Understanding Awaab’s Law

Introduction 

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 introduced The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, commonly referred to as Awaab’s Law. The legislation represents a significant change for the social housing sector, introducing fixed legal timescales for responding to emergency hazards.  Landlords and their supply chains must be able to demonstrate that concerns are identified, investigated, escalated and resolved without unnecessary delay.  

Why was Awaab’s Law introduced? 

Awaab’s Law was introduced following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s home. 

Awaab’s parents had complained repeatedly to their social landlord in the three years prior to Awaab’s death, but no action was taken by their social landlord to treat the mould. Everyone deserves to live in a safe and healthy home. If living in hazardous conditions such as damp and mould are not dealt with promptly, the impact on occupants can be severe. Awaab’s Law is designed to ensure social landlords take timely action, providing tenants with stronger legal protection when repairs are unreasonably delayed. 

To strengthen tenant protections, Awaab’s Law requires social landlords to comply with statutory repair and hazard response timescales. These requirements are incorporated into tenancy agreements, helping ensure landlords can be held accountable when serious hazards are not addressed promptly. These requirements are built into social housing tenancy agreements, ensuring landlords can be held accountable if they fail to address serious hazards. Tenants have the option to seek legal remedies through the courts, while also being able to raise concerns through complaints procedures and the Housing Ombudsman Service. 

Health issues associated with damp and mould 

Damp and mould can have serious health implications, particularly for residents who may be more vulnerable to the effects of poor indoor air quality. Those at greater risk include: 

• Young children. 
• Older people. 
• Individuals with asthma or respiratory conditions. 
• People with weakened immune systems. 

Exposure may contribute to respiratory illnesses, allergic reactions and worsening existing medical conditions and even death. Prompt identification, investigation and remediation are therefore essential for protecting residents and preventing avoidable harm. 

Who does Awaab’s Law primarily apply to? 

Awaab’s Law applies primarily to homes rented from registered social housing providers, including many housing associations and local authority housing arrangements. While some tenancy types are excluded, most social landlords will need to comply with the new requirements and ensure they have appropriate systems, processes and supply chain arrangements in place. 

Awaab’s Law applies to almost all social housing occupied under a tenancy and let by a registered provider. The exception is for social housing occupied under a tenancy which is excepted from the repairing obligation in section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 by section 14 of that Act. 

Awaab’s Law applies to temporary and supported accommodation occupied under a tenancy that is social housing let by a registered provider. Awaab’s Law does not apply to temporary accommodation, supported accommodation, or other housing that is occupied under a licence. 

Awaab’s Law does not apply to long leaseholds or other owner-occupied accommodation and low-cost home ownership homes, including shared ownership.  

Legal duty sits with social landlords; however, effective compliance will usually involve several teams and external partners such as: 

• Arms-length management organisations (ALMOs). 
• Contractors delivering repairs and maintenance for social landlords. 
• Consultants providing surveying, compliance and building safety services. 

What has changed from previous arrangements? 

The key change is that Awaab’s Law introduces fixed legal timescales for investigating and addressing certain housing hazards, rather than relying only on general expectations around reasonable repair times. This means social landlords must be able to demonstrate that reports are acted on promptly, decisions are recorded and residents are kept informed throughout the process. 

What does Awaab’s Law mean for contractors? 

Although legal responsibility for compliance remains with the social landlord, contractors delivering repairs, maintenance, surveying, compliance and building safety services will play an important role in helping landlords meet their statutory obligations. 

Many organisations will need to review response times, reporting processes, escalation procedures and record-keeping arrangements to ensure information can be acted upon quickly and evidenced appropriately. Service level agreements may also need updating to reflect the new legal timescales introduced by Awaab’s Law. 

Contractors that can demonstrate competence, responsiveness and robust reporting procedures are likely to be better positioned to support housing providers as compliance requirements continue to expand through future phases of the legislation. 

What does Awaab’s Law require? 

The regulations mean that landlords must meet the below prescribed timescales for responding to emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards: 

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

A ‘significant hazard’ is one that poses a significant risk of harm to the health or safety of an occupier of the social home. A ‘significant risk of harm’ is defined in the regulations as ‘a risk of harm to the occupier’s health or safety that a reasonable lessor with the relevant knowledge would take steps to make safe as a matter of urgency’. 

An emergency hazard is one that poses ‘an imminent and significant risk of harm’ to the health or safety of the occupier in the social home. An ‘imminent and significant risk of harm’ is defined in the regulations as ‘a risk of harm to the occupier’s health or safety that a reasonable lessor with the relevant knowledge would take steps to make safe within 24 hours’. 

Examples of hazards that could be emergency hazards requiring emergency action include, but are not limited to: 

• gas or carbon monoxide leaks 
• broken boilers 
• total loss of water supply 
• electrical hazards such as exposed wiring 
• significant leaks 
• broken external doors or windows that present a risk to home security 
• prevalent damp and/or mould that is having a material impact on a tenant’s health 
• significant structural defects or disrepair 

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. 

The scope of Awaab’s Law  

For a hazard to be in scope of the Awaab’s Law repair requirements, it must:  

a) be a part of buildings or land for which the social landlord is responsible
b) result from defects, disrepair or lack of maintenance
c) be in the landlord’s control to fix
d) not be damage that is a result of breach of contract by the tenant
e) be a significant or emergency hazard 

For Awaab’s Law to apply, the hazard must be a deficiency in a building or land that the social landlord is responsible for. 

Deficiency is a wide term and covers: 

• defects, such as a lack of thermal insulation in the structure of the home that leads to excessive mould growth 
• disrepair, such as a broken window or door that could lead to excess cold 
• lack of maintenance, such as a deteriorating damp proof course 

Buildings or land for which the social landlord is responsible are those which the landlord is required to repair or maintain under a lease or statute. The social landlord is also responsible for any land for which it holds the freehold or leasehold if it is the occupier of the land and no-one else is responsible for its repair or maintenance. 

Implementation timetable and phases 

Fire-safety clarification for Phase 2: From 30 November 2026, Awaab’s Law will cover significant fire hazards within its scope. However, it will exclude fire hazards arising from deficiencies in parts of multi-occupied residential buildings regulated by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, including relevant structure, external walls, common parts and doors between domestic premises and common parts. Those matters remain subject to the applicable fire-safety regime. 

The amended definition of work under Awaab’s Law will also exclude actions required by the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025. Housing providers should therefore maintain clear escalation routes so that fire hazards are directed promptly to the correct responsible person, legal regime and remedial process, while continuing to keep residents informed and safe. 

Preparing for compliance 

Preparing for Awaab’s Law requires more than updating a policy. Housing providers should be able to demonstrate that reports are triaged correctly, investigations are completed within the statutory timescales, residents are kept informed, and remedial actions are tracked through to completion. 

This is also an opportunity to strengthen wider housing safety management arrangements. Clear procedures, competent inspection, effective contractor management and reliable record keeping will all be essential in demonstrating compliance and reducing the risk of repeat issues. 

Resident communication should also be treated as a core compliance requirement. Tenants should receive clear updates on what has been reported, when the issue will be inspected, what the findings are, what action will be taken and how they can remain safe while works are arranged. 

A reliable audit trail will be essential. Housing providers should be able to evidence when a concern was reported, how it was triaged, when it was inspected, what risk assessment or decision was made, what was communicated to the resident and when any remedial or temporary safety works were completed. 

Contractor management should also be reviewed. Where repairs, inspections or surveys are outsourced, service level agreements should reflect the statutory timeframes, escalation routes should be clear, and contractors should understand the evidence required to support compliance. 

Consequences of non-compliance 

Non-compliance can result in tenant complaints, legal action, compensation claims, Housing Ombudsman investigations, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage.  Where failures reveal wider weaknesses in governance, safety or service delivery, they may also attract increased attention from the Regulator of Social Housing. 

For organisations working within the housing supply chain, repeated failures to meet contractual response times or provide adequate evidence of completed works may also affect client relationships and future procurement opportunities. 

However, the greatest consequence is the potential for residents to remain exposed to hazards that could cause serious and avoidable harm. A proactive approach helps protect residents while also reducing organisational and operational risk. 

Who enforces the law? 

Awaab’s Law creates duties that are enforceable by tenants where landlords fail to meet the required standards. Tenants may pursue complaints, legal routes and the Housing Ombudsman process. The Regulator of Social Housing may also scrutinise wider organisational performance where failures suggest weaknesses in safety, quality or governance arrangements. 

What should housing providers be doing now? 

Housing providers should act now to ensure their systems are ready. Key actions include: 

• Review damp and mould reporting procedures. 
• Confirm escalation routes for emergency hazards. 
• Set inspection, communication and response timeframes in line with the statutory requirements. 
• Train housing teams, repair operatives, contractors and relevant consultants. 
• Maintain clear records of reports, inspections, tenant communications, decisions and remedial progress. 
• Map fire-safety responsibilities and escalation routes so issues are promptly directed to the correct landlord team, Responsible Person or building-safety dutyholder under the applicable legislation. 
• Review access procedures, including how attempted access, resident contact and reasons for delay will be recorded and escalated. 
• Review wider hazard management arrangements ahead of the 2026 and 2027 phases. 

Need support preparing for Awaab’s Law? SafeWorkforce can help housing providers review existing arrangements, identify compliance gaps and strengthen procedures for damp, mould and wider housing hazard management. Taking action now will help protect residents, support legal compliance and demonstrate a clear commitment to safe, healthy homes. 

Find out how SafeWorkforce can help you strengthen housing compliance, improve contractor oversight and prepare for the requirements of Awaab’s Law. 

 This article provides general guidance only and should not be treated as legal advice. Housing providers should seek appropriate legal or specialist advice where required.