Awaab's Law: Social housing tenants 'empowered to make complaints'

Michael Gove is urging residents of social housing to complain about substandard living today (March 6) following the Awaab's Law campaign.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove is launching the government’s ‘make it right’ advertising campaign, with social housing tenants being encouraged to make their voices heard by making a complaint to their landlord. After making a complaint in the first instance, residents can then escalate their concerns to the Housing Ombudsman if they are unhappy with the landlord’s final response.

Awaab Ishak died aged two in December 2020 following prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale social home, which the landlord failed to resolve. The Manchester Evening News has been campaigning alongside representatives of Awaab's family for a law change in his name since the toddler's inquest last November, with the support of Shelter - a change.org petition for the campaigning received more than 170,000 signatures.

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This instruction from the government comes as landlords are given time limits to investigate and fix damp and mould under Awaab’s Law, along with social housing managers now requiring mandatory qualifications to make sure residents receive a quality service. The national campaign will see advertisements using images of black mould and leaking ceilings run across social media platforms including neighbourhood app NextDoor, and on radio stations and streaming platforms like Spotify in over six languages.

The campaign will also fund training for Citizens Advice staff in two pilot areas – London and the North West – so they can support more residents who have