Awaab Ishak: Investigations into toddler's landlord expedited

The housing ombudsman has said he will speed up three investigations into the landlord of toddler Awaab Ishak.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) has come under intense scrutiny after a coroner ruled the two-year-old died of a respiratory condition caused by exposure to the mould in his flat.

Richard Blakeway said he had been alerted to three complaints and would look into whether this was indicative of a wider failure.

RBH said it had received the letter.

"[We] will meet with Mr Blakeway or a member of his team at the earliest opportunity to discuss these three cases," a spokeswoman said.

Mr Blakeway said he had written to Gareth Swarbrick, RBH's chief executive, following the coroner's ruling on the death of Awaab.

The toddler died in December 2020 following a cardiac arrest after living in the damp one-bedroom flat in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

His father Faisal Abdullah had complained about the mould but said the family had been "left feeling absolutely worthless at the hands of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing".

Coroner Joanne Kearsley criticised RBH for not being "proactive" and asked: "How in the UK in 2020 does a two-year-old child die as a result of exposure to mould?"

However, it comes amid a "dramatic increase" in cases of damp and mould, Mr Blakeway said.

In the letter, Mr Blakeway said he had asked his team to review open cases relating to RBH, in particular damp and mould, which identified three complaints that were high or medium risk.

For the first time, the investigation team will use a power in the Housing Ombudsman Scheme that enables them to gather any information required including interviews with staff.

He said he would also exercise his powers to carry out a further investigation to see if this complaint was indicative of wider failure within the landlord.

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