TRANSCRIPT
Tikysha Thomas lives in social housing in the UK with her 14 year-old daughter.
er home is covered in mould, with dirty water dripping down the walls, and mould spores embedded in almost every surface.
"Over the period of 2,3 years, it's become this where both, two ceilings have collapsed."
Ms Thomas says she's reported the condition of her home to the landlord numerous times, but there has been no improvement.
Many housing associations say they don't have the money to carry out the renovations - but Ms Thomas is reaching the end of what she can cope with.
"It's really tough...sorry."
Tikysha's experience is not unique.
The BBC reports that 1.3 million dwellings across England - or five percent of total properties - had problems with damp in at least one room in 2023, which means more than a million children have lived in damp households.
Among them was the Abdullah family - and their experience was ultimately one that ended in tragedy.
Faisal Abdullah's 2 year old son Awaab Ishak developed respiratory failure and ultimately died after inhaling the black mould in his parents' flat in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
Family lawyer Kelly Darlington read a statement from the family after the inquest that said Faisal had been unable to get his housing association - Rochdale Boroughwide Housing - to act on the problems in his social housing several years ago.
"We felt like we were getting nowhere, and we weren't. Often our calls weren't even answered."
At the time of the inquest, coroner Joanne Kearsley had said there was little doubt that the tragic death of Awaab Ishak should be a defining moment for the housing sector.
Now the UK government has enacted a new law that makes landlords responsible for investigating any potential emergency hazard within 24 hours of being made aware of it.
Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, Kate Henderson, has said in a statement that her organisation fully supports it - and has already been making an effort to improve things.
"Since 2020 housing associations have increased spending on repairs and maintenance by 55%, with plans to spend a further £50bn over the next five years. This is why 90% of our homes meet the decent homes standard, more than all other tenures."
The law is named after Faisal's son.
The UK's Housing Secretary Steve Reed says the first phase of the law requires landlords to investigate other hazards and and confirm them within 10 days, while work to remedy the problem must begin within 12 weeks.
"(If) Landlords don't meet the requirements of the new legislation they'll find themselves in the dock in court. And they face enforcement action or a fine."
Further legislation is expected in the next couple of years to cover the safety of homes in the private rented sector.
Steve Reed has told Sky News that more of Awaab’s Law will be phased in next year and in 2027 to make homes safer from more hazards, alongside work to build 1.5 million new properties, including what he has described as the biggest boost of social and affordable housing in a generation.
"We want everybody, whatever kind of property they're renting, to have the assurance that what happens to little Awaab cannot happen to anyone else... You know, Awaab's Law coming into force today is such an important step."
Still, the Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeley has already identified some issues - what he's called pinch points where there could be challenges as social landlords meet their obligations.
He says there must be an ethical internal complaints procedure that offers opportunities for genuine apologies, and clear and enforceable timeframes as issues are resolved.
Meanwhile, in Wellingborough, a family is being moved back into their house which has been cleaned of mould.
MAN 1: "Are you happier now?"
MAN 2: "Yeah, yeah."
While the new law has come too late for his family, Abdullah still hope the first round of the new law will do some good, especially for families like these.
"At least this changes something for another generation or another people to save other people's life."
