Four million people live in social housing in Britain, yet many find themselves forgotten and forced to live in damp, mouldy properties. 

High waiting lists and inadequate care from housing associations are also contributing to the decline in the quality of the social housing system. 

We have been looking into both the physical and mental effects of the system ahead of Awaab’s Law which is being brought in to better regulate the standard of landlords’ properties. The legislation is being introduced following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak as a result of a severe respiratory condition which a coroner ruled was caused by prolonged exposure to black mould in his Rochdale home.

Residents in social housing have been sharing their experiences and describing effects that living in housing riddled with mould and damp has on them and their family with one mum-of-two fearing her children could end up needing hospital treatment.

Another woman, whose condensation in her kitchen was so bad it felt like it was ‘raining’ told of how her housing association were so slow in fixing problems, it left her feeling defeated.

And a South Yorkshire resident has described tiles falling off walls, loose bricks and broken window cladding in her home.

A doctor has also told how she had to refer her findings to a local authority after treating children living in a mouldy home. 

Our investigation looks into the support systems for people living in the north of England, the stories of those standing up to housing organisations and the other reasons why social housing is failing to meet standards.