The death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, due to mould exposure in his Rochdale residence, has sparked a firm commitment from the chairman of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), Kevin Brady. Following an inquest which uncovered the incident in December 2020, Brady assured the public that the organisation was resolute in avoiding anything like this from happening again.
With over 12,000 properties under its care, RBH has now stated its paramount concern is guaranteeing the safety of its housing units.
The Greater Manchester Tenants Union has made it clear that they will oversee RBH’s actions to ensure accountability at every step.
RBH faced significant criticism after the inquest into Awaab’s death. A subsequent investigation by the Housing Ombudsman uncovered “dismissive” and “unsympathetic” behaviour toward residents, leading to the removal of £1m in funds for new housing by the government earmarked for new housing.
Brady, who became RBH’s board chairman in April, revealed that the organisation had undertaken investigations of over 7,000 homes, identifying around 850 properties with severe damp and mould issues requiring urgent attention. The plan is to complete thorough inspections of all properties by the end of the year.
He has said that RBH had invested £1.2 million in the last six months on ventilation for the freehold estate, where Awaab had lived.
He adds: “Making homes safe for our tenants, and as high a quality as we can possibly make them, and that needs a huge amount of investment”.
“We have identified some of that investment but we will need more, and we will be looking to government and other sources to help us.”