Shelter slams Rayner and says her delay ‘puts lives at risk’

In a surprise announcement over the weekend, campaigning charity Shelter has slammed a delay to Awaab’s Law announced by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner.

Until now the charity and the new Labour government appear to have been singing from the same hymn sheet but at the end of last week Rayner announced a phased implementation of Awaab’s Law.

From October this year, Awaab’s Law will force social landlords to fix damp and mould as well as carry out emergency repairs. The government says it will then “take a step-by-step approach to make the law stronger over time so that landlords will be legally required to fix all dangerous hazards from 2027. These repairs will have to be delivered within set timescales to ensure that landlords are meeting their responsibilities.”

But it adds that social landlords must continue to fix dangerous issues in their homes before Awaab’s Law is fully implemented. They already have a duty to keep their homes fit for human habitation and to remedy disrepair, and they must also ensure that their homes meet the Decent Homes Standard.

“Awaab’s Law will set clearer and stronger laws to ensure that tenants are living in safe homes” says a government statement.

This is backed up by a statement from Rayner herself who says: “”We have a moral duty to ensure tragedies like the death of Awaab Ishak never happen again. Landlords cannot be allowed to rent out dangerous homes and shamelessly put the lives of their tenants at risk. Our new laws will force them to fix problems quickly, so that people are safe in their homes and can be proud to live in social housing.”

Read the full article at Landlord Today