Awaab's Law: mould bill to return to Parliament as part of renters reform
The Government is looking at expanding laws forcing landlords to tackle mould in flats, following the death of a boy in Rochdale
A law named after a toddler who died when he was exposed to mould in his family's social home in Rochdale is returning to Parliament today.
The Government is looking to expand Awaab's Law into the private sector, forcing landlords to speedily address hazards and make homes safe.
First introduced in July 2023, the law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, and requires emergency repairs to take place within 24 hours.
Other repairs must take place within seven days of an investigation.
The expansion comes as part of the Renters (Reform) Bill.
Legislation including a blanket ban on no-fault evictions will be introduced on Wednesday, the Government has confirmed.
The previous government pledged to end section 21 evictions, which allow landlords to evict tenants with two months' notice without providing a reason, but concern about its impact on landlords and the courts was set to lead to a delay in implementation.
The Conservatives' Renters (Reform) Bill then ran out of time to progress through Parliament before the election.
The Government said it will go further than previously proposed by banning section 21 evictions for both new and existing tenancies, with research by charity Shelter finding 26,000 households have been evicted through the process since 2019.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said landlords and renters need certainty and reforms must be fair to both.
He added the end of Section 21 evictions "represents the biggest change to the sector for over 30 years" and "sufficient time" will be needed for the sector to prepare.
Mr Beadle said: "Over 4.5 million households will need tenancy agreements updating, letting agent staff and landlords will need to undertake training and insurance and mortgage providers will need to adjust policies and rates.
"None of this will happen overnight and the Government needs to publish guidance."