CAMPAIGNERS are set to protest outside Hackney Council this evening over poor housing conditions as new legislation came into force requiring social landlords to address hazardous issues.

The demonstration is organised by the London Renters Union (LRU), which says three of its members renting from the council have reported conditions that put their health at risk.

Tenants have described facing chronic leaks, damp, mould and accessibility issues, while struggling with health conditions including sarcoidosis, sickle cell anaemia and chronic asthma.

Campaigners are calling on the council to immediately rehouse the tenants in safe, suitable accommodation.

The move coincides with the implementation of Awaab’s Law — named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who death was attributed to mould-ridden social housing in 2020 — which sets strict timelines for social landlords to address hazardous conditions.

Under the new rules, emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours. Significant damp and mould must be investigated within 10 working days and properties then made safe within five.

At the protest, tenants are due to serve the council a “hazard notice” and project images of impacted homes onto the building.

One tenant, Lisa Reilly, said: “Hackney Council has been ignoring my family for six years.

“My seven-year-old son has spent most of his life in this flat which has been riddled with damp and black mould.

“He has chronic asthma and I’ve been told by medical professionals that it’s unsafe for him to live here.

“Now, I have no lights in half the flat because of problems with the leaks. I don’t want to be worried about my family’s health any longer.”

Another tenant, Mariama, said: “My child, diagnosed with a sickle cell anaemia, a genetic condition that leads to a compromised immune system, was just one when we moved into the flat in 2010.

“Not long after, black mould started to appear throughout the property, subsequently affecting mine and my child’s health.

“Private tests have confirmed harmful mycotoxins and fluid on my child’s lungs.

“This environment is harming us and despite all of the evidence the council do not seem to care.”

Hackney Council was contacted for comment.

Today, Housing Secretary Steve Reed reaffirmed the government’s commitment to extend the law to private landlords through the upcoming Renters’ Rights Act.

“I will make sure that is as fast as we can possibly do it, because we want everybody, whatever kind of property they’re renting, to have the assurance that what happens to little Awaab cannot happen to anyone else,” he told Sky News.