Not just because Crawley Borough Council is a social landlord, but also as a councillor representing people living in the private rented sector, I’m very aware of the concerns relating to damp and mould many residents have.

As a council we decided to alter our approach to damp and mould to  better serve our tenants, setting up a team to pro-actively manage new and existing cases comprising of colleagues from repairs, housing management and our financial inclusion officers.

We have also focused on educating our residents on what they can do to reduce the moisture levels within their home.

Inevitably, the cost-of-living crisis has also affected many residents’ ability to adequately heat their homes. If they can afford to put the heating on, we have found in many cases they cannot maintain the temperature throughout the day.

Awaab’s Law was introduced by the government following the tragic death of two year-old Awaab Ishak elsewhere in the country, from a respiratory condition caused by the mould in his home.

Awaab’s law requires landlords to fix reported health hazards.

This government was right to introduce Awaab’s Law in the social housing sector, but the problem of debilitating damp and mould and landlords who fail to investigate hazards and make necessary repairs isn’t just in social housing.

The private rented sector has widespread problems with damp, mould and cold, driven by the poor energy efficiency of privately rented homes.

There is no justification whatsoever for letting private landlords off the hook for resolving mould and damp issues in their properties.

Labour has been urging this Tory Government to extend Awaab’s Law to protect private renters but if they continue to fail to do so, a Labour Government will. We’ll act to protect private renters.

Any good landlord will already be checking their properties regularly and thoroughly for damp issues. But we are putting those landlords who are failing to provide safe, quality, housing for their tenants on notice.

Where the Conservatives have sat on their hands, Labour will stand up for tenants and do what is necessary to make the private rented sector.

Cllr Michael Jones

Leader, Crawley Borough Council