What happens if a landlord doesn't comply with Awaab's Law?

The requirements are implied into tenancy agreements, so failure to meet them is a breach that tenants can enforce, including through the courts and the Housing Ombudsman. Landlords are expected to evidence their attempts to comply, including reasons for any delay beyond their control.

Compliance resource

Awaab's Law: What Housing Providers Need to Know

The legal timescales for damp, mould and emergency hazards, what Phase 2 adds from 30 November 2026, and what compliance demands of your teams on the ground. A plain-English guide from the Federation of Damp.

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Phase 1 in force since 27 October 2025 Phase 2 due 30 November 2026 Applies to social landlords in England

Last reviewed: 18 September 2026. This guide summarises the regulations and government guidance; always check the latest GOV.UK guidance for your obligations.

What is Awaab's Law?

Awaab's Law is the common name for the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. It requires social landlords in England to investigate and fix serious hazards in their homes within fixed, legally enforceable timescales.

The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two year old boy who died in December 2020 following prolonged exposure to mould in his family's social housing flat in Rochdale, after the problem had been repeatedly reported. The legislation exists to make sure damp and mould are treated as urgent health hazards rather than routine maintenance, and that no report is left to drift.

For housing providers, the practical shift is simple to state and demanding to deliver: once you become aware of a potential hazard, statutory clocks start running, and your investigation, communication and repair work all have deadlines that can be enforced.

The timescales in force now

Since 27 October 2025, social landlords must meet these deadlines for emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards:

Requirement	Deadline
Emergency hazards (imminent, serious risk of harm)	24 hours Investigate and make safe as soon as reasonably practicable, both within 24 hours of awareness.
Significant damp and mould hazards	10 working days Investigate from the point the landlord becomes aware of the potential hazard.
Written summary of findings to the tenant	3 working days From the investigation concluding, setting out what was found and what happens next.
Safety works where a significant hazard is found	5 working days From the investigation concluding, to make the home safe.
Supplementary preventative works	5 working days to begin steps Begin or take steps to begin within five working days of the investigation concluding. If work cannot start within that period, start as soon as reasonably practicable and within 12 weeks; complete within a reasonable period. This does not extend the safety-work deadline.
If the home cannot be made safe in time	Alternative accommodation Suitable accommodation secured at the landlord's expense until it is safe to return.

Landlords must also keep clear records of their attempts to comply, including correspondence with residents and contractors. Government guidance is explicit that landlords should not assume a hazard is caused by the tenant, particularly damp and mould often wrongly blamed on so-called lifestyle factors, and that occupant vulnerability (for example young children or pregnancy) can raise the severity of a hazard, potentially making it an emergency.

The phased rollout: 2025 to 2027

Awaab's Law is being introduced in three phases, each widening the range of hazards covered by the same statutory framework.

In force · from 27 Oct 2025

Phase 1: Damp, mould & emergencies

All emergency hazards, plus damp and mould hazards presenting a significant risk of harm, subject to the fixed timescales above.

Due · 30 November 2026

Phase 2: Wider hazards

Extends the same framework to further HHSRS hazards, including excess cold and excess heat, falls, structural collapse and explosions, fire and electrical hazards, and hygiene and food safety hazards.

Planned · 2027

Phase 3: All remaining hazards

Extends to all remaining HHSRS hazards where there is a significant risk of harm, with the exception of overcrowding.

Private rented sector: the Renters' Rights Act creates the legal framework to extend Awaab's Law to private landlords. The implementation date has not yet been confirmed, but private landlords and agents should expect equivalent obligations to follow.

What compliance actually demands on the ground

The timescales are the easy part to read and the hard part to deliver. In practice, meeting Awaab's Law consistently comes down to capability inside your teams:

Accurate diagnosis under time pressure. A 10 working day investigation window leaves no room for guesswork. Surveyors must reliably distinguish condensation, penetrating damp, rising damp and plumbing defects on the first visit.
Statutory-quality documentation. The written summary to the tenant is now a legal requirement, not a courtesy. Findings, evidence and next steps must be clear, consistent and defensible.
A complete evidence trail. Records of correspondence, decisions, contractor instructions and any reasons for delay are what protect you when a case is scrutinised.

No lifestyle-blame defaults. Guidance explicitly warns against assuming tenants cause damp and mould. Diagnosis must be evidence-led, not assumption-led.
Vulnerability awareness. Teams must recognise when occupant vulnerability elevates a hazard's severity, and act on the faster clock that follows.
Consistency across every surveyor. Different conclusions on similar cases create escalation risk. A shared methodology is what keeps the whole organisation compliant, not just its best surveyor.

How the Federation of Damp helps providers comply

We work with councils, housing associations and property organisations to build exactly this capability, practical, evidence-led and shaped around your housing stock.

Damp & mould training programmes

Tailored diagnostic training for housing surveyors and maintenance teams: accurate first-visit diagnosis, moisture mapping, structured inspection and defensible reporting.

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Advisory & compliance partnership

Ongoing specialist support for providers who need expertise on tap: complex case input, process review and compliance-focused guidance as the phases roll out.

See partnership options →

Case studies

How Manchester City Council, Thanet District Council, the London Borough of Hillingdon and Lindum Group built diagnostic capability with our programmes.

Read the case studies →

Awaab's Law: frequently asked questions

When did Awaab's Law come into force?

Phase 1 came into force on 27 October 2025, covering emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards in social housing in England. Phase 2 starts on 30 November 2026. Phase 3 is planned for 2027.

What are the Awaab's Law timescales for damp and mould?

Social landlords must investigate significant damp and mould hazards within 10 working days of becoming aware of them, give the tenant a written summary of findings within 3 working days of the investigation concluding, and carry out safety works within 5 working days where a significant hazard is found. Emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours. Supplementary preventative work must begin, or steps to begin it must be taken, within five working days of the investigation concluding. Any later start must be as soon as reasonably practicable and within 12 weeks. This does not extend safety deadlines. Suitable alternative accommodation must be secured at the landlord's expense if safety deadlines cannot be met.

Who does Awaab's Law apply to?

It currently applies to social landlords in England, including councils and housing associations. The Renters' Rights Act creates the framework to extend it to the private rented sector, with the implementation date still to be confirmed.

What hazards does Phase 2 add on 30 November 2026?

Phase 2 extends the same statutory framework to a wider set of HHSRS hazards, including excess cold and excess heat, falls, structural collapse and explosions, fire and electrical hazards, and domestic and personal hygiene and food safety hazards. Phase 3, planned for 2027, would extend it to all remaining HHSRS hazards apart from overcrowding.

What happens if a landlord doesn't comply?

The requirements are implied into tenancy agreements, so a failure to meet them is a breach that tenants can enforce, including through the courts. Tenants can also escalate to the Housing Ombudsman, and providers are expected to evidence their attempts to comply, including reasons for any delay beyond their control. The reputational consequences of failure are significant in their own right.

Can damp and mould be blamed on tenant lifestyle?

Government guidance is explicit that landlords should not assume a hazard is caused by the tenant, and damp and mould are highlighted as hazards too often wrongly attributed to lifestyle factors. Diagnosis needs to be evidence-led: establishing the actual moisture source through proper investigation rather than defaulting to assumptions about ventilation habits.

Get your teams ready before Phase 2

30 November 2026 widens the net substantially. If your surveyors and maintenance teams need stronger diagnostic capability and defensible reporting, we'll design a programme around your stock and your pressures.

Request a consultation See our case studies

Or call 0808 501 4090 · info@federationofdamp.co.uk

This page is general guidance for housing professionals, not legal advice. Obligations depend on your circumstances; refer to the regulations and current GOV.UK Phase 2 guidance, and seek legal advice where needed.