Estate where Awaab Ishak died from severe mould exposure is still riddled with it two years on | UK News

Two years on from the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, the residence where he was severely moldy and damp remains unchanged.

That’s still a big problem – inside the apartments we visited, living conditions were awful.

Nasif has lived in a ground-floor apartment for 16 years here, but the last eight years, he says, have been “terrible”. His bathroom is inundated with mold and damp, the fan barely works, and he now has two inhalers for his asthma.

“Living here is really terrible. How the hell can a normal person live in an apartment like this? It’s really hard,” he told us.

He said how shocked he was when he heard the news of Awaab’s death, but believes that in 5 or 10 years, if he is still living there – he will die too.

“I’m taking the medication the doctor prescribed me, but I know it’s not enough. They’re not doing anything to get out of this mess – life here scares me every day.”

Nasif said he has repeatedly complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), but they have yet to fix the problem.

RBH told Sky News in a statement: “This is a direct damage claim, we were trying to reach out to do mold remediation work but the tenant did not respond to contact due to us. I take through our contractor to do the job.

“We will be making an emergency contact to get back to this tenant due to your request.”

Sky News went inside other homes on the property, where severe cases of mold and mildew could be seen. In some apartments, occupants told us that the housing association had painted on the mold only “a few weeks ago,” but they remain appalled following the coroner’s conclusion about Awaab Ishak’s death.

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Uwezo lives with his sister and mother just below where Awaab faces appalling conditions.

He showed us his bathroom, which was also full of black fungus on the walls and ceiling – which he said affected his mother’s health.

“It’s not safe here, the ventilator is too old and needs to be changed.”

“We’re breathing it in, and my mom isn’t in the best of health right now. She’s breathing all this shit and her lungs have problems.”

Uwezo is calling on the housing association and other authorities to move him to safer, more suitable accommodation.

Responding to this case, RBH said: “We completed the work in January of this year after a legal claim for damage.

“There have been no reports to us since any issues occurred and the tenant has refused to grant us access to conduct a further survey. We will be in urgent contact to resolve the issue. contact this tenant again.”

Greater Manchester North Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley said “the matter is simply not a Rochdale issue” and Awaab’s death “should be a defining moment for the housing sector”, but it’s clear that many problems still linger on the doorstep where Awaab’s life has been cut short.