What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaab’s Law was introduced following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak and forms
part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. The law requires social landlords in
England to act promptly when issues such as damp, mould, or other serious housing
hazards are reported.
The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations
2025 come into effect on 27 October 2025, setting clear timeframes for inspection,
investigation, and repair — initially focusing on damp and mould before expanding
to additional hazards from 2026.
Although Awaab’s Law applies directly to social housing providers, the standards it
introduces are expected to influence the entire housing and maintenance industry
— including private landlords, contractors, and developers. Proactive prevention and
rapid remediation will soon be expected practice across the board.

​

Why Damp & Mould Matter

Persistent damp and mould are more than cosmetic issues — they represent health,
structural, and compliance risks.
Health impact: Exposure to mould spores and damp environments can
exacerbate asthma, allergies, and respiratory illness.
Structural damage: Prolonged damp leads to decayed timbers, plaster failure,
and loss of thermal efficiency.
Compliance risk: Failure to address issues within the prescribed timeframes can
result in penalties, reputational damage, and legal enforcement.

 

Awaab’s Law requirements on social landlords
The Regulations mean landlords must:  

Investigate any potential emergency hazards and, if the investigation confirms emergency hazards, undertake relevant safety work as soon as reasonably practicable. The investigation and the work must both take place within 24 hours of becoming aware of the hazard.

Investigate any potential significant hazards within 10 working days of becoming aware of them;

Produce a written summary of investigation findings and provide this to the tenant within 3 working days of the conclusion of the investigation.

Undertake relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant hazard.

Begin, or take steps to begin, any supplementary preventative work to prevent a significant or emergency hazard recurring within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant or emergency hazard. If steps cannot be taken to begin work in 5 working days this must be done as soon as possible, and work must be physically started within 12 weeks.

Satisfactorily complete supplementary preventative works within a reasonable time period.

Secure the provision of suitable alternative accommodation for the household, at the social landlord’s expense, if relevant safety work cannot be completed within specified timeframes.

Keep the tenant updated throughout the process and provide information on how to keep safe.

Upon becoming aware of a potential hazard, social landlords should use all available information to initially determine if the hazard is a potential significant or emergency hazard and take steps to complete relevant safety work within stated timeframes.

The timelines set under Awaab’s Law are the maximum statutory timeframes in which landlords must act. Landlords can and should act more quickly if circumstances require, especially in situations where other legislation requires a faster response and/or according to their policies and procedures.

Under Awaab’s Law, social landlords have a defence if they have taken all reasonable steps to comply with the requirements (Section 10A(5) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985). For more on this defence see Section 9.

It is important that landlords keep accurate and up-to-date information about their residents and their homes, as well as clear records of all engagement, investigations and communications with tenants. This will support both landlords and tenants, and can be made use of generally and throughout the Awaab’s Law process. We recommend that landlords have in place robust knowledge and information management processes and keep a record of actions taken under Awaab’s Law.

​

​

​

​