Awaab's Law explained: timescales, duties and how to comply

What is Awaab's Law?

Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in a social-rented home in Rochdale. It was introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and works by writing new duties into the tenancy agreement of social landlords, so that a failure to act on serious hazards within set times becomes a breach a tenant can enforce.

In plain terms: when a hazard like damp or mould is reported, the clock starts. The landlord has a fixed number of days to investigate, to tell the tenant what they found, and to put things right — and emergencies have to be dealt with far faster. The law is backed by statutory guidance, and the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing both expect to see it reflected in how you work.

The repair timescales

The headline duties set clear deadlines once a potential hazard is reported. The timescales below reflect the first phase as introduced for the social rented sector:

The practical trap is not the repair itself — it's proving you hit each deadline. Every stage has to be dated, recorded and communicated, which is almost impossible to evidence from a spreadsheet months later at a complaint or inspection.

The phased rollout

Awaab's Law is being switched on in stages rather than all at once. The first phase focuses on damp and mould and on emergency hazards. Later phases are set to widen the duties to a broader range of hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) — things like excess cold, falls, fire and structural hazards — over the following period.

The sensible way to prepare is to build your process around the hardest phase now: treat any reported hazard as something that starts a clock, log it, and keep the evidence. A provider that can already do that for damp and mould is ready for each phase as it lands.

Extension to the private rented sector

Awaab's Law started in the social rented sector, but it is being extended to the private rented sector (PRS) through the Renters' Rights Act. That has been one of the most-searched angles on the topic, alongside questions about the cost to landlords of extending it and how it will apply in Scotland, which runs its own housing legislation.

If you let homes in the private sector as well as supported or social housing, assume the same hazard-response discipline will apply to you in time, and get the process in place early rather than retrofitting it under pressure.

The evidence trail you must keep

Compliance is really an evidence problem. For each reported hazard you should be able to show, on demand:

• When the hazard was reported, by whom, and how.
• When you investigated, what you found, and the written summary you sent the tenant.
• When repair work started and finished, with before-and-after records.
• Every communication with the tenant along the way.
• Any alternative accommodation offered where a home couldn't safely be occupied.

That is exactly the record the Housing Ombudsman looks for when a complaint lands, and exactly what a spreadsheet can't produce reliably.

A readiness checklist

1. Make sure every hazard report is captured in one place, with a date and a named owner.
2. Start a timer the moment a report comes in, with the investigate / summary / repair / emergency deadlines calculated automatically.
3. Record the written summary to the tenant and keep a copy against the case.
4. Keep photos and notes at investigation and on completion.
5. Log every message to the tenant so the communication trail is complete.
6. Review overdue and approaching deadlines weekly so nothing slips.

Common questions

This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations change and are introduced in phases — verify the current requirements on GOV.UK and seek professional advice before acting.