How Awaab’s Law is Changing Social Housing Safety Forever?
A tragedy struck in 2020, and the mould spread silently through a child’s home. Awaab Ishak was just two years old when he died from consistent exposure to the black mould in his home in Rochdale. His death raised serious concerns about health safety in social housing, which led to new legislation. Now, Awaab’s Law has compelled landlords to take immediate action on damp, mould, and other hazards.
The Property Management Company helps tenants and landlords understand their duties to make homes safe quickly.
What is Awaab’s Law?
Awaab’s Law is the crucial piece of legislation aimed at protecting tenants from dangerous damp and mould in their homes. Out of 1.3 million social dwellings in England, 5% of them have damp or mould issues in one or more rooms in 2023-24.
The new legislative housing bill was passed in July 2023 and came into effect in October 2025. After its enforcement, the landlords are obliged to fix these mould issues within a fixed timeline. According to the law, the hazards must be inspected within the 10-day limit, and the house should be made safe within five days after complete inspection.
Why was Awaab’s Law introduced?
Awaab Ishak was a child from Rochdale who died of a respiratory disorder caused by the dangerous black mould grown in his home. His father complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing to fix the issues. No one acted in time, and a kid died of severe breathing issues.
This tragedy sparked a new law, named after the child Awab, who lost his life to black mould in his home. This law is now enshrined in the Social Housing Act 2023. This law enforces strict guidelines on the landlords to ensure the health and safety of tenants.
Who Does Awaab’s Law Apply To?
The law sets strict regulations on certain housing situations. It is important to clarify who is protected and who will comply with the law.
Social Housing Landlords
The Law applies to all registered social landlords in England. This includes local authorities, associations, and registered providers of social housing. Although private landlords remain bound by the Housing Health and Safety System and other fitness standards.
Social Housing Tenants
This law will protect the social housing tenants, which includes council and housing associations. The law gives new legal rights to the tenants, and they can report hazards to their landlords.
Responsibilities of Awaab’s Law from Social Landlords
Landlords should prepare for full compliance because once it is enforced, delays will not be tolerated. The landlord must investigate the reported emergency hazards, such as damp or mould or damp within a prescribed number of days.
- A social landlord, after becoming aware of the problem, should take immediate action. The hazards may be reported by the tenant, which is then inspected by a third party.
- The timeframe during which the hazard was reported by the tenants for any action under the Law commences from that date, not when the third-party becomes aware of the hazard.
- A landlord has to provide alternative accommodation if they are unable to complete the safety repairs within 24 hours of emergency hazards and 5 days of significant hazards.
Repair Timescales and Deadlines
Begin repair works within a specific period, following the investigation. If the investigation confirms the significant hazard, both the investigation and the repairs must be completed within 24 hours unless there are exceptional circumstances.
| Stage | What the Landlord Must Do | Timeframe |
| Emergency hazard reported | Investigation and confirmation of hazard | Within 24 hours of becoming aware |
| Emergency hazard confirmed | start necessary repair | Within the same 24 hours |
| Significant hazard reported | Investigation of the issue | Within 10 working days |
| Investigation completed | Provide a written summaryof investigation to the tenant | Within 3 working days |
| Significant hazard confirmed | Begin required safety and repair work | Within 5 working days |
| Preventative action required | Start the steps to preventthe hazard to happen again | Within 5 working days |
| If preventative workcannot start quickly | Take steps as soon as possibleand begin physical work | Within 12 weeks |
| Preventative work | Complete all supplementary works | Within a reasonable time |
| Repairs delayed | Provide a suitable alternativeaccommodation at the landlord’s expense | Until repairs are completed |
| Throughout the process | Keep tenants informed and give safety advice | Ongoing |
What Hazards are Covered Under Awaab’s Law 2025?
There are two types of hazards, which include both emergency and significant hazards.
Emergency Hazards
Emergency hazards that cause imminent health risks and need immediate action, such as damp, unsafe electrics, and fire risks. Other examples include gas or carbon monoxide leaks, broken boilers, loss of water supply, water leaks, electrical hazards, etc. These hazards required investigation within 24 hours.
Significant Hazards
Significant risk includes the continuous spread of mould, causing risk of harm like respiratory disorders. Landlords must investigate the hazards within 10 days of becoming aware of them. These hazards don’t require urgency of inspection within 24 hours.
In How Many Ways are Investigations Carried Out Under the Awaab’s Law?
There are four types of investigations performed under this law to confirm and start relevant repairs.
Standard Investigations
The standard investigations are carried out when a potential hazards are suspected or reported in a house. This is done to identify the hazard and decide what repairs are required to keep the house safe and sound. The investigations must be completed within 10 days of reporting hazards, commencing the first day the issue is suspected for the first time. The investigation can be done remotely or on-site as demanded by tenants.
Renewed Investigations
These investigations are performed when the tenants specifically ask to do an in-person inspection after remote investigative procedures. The investigation must be carried out within 10 days for significant hazards. For emergency hazards, the tenants can ask for a renewed investigation if the initial investigation did not identify the emergency repairs.
Emergency Investigations
These investigations are carried out within 2 hours of reporting when the landlord has reasonable grounds to believe that there is an emergency hazard like electrical issue or major leaks. These investigations are done to identify the hazard as well as the required emergency repairs and can be done remotely.
Further Investigations
These investigations are needed when the initial investigations do not identify the real cause of the hazards or underlying reasons. These investigations must be done as soon as possible to ensure security is maintained and prevent recurrence. It can be an in-person inspection, and the landlord must carry out the initial repairs even if further investigations are carried out.
How Tenants Should Report the Damp or Mould Issues?
Tenants should report the issues of damp and mould in the house to the landlord as soon as possible.
- They can either report the issue verbally or in writing. The written complaint is the better option to maintain the records. It can be helpful in case the landlord does not take action against the hazards.
- Tenants have to allow the landlords access to the house and their representatives to investigate and complete repair work.
Awaab’s Law Implementation
The law for the safety of tenants from significant and emergency hazards will be completed in the following phases:
Phase 1
The first phase has already come into effect from 27 October 2025. It focuses on the significant damp and mould hazards as well as emergency hazards that raise immediate health concerns.
Phase 2
The phase will start from 26 October 2026, to extend regulations on significant and emergency hazards. These regulations will cover excess cold and heat, falls linked to baths or gaps between stairs, structural collapse or repairs, fire or personal hygiene and food safety.
Phase 3
In 2027, the regulations of the law will add new regulations for landlords for all remaining HHSRS hazards except overcrowding. The policy works effectively through taking a test and learn approach, and will implement any lessons between all the phases.
Final Thoughts
Awaab’s Law is a fundamental shift in England about how social housing safety is being managed after a painful tragedy. The strict deadlines are not just bureaucratic red tape, yet they are lifesaving steps that make sure the safety of the tenants before conditions become deadly.
Let Awaab’s be the first of it kinds. Landlords must rise to meet these standards, not just to avoid legal actions but because multiple lives depend on their vigilance. Prepare before time and develop reporting systems, and follow the investigation protocols to make social housing a safe place to live.
