Alliance has said the UK Government's strict guidelines on mould and damp should be replicated here in Northern Ireland.

The party's Housing Spokesperson Kellie Armstrong, made the comments after new guidance issued in England and Wales means that landlords are required to solve the underlying problems creating damp and mould.

Awaab's Law in England and Wales will force social landlords to fix damp and mould within strict time limits. The Housing Ombudsman will also be given new powers to help landlords improve performance.

In a statement, Kellie Armstrong said: "Too often landlords blame tenants saying they don't open windows and cause the issue by drying clothes on radiators. Many tenants are exasperated by such excuses as it is clear wet walls are due to a failure of the fabric of their home rather than tenant actions.

-- Advertisement --

"Extending this legal protection for tenants is top of my agenda for a returning NI Assembly. Every day the DUP blocks a return to Stormont is another day where laws and rules to protect tenants cannot be legislated on.

"This break in parity means people across NI will continue to have to live with mould and damp that contributes to lung and breathing issues and ill health. People here will not have the legal protections that will require landlords to provide maintenance and solutions to remove mould and damp from homes.

"We need to see urgent reform to end this cycle of stop-go politics so frequently shown by the DUP and Sinn Fein, by moving to weighted majority voting, where no Party has the ability to collapse the government of NI, and no Party has the ability to abuse people of NI by using us as leverage for political negotiations."