Extend Awaab’s Law to protect children and vulnerable residents living in council-owned leasehold homes from damp and mould caused by defects that the freeholder (the council) is responsible for, giving them the same legal rights and protections as social housing tenants.

Children can become seriously ill and, in tragic cases, die from prolonged exposure to damp and mould. A child’s health, lungs and life should never depend on whether they live in a council tenancy or a council-owned leasehold home. Where councils remain responsible for structural defects, communal pipes or other freehold infrastructure, they should be under the same legal duty to investigate and remedy damp and mould for consequential damages. Every child deserves equal protection.