Awaab's Law Phase 2 Explained

Awaab’s Law was introduced in memory of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died tragically after prolonged exposure to mould in his family home. Despite repeated reports to their social landlord over several years, no action was taken to address the hazard.

Its introduction represents one of the biggest changes to housing repairs and compliance in recent years. For the first time, social landlords must meet legally defined timescales for investigating, communicating, and addressing hazards within tenants’ homes.

Following the introduction of Phase 1 in October 2025, Awaab’s Law Phase 2 will come into force on 30^th November, expanding the legislation beyond damp and mould to cover a wider range of Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards.

The government has now published updated guidance, providing much greater detail on how landlords are expected to apply the legislation in practice.

Have any questions about Awaab's Law Phase 2? Register for our next free live webinar, 'Awaab's Law Phase 2: What to expect', to have your questions answered live by our panel of experts. 

What’s changing under Awaab’s Law Phase 2?

While the statutory timescales introduced during Phase 1 remain unchanged, Awaab's Law Phase 2 significantly expands both the scope of the legislation and the expectations placed on social landlords.

The updated guidance is considerably more detailed than the original version, providing greater clarity around hazard triage, tenant communication, governance, record keeping, and operational decision-making.

For a recap of your requirements under Awaab’s Law Phase 1, download your free Housing Provider’s Guide to Awaab’s Law to find out everything you need to know.

Here are the key updates to the guidance that you need to know about:

More hazards now fall under Awaab's Law

From 30^th November, Awaab’s Law will apply not only to damp and mould but also to:

• Excess cold
• Excess heat
• Falls on the level (including falls on the level, falls on stairs etc., falls between levels)
• Structural collapse
• Fire and explosions
• Electrical hazards
• Domestic hygiene (including personal hygiene and food safety)

For every reported issue, landlords must determine whether the hazard is:

• A significant hazard
• An emergency hazard
• Outside the scope of Awaab's Law

This decision determines which statutory timescales apply.

Greater emphasis on professional judgement

One of the biggest messages throughout the new guidance is that no two cases are the same. Although the Government provides clearer definitions and practical examples, landlords are still expected to exercise professional judgement by considering:

• The condition of the property
• The nature of the hazard
• Household vulnerabilities
• Whether temporary measures can make the property safe

The accompanying hazard triage guidance reinforces the concept of the "reasonable landlord" test, encouraging organisations to make evidence-based decisions rather than relying on fixed thresholds.

Tenant communication now has a much bigger focus

The updated guidance places far greater emphasis on keeping tenants informed throughout the entire process.

Landlords are expected to:

• Ensure tenants understand their rights under Awaab's Law
• Communicate using accessible formats
• Keep residents updated throughout investigations and repairs
• Maintain clear records of all tenant engagement

Understanding household vulnerabilities has also become a key part of the assessment process.

Better governance and record keeping

The updated guidance makes it clear that landlords should be able to meet the statutory timeframes as well as being able to demonstrate how decisions were made by maintaining accurate records of:

• Hazard reports
• Investigations
• Tenant communications 
• Access attempts
• Decision-making
• Completed works

Strong governance and good record keeping will be essential for demonstrating compliance.

Compliance is an organisation-wide responsibility

Awaab's Law is often viewed as a repairs issue, but the updated guidance makes it clear that compliance depends on the whole organisation.

Housing management, customer services, complaints teams, contact centres, contractors, asset management, governance, safeguarding and senior leadership all have a role in identifying hazards, escalating concerns and ensuring statutory timescales are met.

Providing training to frontline staff who regularly enter residents' homes is becoming increasingly important, as they are often the first people to identify potential hazards.

Greater clarity and expanded guidance on access and written summaries

The Government has also provided much greater clarity on:

• What constitutes reasonable endeavours to gain access
• When written summaries must be issued
• What written summaries should include
• How landlords should evidence decisions where access cannot be gained 

These practical additions should help organisations develop more consistent processes and reduce uncertainty.

Preparing for Phase 3

Although Awaab's Law Phase 3 is not expected until 2027, organisations should already be thinking beyond the immediate requirements.

The landlords best placed for future phases will be those embedding consistent processes now, including:

• Robust hazard triage
• Clear reporting and escalation routes
• Effective governance
• Strong data and record keeping

• Proactive learning from completed cases

Rather than treating each phase as a separate project, Awaab's Law should be viewed as a programme of continuous improvement.

If you’re struggling to navigate the new requirements under Awaab’s Law Phase 2, get in touch with our team of experts who are here to help.