Damp and mould complaints are under the spotlight in the Housing Ombudsman’s latest ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report – with a specific focus on inadequate landlord responses to cases involving children.

The report has been published following the government’s announcement that it will be implementing Awaab’s Law in October 2025 for damp and mould and further hazards from 2026. The law was named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak (pictured) who died in 2020 as a result of a severe respiratory condition linked to damp and mould in his family’s housing association-owned flat.

The Ombudsman’s report examines four common failings involving landlord handling of inspections, from not undertaking one at all to not raising works in line with the recommendations. These failings can be compounded by poor knowledge and information management, which is also examined in the report given record keeping will be key under the new legislation.

In one case, a baby was prescribed with an inhaler after a landlord failed to carry out an inspection to deal with the damp and mould in the home. In another a landlord failed to marry up inspections and a schedule of works for 10 years, causing huge hardship to the family. In a further complaint children had to sleep on the floor for two years after a bedroom became unusable.

In many of the cases in the report, children have been present in the home, yet no urgency was shown or mitigations proposed.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “We now know that Awaab’s Law will apply to social landlords responding to damp and mould from October 2025. The sector has seven months left to mobilise, and we know many landlords are doing so.

“Central to an effective response is the landlord’s diagnosis of what is causing damp and mould. This can be complex and can require expertise. These cases focus on landlord’s use of inspections, highlighting four commons failings we see in our casework. This includes multiple inspections with no progress on repairs or repairs not reflecting the inspector’s recommendations.

“Residents expectations will be raised following a survey in their home. But repeatedly our cases show communication vacuums lasting for months as the resident – and sometimes our investigation – tries to establish what is happening.

“With Awaab’s Law, these silences will need to stop, with communication with residents being open, specific and accurate.

“Poor communication can also be the result of poor records. Once more, weaknesses in knowledge and information management are shown to hamper the landlord’s response to residents, including knowing the status of repairs. While there has been some progress on records management, these cases are a reminder for senior leaders to continue focusing on this issue.

“We hope these cases help landlords to learn from complaints to improve their response to an issue which continues to dominate our casework.”