Awaab’s Law: What to expect

Last updated: 27th October 2025

In this blog: 

• How the phased implementation of Awaab's Law will work 
• Your new requirements under Awaab's Law
  
• Hazards in scope
  
• Who does Awaab's Law apply to?

As of 20th July 2023, the much-anticipated Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 (the Act) received Royal Assent and became law, paving the way for the most significant social housing reforms in over a decade. The Act brings positive change and transformation within the social housing sector by strengthening tenants’ rights and ensuring they live in safe, good quality homes devoid of health risks posed by building hazards.

Awaab’s Law, officially known as the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, came into force on 27^th October 2025, introducing strict new legal duties for social landlords to identify, investigate, and resolve hazards in tenants’ homes within set timeframes. The law follows the October 2025 government guidance.

The Act emerged from the Social Housing Green Paper, as a direct result of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017. It makes provision for increased regulator intervention, including powers to issue uncapped fines to landlords; and ‘performance improvement plan notices’ if landlords fail to meet repair standards. Most notably, the Act introduced Awaab’s Law, a legal obligation for landlords to act promptly on housing hazards, which plays a crucial role in the government's social housing reforms.

Since 2010, the quality of social housing has been consistently improving, with a reduction in the proportion of non-decent social rented homes from 20% in 2010 to 10% in 2021. The government’s Levelling Up White Paper pledged to reduce non-decency in rented homes by 50% by 2030. Awaab’s Law is helping to achieve this goal by ensuring landlords are taking action on hazards within specified timeframes.

Looking for more expert insights into your requirements under Awaab's Law? 

Download your FREE Housing Provider’s Guide to Awaab’s Law to navigate your legal requirements under the new legislation, insights on effective resident communication, and assess your current damp and mould management approach with our handy checklist.

Awaab's Law is coming into full force with a phased implementation approach: 

• From 27th October 2025: Social landlords are legally required to address all emergency hazards and all damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants to fixed timeframes.
  
• In 2026: The requirements will expand to apply to a wider range of Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards beyond damp and mould. These additional hazards will include:
  • Excess cold and excess heat
  • Falls associated with baths etc.
  • Structural collapse, and explosions
  • Fire, and electrical hazards
  • Domestic and personal hygiene and food safety 
• In 2027: This will extend further to apply to all remaining HHSRS hazards (excluding overcrowding) where there is a significant risk of harm. 

Official guidance has now been published by the government to help landlords navigate the new responsibilities. Click here to access the guidance. 

Awaab's Law Background

Awaab's Law is an amendment to UK housing legislation, proposed in honour of the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020. Awaab suffered respiratory issues caused by prolonged exposure to black mould in his home. The family reported the mould as a severe health risk to their social housing provider who failed to deal with the issues and root cause of the mould, and they and campaigners highlighted the injustice that social housing tenants can face and the necessity for legal provisions to be implemented.  

This landmark law is the most significant change to how the sector operates in the past decade, as the first piece of legislation to introduce timescales that hazards must be addressed within and is an important step towards protecting tenants and preventing other tragedies from happening in the future.

Register for our next free live webinar, 'Awaab's Law in Practice: Your Questions Answered', on Tuesday 18^th November at 12pm, where our experts will explore common themes from your questions and sharing lessons learnt from the first few weeks of Awaab’s Law being in place. 

Your new requirements under Awaab's Law

Social landlords must:

• Investigate potential emergency hazards immediately and if confirmed, complete safety work as soon as reasonably practicable, and always within 24 hours.
  
• Investigate potential significant hazards within 10 working days.
• Provide written findings to tenants within 3 working days of any investigation concluding.
• Carry out safety work within 5 working days where a significant hazard is identified.
• Begin or take steps to begin supplementary works (to prevent recurrence) within 5 working days, or as soon as reasonably possible and no later than 12 weeks.
• Complete works satisfactorily within a reasonable period.
• Secure suitable alternative accommodation (at the landlord’s expense) if hazards cannot be resolved within the required timeframes.
• Keep tenants updated and provide advice on how to stay safe while works are ongoing.

Within 3 working days of any investigation concluding, landlords must issue a written summary (unless the hazard has already been fully resolved). This must state:

• Whether a significant or emergency hazard was found.
• What action is required, and timeframes for completion.
• If no action is required, why not.
• Contact details for the landlord.

Failure to meet these obligations can leave a landlord in breach of the law unless they can show they used all reasonable endeavours.

Those who fail to comply with the rules risk being taken to court, where they may be issued with enforcement orders and required to pay compensation and legal costs, as well as forfeit rent if their properties are deemed uninhabitable.

Appointing a qualified, third-party damp and mould surveyor will ensure you can meet these new timeframes and stay complaint. Our experts are on hand to help you navigate your damp and mould hazards with our specialist Damp and Mould Surveys tailored to your building's needs. Don't just take it from us; discover how we helped Bolton at Home to undertake 800 urgent Damp and Mould Surveys here. 

Hazards in scope

A hazard is in scope if it:

a) Is part of a building or land the landlord is responsible for
b) Falls within the landlord’s control to repair
c) Is not the result of tenant breach of contract
d) Arises from defects, disrepair or lack of maintenance
e) Is classed as a significant or emergency hazard

Unlike the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), hazards do not need to reach Category 1 level. Awaab’s Law requires a person-centred assessment: landlords must consider the tenant’s health, vulnerabilities and circumstances. For example, damp and mould could be a significant hazard for an elderly tenant with respiratory illness, even if it scores as Category 2 under HHSRS.

Once that threshold is met landlords must:

• Investigate within 10 working days
• Share findings with the tenant within 3 working days of the investigation concluding
• Start remedial works within 5 working days, or within 12 weeks if the works are complex
• Decant the tenant if the home cannot be made safe in time

Who does Awaab's Law apply to? 

Awaab's Law primarily applies to social landlords, with all guidance aimed at social landlords. However, on 17th July 2024, the government announced a new Renters' Rights Bill which will extend Awaab's Law to the private rented sector. 

Applying Awaab's Law to temporary accommodation is also being consulted on to achieve the best outcomes. 

The Scottish Government has also announced its intention to amend the Housing (Scotland) Bill, expanding ministers' powers to set timeframes for social landlords to investigate disrepair and begin repairs.

What does Awaab’s Law mean for Social Housing landlords?  

Awaab’s Law forms part of the social housing tenancy agreement, meaning tenants are able to hold their landlord to account if they fail to comply. Failure to adhere to the required timescales would make the landlord liable for breach of tenancy, resulting in fines or legal action, in addition to being responsible for putting their tenant’s safety at risk. The Act also makes provision for requiring the landlord to provide safe alternative accommodation for the tenant, at no cost to them.

Understanding your tenants’ rights regarding damp and mould is vital for ensuring a safe living environment. For more information about what your tenants' rights are, read our dedicated blog here. 

Hazards, including damp and mould, must be repaired and monitored to ensure they have been eradicated from the property and the root cause addressed. It is important to note that while urgent repairs must be completed within the specified timeframe, given the recurring nature of damp and mould, it is important for landlords to return to the property in the following months to ensure the root cause remediation was effective. The underlying cause of damp and mould could also be linked to the building construction; therefore, to conduct a thorough investigation and treatment of the mould, the property may need further investigation and monitoring.   

When legal duties start

The “clock” begins the moment a landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard (Day 0). Awareness may come from:

• Routine inspections or visits
• Investigations of related hazards
• Notifications from contractors, regulators, or third parties
• Reports from tenants (or someone acting for them)

Timeframes start the next working day (Day 1). 

Investigations

There are four types of investigation:

• Standard: Within 10 working days of awareness. These inspections can be remote unless the tenant requests an in-person visit and they must identify whether a significant/emergency hazard exists and what work is required.
• Renewed: If a tenant requests an in-person inspection after a remote one. The 10-day timeframe resets.
• Emergency: Within 24 hours where there are reasonable grounds to believe an emergency hazard exists. This can be remote if appropriate.
• Further: Where more specialist investigation is needed (e.g. structural survey). Initial safety work must still be completed promptly while this takes place.

Investigations must be carried out by competent staff or specialists with the relevant knowledge and skills. 

Repairs and further works

If a hazard is confirmed:

• Emergency hazards: Works must be completed within 24 hours.
• Significant hazards: Safety works must be completed within 5 working days.

If supplementary preventative works cannot be started within 5 working days (due to specialist labour, materials, or regulatory approvals), steps must still be taken within 5 days to arrange them. Works must begin within 12 weeks.

Your next steps

Speaking at the Housing Community Summit during a panel on the roll-out of the new law, Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway warned delegates that bolting Awaab's Law on to existing policies will not work. He commented: "one of the things we really need to avoid with Awaab’s Law is the kind of Frankenstein procedures where [it] is just bolted on as an extra thing, or to an existing process or into an existing policy, because that will create a monster", highlighting the need for Awaab's Law to be carefully considered and integrated within your approach. 

Your next steps to ensuring compliance:

• Review whether current processes meet the new timescales
• Check contractor capacity and update contracts if needed
• Assess staffing levels and training needs for investigations and decants
• Review record-keeping systems for accuracy and auditability
• Update access procedures and tenant communication processes
• Test decant procedures and capacity
• Familiarise staff with the government guidance (October 2025)

Ultimately, Awaab’s Law has been introduced to hold landlords legally accountable for making repairs within strict deadlines, as well as proving the importance of tenants’ health and safety. Awaab’s Law represents a pivotal moment in the social housing sector; it is helping ensure that tenants’ homes are safe and fit to live in, and most importantly, it may save lives.