlights the importance of reporting damp, mould growth and other problems and any landlords who are allowing sub-standard conditions in the properties they rent out so we can make sure any issues are addressed.”
Cllr Paul Watling, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said:
“We want to ensure our tenants in the borough live in safe and secure housing which is suitable for their needs so it’s important that if they have any concerns they let our team know about them.”
