Damp & home condition

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2. Awaab’s Law

What is Awaab's Law?

Awaab's Law, named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died from prolonged exposure to mould, sets strict new legal time limits for social housing providers to address dangerous health hazards. It is designed to ensure that all social housing tenants live in safe, decent, and healthy homes.

When does the law take effect?

Awaab's Law is being introduced in phases, with the first phase active from 27 October 2025.

Phase 1 (from October 2025): Focuses on dangerous damp and mould hazards, along with all emergency hazards.
Phase 2 (2026): Expands to include a wider range of health hazards.
Phase 3 (2027): Covers all remaining hazards identified by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

Awaab’s Law: Guidance for tenants in social housing - GOV.UK

What the law means for you

As a tenant, you have new legal protections and stronger rights under Awaab's Law. If your home has a potential hazard, we must now follow specific, legally-enforced timescales.

Assessing vulnerability and prioritising repairs

As a social landlord, we assess whether anyone living in the home may be more vulnerable to harm from housing conditions, such as children, older people, disabled residents, or anyone with a health condition that could be affected by issues like damp, mould, excess cold, or poor ventilation. When a vulnerability is identified, we take this into account when assessing the level of risk and deciding how quickly action is needed.

In line with Awaab’s Law, hazards that pose a risk to health are investigated promptly, and where vulnerable residents are affected, repairs and remedial works may be prioritised or accelerated to reduce the risk of harm. Our focus is always on addressing the cause of the problem and ensuring the home is safe and suitable for everyone living there.

How to report a potential hazard

Report the issue: Contact us as soon as you notice a potential hazard in your home and we will book an appointment for the Works Surveyor to come out and visit you.
Provide details: Give as much information as possible, including the location and a description of the issue. You can also submit photos to help our team assess the situation.
Expect an investigation: Once we are aware of a potential hazard, we have 10 working days to investigate. For emergencies that pose an imminent and serious risk, we will respond within 24 hours to make safe.
Receive a report: Within 3 working days of the investigation, you will receive a written summary of our findings. This will confirm if a hazard was found and outline the necessary next steps.

What is a ‘hazard’ and what should happen?	Emergency Hazard	Significant Damp and Mould Hazard
What is it?	An emergency hazard is something in your home that needs to be fixed right away because it is causing or could cause serious harm to your health or safety - or the health or safety of anyone living with you.	A significant hazard is something in your home that could or is already causing serious harm to your health or safety - or the health or safety of anyone living with you. Right now, Awaab’s Law focuses on significant hazards caused by damp or mould
Detailed description	Under Awaab’s Law, a hazard is considered an ‘emergency’ if: - it could be an immediate risk to your health and safety or the health and safety of anyone who lives with you - this means we as a responsible landlord would see it as urgent and take action to fix it within 24 hours based on what they know or what you tell them about your situation.	Under Awaab’s Law, a hazard due to damp or mould is considered a ‘significant’ hazard if: - it could be a risk to your health or safety - this means we as a responsible landlord would see it as urgent and take action to fix it quickly (though not within 24 hours) based on what they know and what you tell them about your situation.
Investigations	We must investigate within 24 hours	We must investigate within 10 working days
Making your home safe	We must make your home safe within 24 hours of the landlord finding out about the hazard.	We must make your home safe within 5 working days of the investigation concluding.
Further works	When the investigation has finished, we must begin or make plans for the work to begin within 5 working days. All work must start within 12 weeks at the latest.	When the investigation has finished, we must begin or make plans for the work to begin within 5 working days. All work must start within 12 weeks at the latest.
Written summary	Where further work is required a written summary must be provided within 3 working days of the investigation concluding.	Within 3 working days after the investigation concludes.
Examples of hazards	- gas or carbon monoxide leaks - broken boilers - no water supply at all - dangerous electrical problems (like exposed wires) - major leaks - broken external doors or windows that make your home unsafe - very serious damp or mould - major structural problems	- any damp and mould can be a risk to you and the physical health of any one who lives with you. It affects the airways and lungs, but also your eyes and skin - damp and mould can also affect your mental health, for example worrying about the health impacts or unpleasant living conditions - everyone can be at risk to the health impacts of damp and mould, but you might be at greater risk if you have a certain health condition - further guidance on the risks of damp and mould is available

However we find out about a hazard, the countdown for investigations starts as soon as they we aware of it.

What is an investigation?

An investigation is when we as your landlord look into the issue you have reported to understand the problem and find out what repairs are needed to fix the hazard and stop it from returning. Investigations can be done in person by visiting your home to look at the problem or remotely by using photos or videos.

Under Awaab’s Law, there are 4 types of investigation.

Type of Investigation	Description
Emergency Investigations	If there might be an emergency, we must start an emergency investigation within 24 hours. The investigation should confirm if there’s an emergency hazard and what urgent repairs are needed to make your home safe.
Standard Investigations	If there might be a significant hazard, we must start a standard investigation within 10 working days. This should confirm it’s a hazard, and to identify any repairs needed. If the investigation finds the hazard is an emergency, the faster emergency timeframes will start to apply.
Renewed Investigations	If we investigates a hazard remotely and you don’t feel that was enough, you can ask for an in-person inspection. We must carry out a new investigation in person within 10 working days of your request – so we recommend asking for this early in the process.
Further Investigations	Sometimes, we might not know right away what’s causing a serious issue like damp or mould. If we find that more work is needed to fix a hazard properly, we must carry out further checks. For example, we might need to arrange a structural survey. While we investigate, we still have to take steps to keep you safe, like treating visible mould or providing a dehumidifier.

Who will investigate?

In some cases, one of our officers may be able to investigate, but in other situations we might need to bring in a specialist to do a more in-depth investigation.

What happens after the investigation

Repairs begin: If a hazard presents a significant risk, we will begin repair work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding.
Temporary measures: If immediate permanent repairs are not possible, we will take temporary measures to make your home safe.
Alternative accommodation: If your home cannot be made safe within the set timescales, we will offer and pay for suitable alternative accommodation until the repairs are completed.

Your responsibilities

While the council is responsible for rectifying hazards, your cooperation is essential:

Allow access: Please provide access to your home for inspections and repair work.
Cooperate with guidance: Follow any advice given by our teams to help prevent or mitigate issues, such as properly using ventilation systems.

If you are unhappy with our response

If we fail to meet the legally required timescales, your options for escalating a complaint include:

First, follow our complaints procedure.
If the issue is not resolved, you can escalate your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman for an independent review.
For breaches of contract resulting from a failure to comply with Awaab's Law, you can take legal action against us.

Our commitment to you

We are committed to putting tenants at the heart of our service. Awaab's Law is an important step in building trust and ensuring that your home is safe.