Compliance guide for housing providers, landlords and agents

Awaab's Law: the deadlines, the duties and the evidence

Social landlords now work to fixed legal timescales on damp and mould. Private landlords and letting agents are next. This guide sets out what the law asks for, in plain terms, and where a survey and a written record fit in.

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In force for social housing since 27 October 2025
Private renting: power to extend, no start date yet
Dated surveys and reports for every stage

Who Awaab Ishak was

Awaab Ishak was a young child when he died in December 2020 in Rochdale, after prolonged exposure to mould in his family's social housing flat. His death made clear how serious damp and mould can be, and how much depends on what a landlord does once a problem is reported. The law that now carries his name exists so that reports of damp and mould in social housing are investigated and acted on within set times, rather than left to drift.

What the law requires

The legal name is the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. They came into force on 27 October 2025 and are written into social housing tenancies as a term of the lease. That means a tenant can enforce them as part of the tenancy itself.

The first phase covers two things: emergency hazards of any kind, and damp and mould that presents a significant risk of harm. For each, the landlord must investigate within a set time, tell the tenant what was found, and carry out the work needed to make the home safe.

The timescales

Stage	Deadline	What it means
Emergency hazard	24 hours	Investigate and make the home safe.
Significant hazard, such as serious damp and mould	10 working days	Investigate, counting from the day after the landlord becomes aware.
Written summary	3 working days	Sent to the tenant after the investigation concludes.
Safety work	5 working days	Relevant safety work completed after the investigation.
Further preventative work	Start within 5 working days, or arrange a start within 12 weeks	Work to stop the hazard returning, completed within a reasonable period.
Safety work not possible in time	When the deadline is missed	Offer suitable alternative accommodation at no cost to the tenant.

What the key terms mean in practice

Investigate

An investigation must establish whether there is a significant or emergency hazard and identify the work needed to make the home safe and stop the problem coming back. Guidance says it must be carried out by someone the landlord reasonably considers competent. A tenant can also ask for a physical inspection. For damp and mould, that realistically means someone in the property with a moisture meter and a camera, not a desk review of photographs sent by email.

Written summary

The tenant must receive a document stating whether a hazard was found. If further action is needed, it must give a target timescale for starting and finishing it. If no action is needed, it must explain why. It must also tell the tenant how to contact the landlord. The landlord then has to keep the tenant informed about progress and confirm when the work is finished.

Safety work

Safety work is what removes the immediate risk. With mould, that typically means removing the growth and affected material, treating the surfaces and controlling the moisture that caused it. Longer-term fixes, such as upgrading ventilation or insulation, can follow as preventative work on the longer timescale above.

The phases

2025, phase 1: in force since 27 October 2025 for emergency hazards and significant damp and mould.
2026, phase 2: government guidance confirms that from 30 November 2026 the duties extend to excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene, where they present a significant risk of harm.
Phase 3, date to be confirmed (expected 2027): the remaining hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, apart from overcrowding.

Excess cold matters for mould work too. Cold walls and poor heating are among the most common reasons condensation settles and growth returns, so a phase 2 complaint about a cold home and a phase 1 complaint about mould will often be the same problem.

Private renting

Private landlords and agents: not yet, but not exempt

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 gives the government power to apply Awaab's Law requirements to the private rented sector. No start date has been set, and guidance points to 2027 at the earliest. That is not a reason to wait.

Duties that apply today

Damp and mould growth is one of the 29 hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System under the Housing Act 2004. A council can inspect and serve an improvement notice. Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, a tenant can take a landlord to court over a home that is unfit to live in.

What to put in place now

A way to log reports with a date, a supplier who can attend quickly and diagnose the cause, and a single file for each property. Agents who build this habit now will simply keep working the same way when the timescales arrive.

Evidence

What to keep on file for every report

If a complaint reaches an ombudsman, a council officer or a court, the questions are about timing and substance. These records answer both.

Date and time the report arrived
Every attempt to arrange access
Survey findings and moisture readings
Photographs, dated, before and after
The written summary sent to the tenant
Updates sent while work was pending
Record of works and completion date
Recommendations and follow-up actions

A common gap

Many files show that work was done but not when the landlord first knew. Without that start date, it is hard to prove a deadline was met. Record it the moment a report lands, whoever receives it.

Building a process for a portfolio or housing stock? Talk to us about planned visits and priority booking.

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Where we fit

How Wblam supports each step

We do not take on your legal duty. We supply the site work and the paperwork that let you meet it.

Your step	What we provide
Report received	Booking on the phone or online, often same day or next day. We can contact the tenant directly and keep you copied in.
Investigation	A physical inspection with moisture readings, thermal imaging where useful, ventilation checks, photographs and a stated likely cause.
Written summary	Findings and a fixed written quote you can draw on to tell the tenant what was found and when work will happen.
Safety work	Our eight-stage treatment: containment, HEPA vacuuming, drying, removal, non-bleach antimicrobial treatment and a three-coat finish.
Preventative work	Recommendations for the owner and the occupant, so the right trades can fix ventilation, leaks or insulation.
Closing the case	A dated report with before and after photographs, readings, a record of works and guarantee terms.

This page is general information based on the published regulations and government guidance. It is not legal advice. For a specific case, take advice from a solicitor or your professional body.

Awaab's Law questions

Questions about the new timescales

Does Awaab's Law apply to my buy-to-let flat?

Not yet. The regulations currently apply to social housing in England. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 allows the government to apply similar requirements to private renting, but no start date has been set and guidance points to 2027 at the earliest. Your existing duties under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 apply today.

When does the 10 working day clock start?

The regulations count from the day after the landlord becomes aware of the issue. In practice, that usually means the day a report reaches anyone acting for you, such as a call centre, a repairs inbox or a managing agent. Logging the date and time a report arrives is one of the simplest ways to protect yourself.

Can Wblam carry out the investigation for us?

We can carry out the physical inspection, take moisture readings and photographs, identify the likely cause and set out the work needed in writing. The landlord remains responsible for its decisions and for the written summary to the tenant, but our findings give you the evidence to write it accurately and on time.

What if the tenant will not give access?

Keep a record of every attempt: dates, times, how you made contact and what was said. Official guidance recommends clear records of access attempts so they can be used as evidence. When we arrange access on your behalf, we log each contact and copy you in.

Is this page legal advice?

No. It is a general summary based on the published regulations and government guidance. For decisions about a specific case, tenancy or dispute, speak to a solicitor or your professional body. We can supply the survey and the record of works that your adviser will want to see.

Tell us about the property

Give us the postcode and the best way to reach you. We will call back to agree a time and confirm who needs to be on site.