Ɖ Gardịn vy on unsef hǎzñ: unḍinvstmnt costs livz
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 21 Nov. 2022)
Ɖ mǒld ɖt cōzd ɖ deʈ v Awāb Iśac z wîdspred in sbstandd sośl homz
Munde 21 Nvmbr 2022
Ɖ dītelz rvild at ɖ inqest v Awāb Iśac, hu daid ejd tū in Dsmbr 2020 dy t rspiṛtri probḷmz cōzd bî mǒld growñ in hiz faṃli’z flat, wr śocñ. Hiz faɖr hd rpitidli cmplend t ɖer landlord, Roćdel Buṛwîd Hǎzñ. A hlʈvizitr hd snt tū letrz wornñ v ɖ riscs. Bt nʈñ wz dn.
Aftr last wīc’s vrdict blemd ɖ todlr’z deʈ on mǒld, wɖ ɖ coṛnr seyñ ɖt ɖ traɉdi śd b a “dfînñ momnt”, ɖ hǎzñḿćl iniṣ́li hld on t its ćīf xektiv, Gaṛʈ Sworbric, bt ɖen fîrd him at ɖ wīcend. Ẃl hiz public dsgres me aford sm saṭsfax́n t Awāb’z grīvñ reḷtivz, n t uɖr tennts añśs t si hǎzñbosz hld acǎntbl, ɖ sirịs probḷmz in Ñgḷnd’z sośl-hǎzñ stoc g far bynd wn man n wn orġnîześn.
In 2020, 2.2m homz in Ñgḷnd hd at līst wn caṭgri 1 haẓd – ɖoz wɖ ɖ hîist riscs – n 941,000 hd sirịs damp. In ɖ yir t Epril 2022, cmplents t ɖ sośl-hǎzñ omḅdzmn abt damp, mǒld n līcs olmst dubld. Ɖs sićueśn z xpctd t dtirịret frɖr az a rzult v rîzñ eṇjibilz, ẃć wl līd t sm tennts cīpñ ɖer hītñ of. Ɖ sićueśn in ɖ prîṿt-rentd sectr – ẃr tennts hv no rcors t ɖ omḅdzmn – z sgnificntli wrs.
Ny lwz promist aftr ɖ Grenfél Tǎr dzastr hv bn tù loñ in cmñ, az Mîcl Gov, ɖ leṿlñ-up secṛtri, hz admitd. Ɖ sośl-hǎzñ reğleśnbil z yt t g ʈru its cmitistej in ɖ Comnz. Bt wns pást, it śd mc it īzịr t îdnṭfî sośl landlordz hu r felñ ɖer tennts. Inspx́nz wl olso bcm mor r’bust. Bt ɖ bil dz nt g far inuf, n śd b amndd t enśur ɖt hǎzñmanijrz r qoḷfaid. Cuṛntli, ɖr z no rqîrmnt fr eni pṛfeśnl trenñ, ẃć z roñ gvn ɖ pǎr ɖt landlordz wīld ovr ppl’z livz, includñ ɖer hlʈ.
Tufr inspx́nz n streñʈnd tennts’ rîts wl rêz ɖ preśr on landlordz, n cd līd t impruvmnts. Bt ɖe canot fix ɖ unḍlayñ probḷm v unḍinvstmnt. Mć v Ñgḷnd’z hǎzñstoc z hoplisli ǎt v det, n standdz on ny-bildz hv nt bn hî inuf. Ɖ asōlt on reğleśn iniśietd bî Devid Camṛn, az part v ɖ cọliśn’z osteṛtiprogram, mnt ɖt cnstrents on dveḷprz wr wìcnd at ɖ sem tîm az locl-oʈoṛti hǎzñbujits wr slaśt. Public invstmnt in hǎzñ hz nvr rtrnd t its pri-2010 levl.
Arnd 1.2 miłn ppl r on wêtñlists, ẃl sm hǎzñ’sośieśnz, in ɖer ruś t xpand, sīm t hv abandnd ɖer sośl prṗs. Bujits fr bildñ ny homz n fixñ old wnz r far tù lo, n unlîcli t rîz in ɖ fōrsiybl fyćr. F enʈñ, ɖe r mor lîcli t śrinc, sins ɖ 7% cap on rentrîzz z lowr ɖn infleśn. Mr Gov rout t hǎzñpṛvîdrz at ɖ wīcend t se ɖt h wz ptñ ɖm “on notis”. Gvn ɖ guvnmnt’s rǒl in runñ dǎn ɖ neśn’z hǎzñstoc, ɖ sem mesij cd b snt t Mr Gov n hiz cabiṇtcolīgz.
