{"id":530685,"date":"2025-10-27T07:50:49","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T07:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/530685\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T07:50:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T07:50:49","slug":"on-the-freehold-estate-they-refuse-to-be-defined-by-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/530685\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Freehold Estate they refuse to be defined by tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five years on from the death of Awaab Ishak, locals say life on the Freehold is starting to change for the better\"TheThe sun is shining on the Freehold estate in Rochdale(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

A notorious Rochdale estate was well-known for all the wrong reasons – the death of a toddler, poor housing conditions and crime. But life is finally getting better on Freehold.<\/p>\n

On a cold autumn day the sun is shining through the weaving paths and stairwells of the estate, perfectly reflecting the growing sense of warmth and positivity felt locally.<\/p>\n

Since the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in one of the flats following prolonged exposure to mould, Freehold has been marred with a dark reputation.<\/p>\n

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The estate came to national prominence as the scene of the unthinkable tragedy – which sparked the creation of Awaab\u2019s Law, coming into effect on October 27.<\/p>\n

\"AwaabAwaab Ishak, who died after living in a mouldy flat on Rochdale’s Freehold estate(Image: Farleys Solicitors)<\/p>\n

The law requires social landlords to fix emergency hazards and all damp and mould hazards that pose significant risks to tenants within fixed timeframes.<\/p>\n

The Manchester Evening News<\/a> went to speak to Freehold residents to understand how things have changed, five years on from Awaab\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Strolling through the green spaces between the blocks of flats with his dog Tyson is Chris Millington. He credited landlord Rochdale<\/a> Boroughwide Housing (RBH) with getting its act together since Awaab\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe sun is shining on the Freehold estate in Rochdale(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

The 60-year-old said: \u201cRBH have been great in making sure damp problems are seen to straight away. They\u2019ve done surveys without people reporting problems as well.<\/p>\n

\u201c14 years I\u2019ve been here and there has been a lot of change because of that. Before that it used to take a lot longer to get things done.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got ahead of it even though it\u2019s not even in law yet. Anti-social behaviour has been cleared out as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Awaab\u2019s death has brought a positive change for Freehold. But it shouldn\u2019t need to come to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris was one of many Freehold tenants who have noted significant improvement in the way RBH have been operating and communicating with them.<\/p>\n

\"EdlinghamEdlingham resident Tamin Sadiqi(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Edlingham resident Tamin Sadiqi was taking a break in the sun before his upcoming nightshift. He told the M.E.N<\/a>: \u201cIf we have any problems RBH will fix it in about 24 hours. I\u2019m pretty happy with it around here currently.<\/p>\n

\u201c23 years I\u2019ve been here and in the last two years it\u2019s gotten a lot better. Before that there were long waits for repairs or sorting damp and mould.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow when you ring there are specific phone options for certain issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police presence came last year for crime and anti-social behaviour but I never saw any problems, I didn\u2019t think it was bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in Freehold for 23 out of the 25 I\u2019ve been in England so I must like it. It\u2019s quiet here, the housing is cheaper, close to the schools and the town centre and transport links. There is good green space as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

But not everyone is convinced by the effectiveness of the work implemented by RBH.<\/p>\n

One local passing by shouted over: \u201cMould, there is still an issue for us. It\u2019s not all got better just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

RBH\u2019s Damp and Mould Taskforce has been in place since December 2022 and the social housing landlord says they\u2019ve been ‘working hard to identify and resolve issues around damp, mould and condensation at the earliest opportunity’.<\/p>\n

An RBH spokesperson said: “We continue to take a proactive approach to keeping our homes safe and free from damp and mould, and regularly reach out to our customers on the estate. Overall instances of damp and mould are much reduced across all our homes, and this is also the case for Freehold.<\/p>\n

“We also contact our customers who have had damp and mould a number of times after the initial treatment and repairs, and recurrence rates have halved in the last 12 months.<\/p>\n

“In Freehold, recurrence rates are lower than those across all our homes, demonstrating the positive impact our investment in the quality and safety of our homes has had, delivering improved outcomes for our customers.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the damp and mould that\u2019s been the issue on Freehold though. Anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and petty crime became such a problem the whole estate was shut down last year.<\/p>\n

\"PolicePolice patrol walking through Freehold estate in Rochdale(Image: GMP)<\/p>\n

November 4, 2024 marked the date Greater Manchester Police<\/a> shut down Freehold, banning anyone other than residents from accessing the 19 blocks of flats in an extraordinary measure.<\/p>\n

The closure order, in place for three months, came amidst a litany of reports of crime rocking the area, with drug dealing rife and residents having to walk past people \u2018doing their business in the stairwells\u2019.<\/p>\n

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The M.E.N<\/a> visited the estate at the time to see how residents felt about the lockdown<\/a>. Susan Hurn said she felt tormented at the hands of the gangs on the estate.<\/p>\n

Speaking previously, she said: \u201cI\u2019ve lived in the same flat for 14 years and I\u2019m afraid to go out at night. You have to walk past them doing their drugs, swearing, and they\u2019re even doing their business (defecating and urinating) on the stairwells.<\/p>\n

\"SusanSusan Hurn, who lives in the Shirburn block on Freehold, Rochdale(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore it wasn\u2019t too bad because it was family oriented, but there is no green space anymore (which put a stop to that). I\u2019m scared of leaving the flat, especially at night. I\u2019m 57, I shouldn\u2019t have to be worrying about that.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the day, it\u2019s not too bad, but as soon as it gets dark – that\u2019s when it all starts. Even the police don\u2019t get out of their cars when they come here, that\u2019s how bad it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost one year on from that, the closure order has been lifted and residents are feeling safer and more positive about life on Freehold. According to Kevin Drake, it\u2019s not perfect yet, but it\u2019s much better than it was.<\/p>\n

Donning a mask to stave off cold and flu viruses, the 55-year-old said: \u201cThey said they\u2019d crack down on dealers and they have. We know there are drug users on the estate so it\u2019s not gone away.<\/p>\n

“It’s quieter than it was – which is something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KevinKevin Drake, 55, Freehold tenant(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Speaking on damp and mould improvements as well as general wear and tear fixes, Kevin added: \u201cThey\u2019re definitely concentrating on damp and mould. We are getting repairs for that but not others.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything apart from damp and mould doesn\u2019t seem to matter as much. I\u2019ve been here for about five years. It seems that they\u2019ve done a lot recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamp and mould is now the priority. Everyone is getting new doors and windows.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we had cracks and holes but that took about six weeks to sort.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Jones, was walking his cavapoo Ted along the path that circles the Freehold estate, just a stone’s throw from Mandale Park. He agreed with Kevin\u2019s thoughts about damp and mould being prioritised by RBH over other jobs.<\/p>\n

However, he was understanding of this, given the grave circumstances the action came on the back of.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe sun is shining on the Freehold estate in Rochdale(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Giving an overview of life on Freehold, the 58-year-old told the M.E.N<\/a>: \u201cI had my cupboard doors sorted because I had fractures in my back so I can\u2019t bend down. It took them three weeks to come out to do that – so some things are quick but some things aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t blame them for prioritising the damp and mould though. They’re onto damp and mould issues quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are more positive on the estate now. I do blame the RBH for the Awaab situation as it shouldn\u2019t have gotten to that point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t see that being the case again, because if you report it they\u2019re straight out. It won\u2019t happen again, I think they\u2019ve learnt from that – I really believe that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince all the Awaab stuff and the police presence sorting the drug dealing it\u2019s better all round.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a nicer place to live now. I\u2019ve been here 10 years and the last two have been the best, it\u2019s improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s terrible to say it\u2019s taken that to sort this out. It should never have come to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What RBH says<\/p>\n

Siobhan McCoy, director of property services at RBH, said: \u201cThe most important thing to us is our customers live in safe, warm and comfortable homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 18 months our teams have been working hard to ensure we are ready for the introduction of Awaab\u2019s Law, and we have reviewed and improved all our work processes and practices. We have also introduced a new Repairs and Maintenance Policy with reduced target timescales for carrying out many of our repairs so that customers are having their repairs carried out more quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to urge all our customers to report any potential issue with damp, mould or condensation in their homes to us as soon as they can, so we can act quickly to investigate and resolve any issues.<\/p>\n

“If we identify any emergency repairs we will continue to address them within 24 hours. Our teams will also investigate all potential hazards, including damp and mould, within 10 working days and if an emergency hazard is found, we will act within 24 hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of our well embedded all round approach to tackling the issue, colleagues who visit homes as part of their daily work are regularly reminded that if they spot signs of damp and mould to report it as soon as possible if the customer hasn\u2019t done so already. When our customers contact us, we also ask them whether they have any concerns about damp and mould in their homes and book an inspection to investigate any issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are already planning ahead for the expansion of the scope of Awaab\u2019s Law, beyond mould and damp, over the next two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pleased that residents of Freehold are positive about the work we and our partners are doing to improve the estate. We know there is still work to do and this is continuing on a daily basis. This includes working with our partners to take a zero tolerance approach to crime and anti-social behaviour on the estate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to improving the Freehold neighbourhood, and as part of this work we will be delivering a phased investment programme of around \u00a35m in improvements to the blocks, including new measures to improve safety within the blocks and stairwells. We\u2019ve had some great feedback from the community who have helped us to shape these plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customers can make a report about damp and mould via MyRBH or by calling the Contact Centre freephone on 0800 027 7769.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Five years on from the death of Awaab Ishak, locals say life on the Freehold is starting to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530686,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[172001,748,393,4884,2465,285,1170,1171,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-530685","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-awaabs-law","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-rochdale","15":"tag-rochdale-council","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115445047135186102","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}