On 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law came into force across England, introducing legally binding timescales for social landlords to investigate and fix hazards caused by damp, mould and emergencies in tenants’ homes.
The legislation- formally the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, made under section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023—is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died from prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale home in 2020. It aims to ensure that no family endures similar neglect again.
The new regime applies initially to social housing landlords – local authorities and housing associations – and imposes strict deadlines for responding to reports of damp, mould and other serious hazards.
Landlords must now:
• Investigate emergency hazards within 24 hours of becoming aware of them;
• Make the property safe within 24 hours, or provide suitable alternative accommodation;
• Investigate significant damp and mould hazards within 10 working days;
• Provide written findings within 3 working days of completing that investigation;
• Carry out urgent “make-safe” works within 5 working days; and
• Complete full remedial works within 12 weeks, or within a reasonable shorter period.
Although the regulations appear uncompromising, the government guidance includes important qualifications:
• The timescales are draft non-statutory guidance rather than absolute deadlines in every case. There is scope for landlords to justify delay where works are complex or access is refused.
• The duty is framed around acting “within a reasonable time” if compliance is impossible for reasons beyond the landlord’s control.
• The regime is being phased in between 2025 and 2027.
• Compliance will be judged contextually, not on strict liability.
Sector bodies such as the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing have already warned that Awaab’s Law could prove financially challenging. The 24-hour and 10-day deadlines demand round-the-clock inspection capacity, specialist staff, responsive contractors and detailed record-keeping systems.
The regulations imply a contractual term into every social tenancy requiring the landlord to meet these standards. Failure to comply may lead to claims for breach of statutory duty, complaints to the Housing Ombudsman, or enforcement by the Regulator of Social Housing.
For lawyers acting in housing disrepair or personal injury claims involving damp and mould, Awaab’s Law represents a significant shift:
1. Stronger Evidential Standard
2. Simpler Proof of Causation
3. Enhanced Quantum Arguments
4. Limits and Defences: landlords can still rely on reasonableness, access issues, and resource constraints, though courts may take a robust view of delay.
The law currently applies only to social landlords and to hazards reported on or after 27 October 2025. Private rented properties remain outside scope for now, pending future legislation.
Awaab’s Law raises the bar for landlord accountability but not absolutely. For claimants, it provides a strong evidential tool; for defendants, it demands proactive inspection regimes and detailed justification of delay.
Landlords must now act within days, not months, and be able to justify every step along the way.