A council left a tenant living in a damp and mould-infested home for 28 months amid a “cycle of inspections and delays,” according to a Housing Ombudsman investigation.
The report found that Slough Borough Council failed to complete inspections and neglected to replace windows it already knew were causing the damp and mould problems.
The tenant told the Ombudsman that one of their children suffered repeated asthma attacks and that the child was bullied at school because their clothes smelled of damp. Despite these reports, the council did not respond at the time.
A council spokesperson apologised for the failings, saying it was “sorry for the delays and for the distress and inconvenience caused.”
According to the Ombudsman, the authority showed “no urgency in resolving the problem” and, even after more than a year, “did not explain why it had not completed any repairs.”
Although the council eventually carried out some repair work, the damp and mould persisted.
“The resident said he did not want to report further issues because he was made to feel at fault,” the Ombudsman’s report stated.
“This reluctance to make further reports shows a loss in confidence in the landlord and a further breakdown of the relationship.”
The case was featured in a wider report highlighting similar incidents, which the Ombudsman said “reinforces the need for Awaab’s Law.”
Under Awaab’s Law, landlords in England are now required to investigate and repair damp and mould in social housing within strict time limits. The legislation is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 from mould exposure in his Rochdale home.
As part of the Ombudsman’s wider investigations, another tenant reported being forced to throw away two mould-covered beds, while water leaked down a child’s bedroom wall whenever it rained.
“Too often in these cases, important touch points between landlord and resident are lost,” the Ombudsman said.
“This poor communication can extend to not telling residents when operatives will visit. In some cases, the landlord closes the case because they have been unable to gain access, leaving a potential hazard unresolved. This is alarming practice.”
Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for Slough Borough Council said: “We accept the findings in the Ombudsman’s report and have sent a written apology and paid the required amount of compensation.
“We are sorry it got to this stage, and we have ensured all relevant works have taken place now.
“We have learned from this and have more robust timescales in place to address ongoing damp and mould issues.”
BBC News, November 2025
