The government has recently proposed introducing measures to crackdown on social housing landlords who have failed to carry out necessary repairs, maintenance and the highly profiled mould issues with Labour saying it intends to roll this out for private landlords.

Labour’s deputy leader and shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner has committed her party to ensure the planned laws will include private landlords as well.

She recently told ITV’s show Good Morning: “[There are] 1.6m children living in mouldy, damp or cold houses in the private sector …  You can’t distinguish between social landlords and private landlords if you’re renting a property. Mould is mould.”

She continued: “I’ve got relatives and friends who are too frightened to raise concerns about their landlord and the conditions of the house because they may be made homeless through Section 21 notices - the no-fault evictions - and … they’re really frightened about the future for their families.”

Rayner does agree with the measures that will be introduced enforcing tougher rules on repair times and quality, however she does there is a serious issue on housing shortages that is linked with the problem and some families have had to find new suitable accommodation up to 200 miles away from their private homes which were found to be unsuitable.

Rayner told the program: “We have to do something about supply.”

In January the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government started a consultation on a clampdown on rogue social housing landlords whose properties are not fit for purpose. It proposes to introduce far stricter time limits for social housing providers to tackle and rectify dangerous hazards swiftly, such as mould and damp issues.

Under the new legal requirements social landlords will have to investigate dangerous hazards within 14 days, rectify them within seven days and carry out emergency repairs within 24 hours, failing to do so they will be taken to court and may be forced to compensate tenants.

The government has confirmed it will not introduce the same regulations onto private landlords.

Following her TV appearance Angela Rayner tweeted:  "Mould is mould. There is no justification for letting private landlords off the hook for resolving mould and damp issues in their properties. The Tories are refusing to extend protections to private renters. A Labour Government will."