Disturbing... lazy... wholly unacceptable

WORDS USED IN HOUSING OMBUDSMAN'S REPORT INTO THE ACTIONS OF AWAAB-TRAGEDY LANDLORD

- PAUL BRITTON

THE landlord responsible for the flat where tragic two-year-old Awaab Ishak lived exposed to mould and damp before his death said refugees were 'lucky to have a roof' over their heads, a damning report has revealed.

The report found the Ishak family were 'not seen at all' by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) - and said 'their entire treatment was based on assumptions as to who they were and how they lived. One former member of staff reported to the Housing Ombudsman that a manager said living with mould was 'ok and acceptable!

The Ombudsman, releasing the findings of a special investigation into RBH initiated after the inquest into Awaab's death, highlighted a 'disturbing picture of residents being judged entirely by staff members' held prejudices, lazy assumptions and an attitude towards asylum seekers and refugees that is wholly unacceptable.

The report found a tenant's lifestyle was 'often used as a reason to dismiss their concerns and apportion blame without any real focus on the limitations residents faced with modern day living!

Awaab, who lived with his parents Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin in a flat on Rochdale's Freehold estate, died in December 2020, just days after his second birthday, following prolonged exposure to mould and damp. His parents, a coroner said at an inquest into his death, repeatedly raised concerns about the state of their home with the landlord, but nothing was done.

The M.E.N. campaigned for Awaab's Law in the toddler's memory, with MPs across the political divide giving their backing to proposed law changes after a House of Commons debate earlier this month. MPs backed the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill in the Commons - as well as amendments put forward by the government following our campaign.