About 30 years ago I had a flat (60s) - I never had a problem with mould while I lived there. Later on it was rented to a young mother and her baby. She would dry the laundry directly on the radiators - water was running down the windows and she was complaining about mould in the flat.
I tried to explain to her about ventilation, but she still insisted on calling out a damp-proofing company to do a survey. They concluded that it was poor ventilation.
Hopefully, this tragic case will increase awareness about ventilation, which will help people stay healthier, and prevent it happening again.
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News & politics
Death of a two year old in substandard social housing
(234 Posts)The young boy died from the effects of poisoning from mould in his home.
After a narrative conclusion was recorded at Rochdale coroner’s court, lawyers for Awaab’s parents read a statement in which they accused the social housing provider, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), of doing nothing over a number of years to treat the mould problem that killed their son.
“We cannot tell you how many health professionals we have cried in front of and Rochdale borough housing staff we have pleaded to expressing concern … We shouted out as loudly as we could,” they said.
They accused RBH of not caring and said they had no doubt they were treated that way “because we are not from this country and less aware of how the systems in the UK work.
For those who aren't aware, many of the so called housing associations were formed in the noughties by local authorities selling off their housing stock to the staff who originally were responsible for running the housing departments. Because of the rules for taking staff the various jobs had to be advertised. I had an interview for one job in Suffolk Coastal and it was obvious from the start that they were just going through the motions.
Those running these associations are in it for the profits I think and they are further candidates for control being handed back to the local authorities.
Whitewavemark2
The Tories voted against a bill that called for housing to be fit for human habitation.
Their actions led to this.
Well, they would, wouldn't they!!! The party of Landlords and profiteer in everything!!!!
Whitewavemark2
rosie1959
Whitewavemark2
The Tories voted against a bill that called for housing to be fit for human habitation.
Their actions led to this.Do supposedly intelligence councils actually need a bill advising them that housing has to be fit for human habitation. If they do then probably they are not fit for purpose either
They have no recourse to law to enforce this.
Rochdale Council has to take its share of responsibility for this tragedy, it happened on its watch.
In recent years council and Housing Association rents have risen steeply, with some Housing Association tenants paying as much as private rental tenants. This combined with a lack of standards, is appalling. There should be housing standards for ALL landlords.
The conservatives should hang their heads in shame and address this.
A baby died.
My only view is perhaps before anyone is allowed to rent out properties they should be deemed fit for purpose.
rosie1959
Whitewavemark2
The Tories voted against a bill that called for housing to be fit for human habitation.
Their actions led to this.Do supposedly intelligence councils actually need a bill advising them that housing has to be fit for human habitation. If they do then probably they are not fit for purpose either
They have no recourse to law to enforce this.
others who worked in housing, social work, substance misuse teams, education, criminal justice and health after the Blair government was elected will remember the guidance in Working Together and Every Child Matters.
Our l.a. Ran multi agency training courses on supporting families and safeguarding. It wasn’t perfect but there was the expectation that if for example, another agency contacted a housing association, voluntary or council, about issues impacting on children, joined up working would follow. That approach has disappeared. It needs to rereinstated.
Whitewavemark2
The Tories voted against a bill that called for housing to be fit for human habitation.
Their actions led to this.
Do supposedly intelligence councils actually need a bill advising them that housing has to be fit for human habitation. If they do then probably they are not fit for purpose either
The Tories voted against a bill that called for housing to be fit for human habitation.
Their actions led to this.
Something that I noticed from news articles was that the mould was above radiators, which I've never seen before. Also on the ceiling and down the walls, which was really bad. Also on the child's potty and it's easy to see that he may easily have touched and ingested the mould as well as breathed it in.
This tragic story may have highlighted a problem with the building structure, which, although it looks quite new does not mean it's well built. If the building is not at fault, then it may be reasonable to suggest that the parents didn't know about ventilation, being refugees from an entirely different climate?
There would be too much passing the buck Franbern as in Grenfell.
I was in tears at the news article on this baby's death. I am even more appalled at the comments on here trying to shift the blame onto the parents.
I think that a case of corporate manslaughter should be brought against thsi Housing Association.
I used to visit friends in Stockholm at various times of the year. They lived in a modern flat in a small block - sort of 'Lego' in style, prefabricated.
In winter it was warm and cosy - no windows opened unnecessarily in those sub-zero temperatures! And no problem with mould either as presumably they were constructed to high standards using appropriate materials and inbuilt ventilation.
Esspee
The landlord is getting the blame but surely the parents have a responsibility to keep the property aired, heated and cleaned. It is relatively cheap to kill off mould with a simple bleach spray, one done, if the damp is controlled it shouldn’t return.
I have had great difficulty trying to get highly intelligent overseas tenants to understand that sealing up windows over the winter will cause damp buildup from breathing, cooking, and drying clothes inside without using the dryer supplied.
Now that energy is so expensive this problem is only going to get worse.
It is not always the landlord to blame.
Yet another poster blaming the ignorant poor 😡
It's not a simple matter of housekeeping and opening windows - despicable veiled hints here that the parents were at fault!
Many years ago I spent a short time in a rented flat, top floor with flat roof. We were plagued with mould on the ceilings and inside the fitted wardrobes - as soon as you wash it off and dry it comes back. You can get some sort of treatment paint but even that didn't prevent it.
A builder said in this particular building the problem was due to the flat roof having poor insulation - so the warm air hitting the cold ceiling caused the moisture and no amount of open windows would have prevented that.
The four top floor flats were all affected, other floors not.
I do not think any of the social housing organisations are commercial companies. They are all either charities or 'not-for-profit' organisations.
There are commercial property companies, but they are in the private sector and do not run any social housing.
Callistemon add to your list checking that gutters and down pipes are not blocked or broken.
locked and broken gutters and downpipes are a major cause of mould, as is on older properties, slipped roof tiles and roofs which do not have an underlay of some kind as rain and snow can be blown under tiles in windy weather.
RIP Awaab Ishak
Rochdale Council & authorities need to look for solutions PDQ
Seems like another case of agencies not communicating with each other ParlorGames
Esspee
The landlord is getting the blame but surely the parents have a responsibility to keep the property aired, heated and cleaned. It is relatively cheap to kill off mould with a simple bleach spray, one done, if the damp is controlled it shouldn’t return.
I have had great difficulty trying to get highly intelligent overseas tenants to understand that sealing up windows over the winter will cause damp buildup from breathing, cooking, and drying clothes inside without using the dryer supplied.
Now that energy is so expensive this problem is only going to get worse.
It is not always the landlord to blame.
Bleach May work on non porous surfaces like tiles but won’t eliminate the dangerous spores on surfaces like wood or dry walling.
The parents were living in the flat before the little boy was born and I am puzzled as to why there has been no mention during the news articles of intervention by the community health carers, surely a midwife or health visitor would have visited mum at home before the baby was born?
The landlord is getting the blame but surely the parents have a responsibility to keep the property aired, heated and cleaned. It is relatively cheap to kill off mould with a simple bleach spray, one done, if the damp is controlled it shouldn’t return.
I have had great difficulty trying to get highly intelligent overseas tenants to understand that sealing up windows over the winter will cause damp buildup from breathing, cooking, and drying clothes inside without using the dryer supplied.
Now that energy is so expensive this problem is only going to get worse.
It is not always the landlord to blame.
Caleo
Margiknot, I agree there should be an information campaign. Also all schoolchildren need to learn basic housekeeping, which is changing rapidly in these days of austerity.
Including the children of the wealthy? Or do they get an exemption and learn something more enriching while the plebs learn basic survival?
Caleo
Growstuff, then the landlords needed to educate the tenants about how to ventilate and heat the flats.
If they can't afford the heating then that is a separate issue.
Or it could be that there is some kind of structural issue.
If there isn't a bathroom window and the extractor fan isn't working, it's the landlord's responsibility to fix it.
I agree with you about the landlord's responsibility to educate. I live in privately rented accommodation and I get a reminder every winter to have the heating on 15 degrees at all times. The annual inspection includes looking for damp and mould.
It should never have built up like that.
Devastating! I thought the whole point of social housing was to provide housing of a certain standard.
I also keep my back door open a lot and feel sorry for people in flats who cannot ventilate and have no where to dry their laundry. I think the landlord is supposed to treat the mould with special chemicals as most cleaning agents wont kill it.
No vent and no chimney cap
I fought for 2 years to get it rectified
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