Awaab's Law FAQs

Awaab’s Law is a legal requirement in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 that requires social landlords to investigate and repair reported health and safety hazards within fixed timeframes.

Although created in response to the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from prolonged exposure to damp and mould, it applies to all serious hazards in social housing to ensure tenants receive timely, safe living conditions.

Awaab’s Law came into effect on 27 October 2025, with additional requirements introduced in phases through 2026 and 2027 to cover a wider range of housing hazards.

No. Awaab’s Law applies only to social housing landlords, not the private rented sector. However, private landlords would still benefit from following its principles, as acting quickly on damp, mould, and other hazards helps protect tenants’ health, reduces legal and enforcement risks, and reflects good practice across the wider housing sector.

In Scotland, Housing (Scotland) Bill (expected to come into effect around March 2026) will set rules equivalent to Awaab’s Law for both social and private landlords, requiring them to address damp, mould and other significant housing hazards within defined timescales.

Awaab’s Law requires social housing landlords to investigate significant damp and mould hazards within 10 working days of becoming aware of them, issue tenants with a written summary of findings within 3 working days of investigation, and to complete or begin safety works within 5 working days of the investigation concluding.

It also requires that emergency hazards (including those caused by damp or mould with an imminent risk to health or safety) must be made safe within 24 hours of identification.

Under Awaab’s Law, a hazard is considered significant if it poses a serious risk to the health or safety of the tenant, particularly where it could cause illness, injury, or worsen existing health conditions.

In practice, this includes hazards that would be treated as serious under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) (most notably damp and mould), but also other conditions that could cause real harm if not addressed promptly.

Awaab’s Law applies to the same 29 hazards already set out in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

Awaab’s Law does not replace the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), it builds on it.

• HHSRS provides the risk-assessment framework, identifying and assessing the 29 housing hazards and whether they pose a serious risk to health and safety.
• Awaab’s Law then imposes mandatory legal timeframes and duties on social landlords once a hazard is identified as significant under that framework.

Damp and mould can be an emergency repair if it poses an immediate risk to health or safety.

Under Awaab’s Law, mould becomes an emergency when it is severe enough to endanger the occupant (for example, where there is heavy black mould, active leaks causing rapid spread, or where a vulnerable person is at risk). In these cases, the landlord must make the home safe within 24 hours or provide suitable alternative accommodation.

If the mould is significant but not immediately dangerous, it is treated as a non-emergency hazard with set investigation and repair timeframes rather than a 24-hour response.

Awaab’s Law introduces strict timeframes and clear duties for social landlords when tenants report hazards.

Key requirements are:

• Investigate hazards quickly – landlords must inspect reported issues such as damp, mould, leaks, or other health and safety risks within a set number of days, depending on the severity.
• Carry out emergency repairs promptly – any hazard posing an immediate risk to health or safety must be made safe within 24 hours.
• Complete non-emergency repairs within a fixed period – issues that are not immediately dangerous but still harmful must be fully repaired within a legally defined timeframe.
• Provide written updates to tenants – landlords must clearly communicate the outcome of the inspection, planned actions, and expected timescales.
• Keep accurate records – all reports, inspections, findings, and repair actions must be documented.These requirements ensure that serious housing hazards are dealt with quickly and transparently to protect tenants’ health and safety.

Yes. The timeframes include weekends and bank holidays.

Under Awaab’s Law, deadlines are measured in calendar days, not working days. This means:

• The 24-hour emergency response always applies, including nights, weekends, and bank holidays.
• Other investigation and repair timeframes continue to run regardless of weekends or public holidays.

Landlords are expected to have systems in place (such as emergency contractors or out-of-hours arrangements) to meet these obligations.

Yes. Communal areas are covered by the repair timeframes where the landlord is responsible for them.

Under Awaab’s Law, the duties and timeframes apply to hazards in any part of the building that the landlord controls, including communal areas such as corridors, stairwells, lifts, entrance halls, bin stores, and shared ventilation systems.

If a significant hazard in a communal area affects tenants’ health or safety, the landlord must investigate, report, and remediate it within the required timescales, just as they would for hazards inside individual dwellings.

If a tenant is unable to provide access for an inspection or repair, the landlord must still take reasonable steps to comply with their duties.

This includes:

• Making repeated, documented attempts to arrange access.
• Offering reasonable alternative dates and times.
• Explaining clearly why access is needed and the risks of delay.
• Keeping written records of all contact and attempts.

If access is genuinely not possible despite these efforts, the landlord is not automatically in breach, but they must be able to evidence that the delay was outside their control. Once access becomes available, the landlord must act promptly to carry out the inspection or repair.

Under Awaab’s Law, a landlord’s written report to the tenant must clearly set out the outcome of the investigation and what will happen next. It should include:

• Whether a hazard exists, and if so, what it is
• Whether the hazard is significant
• The findings of the investigation, in plain language
• What remedial action is required (if any)
• The timescales within which repairs or works will be carried out
• Whether access is needed from the tenant to complete the works
• Next steps if the tenant disagrees or further issues arise

The report must explain what was found, how serious it is, and exactly what the landlord will do and by when.

An “Awaab’s Law notice” is a written statement explaining a tenant’s rights and the landlord’s duties under Awaab’s Law, including how hazards (such as damp and mould) will be investigated, reported, and repaired within set timescales.

It should not replace the tenancy agreement, but it should be provided to tenants, either:

• Alongside the tenancy agreement, or
• Separately in writing (for example, a tenant handbook or policy notice)

The notice helps ensure tenants understand what to report, how to report it, and what response times to expect.

If a reported hazard poses an immediate risk to health or safety and cannot be made safe within 24 hours, the landlord must either carry out emergency repairs straight away or provide suitable alternative accommodation until the home is safe to return to.

For less urgent hazards, alternative accommodation is not automatically required, but landlords must still complete repairs within the set legal timeframes and communicate clearly with the tenant about what is being done.

“Suitable” alternative accommodation means housing that is safe, appropriate, and reasonably equivalent to your current home, taking account of your personal circumstances.

This means the accommodation should:

• Be safe and free from significant health hazards
• Be reasonably similar in size and standard, avoiding overcrowding
• Be appropriate for your household’s needs, including medical or disability requirements
• Be within a reasonable distance, where possible, of work, schools, and support networks
• Be affordable, with rent and essential costs not placing you at a disadvantage
• Include essential facilities (heating, hot water, sanitation, cooking facilities)

Awaab’s Law does apply to temporary accommodation provided by a council, where the council (or a housing association acting for it) is the landlord or has management responsibility.

This means:

• Significant hazards (such as damp and mould) must be investigated and remedied within the same legal timeframes, even if the accommodation is short-term.
• The council cannot rely on the accommodation being “temporary” to delay action where there is a health or safety risk.
• Duties apply to hostels, temporary flats, and other forms of council-provided accommodation, where tenants are living there as their home.

If the council is responsible for the property, Awaab’s Law protections apply regardless of how temporary the accommodation is intended to be.

Yes. The law protects all occupants of the property, not just those named on the original tenancy agreement.

Under housing and safety legislation (including Awaab’s Law), a landlord’s duties relate to the condition of the dwelling and the health and safety of people living there. This includes:

• Household members not named on the tenancy (such as children or partners), and
• Other lawful occupants who live in the property as their home.

In short: protections apply to anyone residing in the property, because the focus is on health and safety risks, not contractual status.

No, there is no separate or different reporting process just because you are a shared owner.

If you are a shared ownership tenant, you report hazards in the same way as other tenants, using your landlord or housing association’s standard repairs or complaints process.

However, responsibility for investigation and repairs under Awaab’s Law still depends on:

• What the hazard is, and
• Who is responsible for that part of the property under the lease (for example, structure, exterior, or communal areas).

Where the landlord has repairing responsibility and a significant hazard is reported, the same legal duties and timeframes apply, regardless of shared ownership status.

If a landlord ignores a tenant’s reports, the tenant should explain the problem in writing in line with the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims. If there is still no response, they should submit a formal complaint through the landlord’s complaints procedure, which for social landlords must follow the Housing Ombudsman’s statutory Complaint Handling Code.

If the issue remains unresolved, the tenant can escalate it to the Housing Ombudsman (social housing) or Environmental Health (private rented homes), and as a last resort take legal action under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, nuisance, or negligence.

If a landlord misses the 24-hour emergency deadline under Awaab’s Law, they may face legal and enforcement consequences.

These can include:

• Breach of statutory duty, exposing the landlord to legal action by the tenant
• Enforcement action by the regulator (for social landlords), including compliance notices and sanctions
• Court action, where a landlord can be ordered to carry out works and potentially pay damages or compensation
• Reputational damage, particularly where failures involve serious health risks

Missing the deadline is treated seriously because the 24-hour requirement applies only to hazards posing an immediate and severe risk.

Yes. You can sue a housing association if you can show they breached their duty to keep your home in good repair and that this failure caused you harm. Claims are usually brought under negligence, breach of repairing obligations in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, nuisance, or breach of tenancy agreement, depending on the circumstances.

No, you should not withhold rent if a landlord fails to meet Awaab’s Law deadlines.

Withholding rent without a court order or formal agreement can put you in breach of your tenancy, even where the landlord has failed in their repair duties.

If deadlines are missed, safer options include:

• Reporting the failure through the landlord’s complaints process
• Escalating to the Housing Ombudsman (for social landlords)
• Contacting the local authority, which can take enforcement action
• Seeking legal advice, as courts may award remedies or compensation

In limited circumstances, rent may be reduced or set off only if agreed or ordered, but this should never be done unilaterally.

A landlord cannot simply blame “lifestyle” or tenant behaviour to avoid their responsibilities.

While everyday activities (such as cooking or drying clothes indoors) can contribute to condensation, landlords must still:

• Investigate the underlying cause of damp and mould
• Address structural or building-related issues (for example, poor ventilation, insulation defects, leaks, or inadequate heating)

Under Awaab’s Law, if damp or mould presents a significant health hazard, the landlord has a legal duty to act, regardless of alleged tenant behaviour. Tenant advice may form part of the solution, but it cannot replace repairs or remediation where the property itself is defective.