Against this target, Lambeth sent 85% of summaries within three days. Some were sent later due to late notification of investigations being completed or reports not matching up with the council’s system.
The council also reported that it completed 94% of remedial works within its targets.
In 2024, a major stock condition survey commissioned by Lambeth Council uncovered 2,595 of the most dangerous category one hazards, including damp and mould.
The council was given a C2 rating by the English regulator later that year, with the watchdog stating the council was “managing its risks” associated with damp and mould.
In response to the new law, Lambeth established the Awaab’s Law Readiness Group in March last year, across housing, ICT and legal services, and has allocated an additional £150,000 in staff resources.
Mr Adilypour said the law’s introduction comes as the council was seeing positive improvements in its repairs key performance indicators (KPIs) – including in the annual tenant satisfaction measure survey.
He added: “This is about turning regulation into real impact. When we get housing right, we get communities right — and that’s the standard we’re holding ourselves to every day.”
In 2022, a coroner found that Awaab Ishak died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s one-bedroom flat, owned by housing association Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).
RBH had failed to deal with the mould, and the coroner’s verdict said his tragic death should be a “defining moment” for the housing sector.
The new legislation, introduced as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, aims to prevent such a tragedy from happening again and is being introduced in phases.
In 2026 and 2027, the requirements will be extended to other hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) which present a “significant risk” of harm, including excess cold and excess heat, falls, structural collapse and explosions.
Earlier this year Southwark Council, also in south London, said it was in “ongoing discussions” with a resident after she flagged an emergency hazard of excessive heat in her new build flat under Awaab’s Law.