MORE than 500 damp and mould inspections have been carried out by Berneslai Homes since the introduction of Awaab’s Law in October.
The law was named in honour of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in his home.
His parents had complained to their landlord for three years prior to his death, but the landlord took no action to help.
The law changed from October 27, forcing landlords to investigate and remedy any damp and mould issues within strict timeframes.
A Freedom of Information request, seen by the Chronicle, has revealed the number of cases relating to damp and mould in Berneslai Homes’ properties both before and after the law was introduced.
Between October 2024 and October 26 2025 - the day before the law was introduced - a total of 850 inspections were raised by the housing firm.
Those figures were mainly relating to the end of 2024, with 11 cases in October, 107 in November and 129 in January 2025.
While between May and October 2025, there were far fewer cases.
There were also more than 2,000 washes in the same period relating to Berneslai Homes’ properties.
The request states: “Emergency make safe repairs are to be addressed within 24 hours of being reported.
“Make safe means that the main priority is to eliminate/reduce the mould risk to the customer.
“The risk is assessed taking in consideration customers’ vulnerabilities, the type of mould and the extent of the mould spread in the property.
“Relevant safety repairs are to be started within five working days under Awaab’s Law.”
Since the introduction of Awaab’s Law, Berneslai Homes has conducted 38 emergency hazard mould washes.
While they have held a total of 528 ‘significant hazard’ mould and damp inspections.
Staff have also been trained through workshops and a new triage process has been implemented.
A report added: “All front-line staff and contractors will have the skills and knowledge to identify signs of damp and mould and discuss with tenants how to manage the problem.
“Staff are trained to look out for signs whenever they visit a tenant’s home and clear guidance is given on how to signpost and refer.
“All council homes will receive a physical inspection every 12 months proactively targeting damp and mould.
“When a particularly severe or recurring damp or mould issue is identified we will undertake a comprehensive risk assessment which may result in a range of actions to support the tenant depending on their circumstances, including providing and funding dehumidifiers through our compensation policy, the installation of positive pressure, mechanical or passive ventilation systems, dry lining walls or applying mould resistant coverings, as appropriate, on a case-by-case basis.”
