Awaab's Law: what it means for damp and mould repairs

General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the sources below or take advice for your situation.

Awaab’s Law is the name given to the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. It requires social housing landlords to investigate and repair emergency and significant hazards within set timeframes. It is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in 2020 as a result of a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home (GOV.UK).

Who it applies to

The regulations “apply to lessors of social homes in England” (legislation.gov.uk, SI 2025/1042, reg. 1(4)): social housing landlords.

No date has been set yet for privately rented homes. The government is consulting on how and when to apply Awaab’s Law to them (consultation closes 18 December 2026). The consultation also asks about extending the requirements to temporary accommodation, supported housing and care leaver accommodation (GOV.UK consultation).

The phases

The Awaab’s Law regulations for social housing came into force on 27 October 2025 (legislation.gov.uk, SI 2025/1042, reg. 1(2); GOV.UK). This first phase covers all emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards (GOV.UK).

Phase 2 is expected to extend the requirements to more hazards from 30 November 2026, subject to further regulations (draft amending regulations are before Parliament) (GOV.UK; legislation.gov.uk, draft amending regulations). GOV.UK lists the Phase 2 hazards as including:

• excess cold
• excess heat
• falls on the level (including falls on the level, falls on stairs, etc, and falls between levels)
• structural collapse
• fire and explosions
• electrical hazards
• domestic hygiene (including personal hygiene and food safety)

Phase 3 is expected to extend the requirements to the remaining HHSRS hazards except overcrowding, subject to further regulations. No date has been published in the regulations or on the GOV.UK collection page. (HHSRS is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.)

The timeframes for social landlords

GOV.UK says the regulations mean that social housing landlords must (GOV.UK):

• investigate any potential emergency hazards and, if the investigation identifies an emergency hazard, undertake relevant safety work as soon as reasonably practicable. The investigation and the relevant safety work must both be completed within 24 hours of becoming aware of the hazard
• investigate any potential significant hazards within 10 working days of becoming aware of them
• produce a written summary of investigation findings and provide this to the tenant within 3 working days of the conclusion of the investigation
• undertake relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant hazard
• begin, or take steps to begin, any work required to prevent a significant or emergency hazard recurring (“supplementary preventative work”) within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant or emergency hazard. If supplementary preventative works cannot begin within 5 working days it must begin as soon as reasonably practicable, and within 12 weeks
• satisfactorily complete supplementary preventative works within a reasonable time period
• secure the provision of suitable alternative accommodation for the household, at the social landlord’s expense, if relevant safety work cannot be completed within the timeframes set out above
• keep the tenant updated throughout the process and provide information on how to keep safe if the unsafe premises is not vacated

What this means for repair work

The timeframes run from when the landlord becomes aware of a hazard, or from when the investigation concludes. The regulations set separate timeframes for the safety work and for the supplementary preventative work that stops a hazard recurring.

If you are a landlord or housing provider and need a contractor for damp and mould repairs, tell us the address, what has been found, and your deadline when you request a quote. We will tell you plainly whether we can meet it.

The guidance for social landlords, including the updated guidance for Phase 2, is on the GOV.UK collection page. Always check the current version there.

Topics: Damp and mould, Landlords, Social housing, Regulations

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