The government has issued guidance on understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould as a direct result of the coroner’s report into the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020. The guidance sets out clear expectations as to how landlords should treat cases of damp and mould to ensure tenants’ health is protected.

In January, the housing secretary Michael Gove pledged that the government would launch a review into the existing guidance on the matter. This comes after the coroner’s report said that there was “no evidence that up-to-date relevant health information pertinent to the risk of damp and mould was easily accessible to the housing sector.”

The guidance was published jointly by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the UK Health Security Agency, following extensive engagement with the housing and health sectors, including tenant representative groups.

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