Awaab's Law: Your Repair Rights
Awaab's Law puts your social landlord on a legal clock for damp, mould, broken heating, and other hazards. If they have missed the deadline and you reported it 3 or more months ago, you may have a housing disrepair claim.
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Who is your landlord?
Statutory deadlines, in force 27 October 2025
Your landlord is now on the clock
Under Section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) Regulations 2025, every social landlord in England must meet these deadlines. They are not targets; they are legal obligations.
- Within 24 hours
Make any emergency hazard safe, including loss of heating in winter and dangerous electrics.
- Within 10 working days
Investigate a significant hazard such as damp, mould, leaks, or structural problems.
- Within 3 working days
Send you a written summary of what they found. This runs in parallel with the 5-day repair window below.
- Within 5 working days
Complete the safety works, counted from when the investigation ends. Longer preventative work may follow at a reasonable pace.
Applies to all social landlords in England (councils, ALMOs, and housing associations). Does not yet apply to private landlords in England. Does not apply in Wales (separate protections under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016).
Is your landlord overdue?
Enter when you reported the problem. We will show the Awaab's Law deadline and whether your landlord has missed it.
This is a guide, not legal advice. Awaab's Law applies to council and housing association homes, and the deadlines start from when you reported the problem. Working days do not count weekends, and there can be reasons a landlord is given more time. If a deadline has passed, call us free on 0800 030 4669 and we will check your case.
Awaab's Law deadlines at a glance
| Hazard | Deadline | What the landlord must do |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency hazard | Within 24 hours | Investigate and make the home safe. Offer alternative accommodation if it cannot be made safe in time. |
| Significant hazard: investigate | Within 10 working days | Carry out an investigation of the hazard, for example damp and mould. |
| Significant hazard: written summary | Within 3 working days of the investigation ending | Send you a written summary of what they found. This runs alongside the safety-works window below. |
| Significant hazard: safety works | Within 5 working days of the investigation ending | Complete the work needed to make the home safe. Offer alternative accommodation if it cannot be made safe in time. |
A missed deadline is a breach of your tenancy you can enforce. You can raise a formal complaint, escalate to the Housing Ombudsman after your landlord's own process, or, if the problem has lasted 3 or more months, pursue a housing disrepair claim. Phase 1 (from 27 October 2025) covers damp, mould and emergency hazards; more hazards come into scope in 2026 and 2027.
Where did Awaab's Law come from?
Awaab Ishak was a two-year-old boy who died in December 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family's Rochdale social housing flat. The 2022 inquest found that the mould directly caused his death, and that Rochdale Boroughwide Housing had repeatedly ignored his family's complaints.
Following the inquest and a statutory failings investigation, the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 inserted Section 10A into the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) Regulations 2025 gave that section its detail, coming into force on 27 October 2025.
Together, these are commonly called Awaab's Law. The deadlines apply to every social landlord in England, not just the one that let Awaab's family down. If your landlord ignores a hazard, you now have a legal clock to cite.
Awaab's Law and your other repair rights
Awaab's Law sits on top of two older laws, and most disrepair cases use more than one. Here is what each one does, in plain English.
The main repair duty
Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
- What it covers
- The structure and outside of your home, plus the water, gas, electricity, heating and hot water.
- Who it covers
- Almost every renter in England and Wales: council, housing association or private.
- Timeframe
- Repairs within a reasonable time after you report them.
- What you can do
- Ask your landlord to fix it. If they do not, you can claim for the repair and compensation.
Your home must be fit to live in
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
- What it covers
- The whole home being fit to live in, free from serious hazards like damp, mould, cold and unsafe wiring.
- Who it covers
- Renters in England, for tenancies from 20 March 2019.
- Timeframe
- Your home must stay fit to live in the whole time you rent it.
- What you can do
- Take your landlord to court yourself for an order to fix it, plus compensation. You do not need the council first.
Fixed deadlines for set hazards
Awaab's Law (Section 10A, LTA 1985)
- What it covers
- Set hazards with fixed deadlines. From 27 October 2025 that means damp and mould, plus emergencies.
- Who it covers
- Social housing tenants in England: council and housing association.
- Timeframe
- Emergency: made safe in 24 hours. Serious hazard: looked at within 10 working days, then fixed within 5 more.
- What you can do
- Hold your landlord to the deadlines. A missed deadline is a breach you can act on.
Based on Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and Section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (Awaab's Law).
Does Awaab's Law cover damp and mould?
Yes, damp and mould were the primary concern that drove the legislation. Damp and mould that affect the health of occupants are treated as significant hazards requiring:
- Investigation within 10 working days of you reporting them
- A written summary within 3 working days of the investigation ending
- Relevant safety work completed within 5 working days of the investigation ending
If you have reported damp or mould, have evidence of that report, and your landlord has not followed the Awaab's Law process, that is a breach you can act on. If the problem has been present for 3 or more months, it also supports a housing disrepair claim for compensation and a court order requiring repairs.
What can you do if your landlord misses the deadline?
- 1Cite the deadline in writing
Write to your landlord (email is fine) naming the specific Awaab's Law deadline they have missed and asking them to confirm when they will complete the works. Keep the email.
- 2Raise a formal complaint
Use your landlord's formal complaints process and keep evidence of every stage. If it is not resolved, We check whether you may have a claim. If you do, we refer you to an SRA-regulated panel solicitor who gives legal advice and runs the case.
- 3Consider a disrepair claim
If the problem has lasted 3 or more months and is still not fixed, ask for a claim check. The panel solicitor can advise which remedies may be available. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
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FAQs: Awaab's Law
What is Awaab's Law?+
Awaab's Law is the common name for Section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, as given teeth by the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) Regulations 2025. It sets statutory deadlines that social landlords in England must meet when a tenant reports a hazard such as damp, mould, a broken boiler, or a structural defect. It came into force on 27 October 2025.
What are the deadlines under Awaab's Law?+
24 hours to make an emergency hazard safe; 10 working days to investigate a significant hazard; 3 working days to send a written summary of findings; 5 working days from the end of the investigation to complete the safety works. These are statutory deadlines, not targets.
Does Awaab's Law apply to my landlord?+
Awaab's Law applies to all social landlords in England: local authorities, council housing, ALMOs (Arms-Length Management Organisations), and housing associations registered with the Regulator of Social Housing. It does not yet apply to private landlords, and the government has not announced the private-sector start date. It does not apply in Wales.
What can I do if my landlord misses an Awaab's Law deadline?+
A missed deadline is a breach of tenancy you can enforce. You can raise it in a formal complaint, refer the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman after exhausting your landlord's process, or, if the issue has lasted 3 or more months, pursue a housing disrepair claim through a solicitor. The claim can secure the repairs AND compensation for the time you lived with the problem.
Do I have to wait 3 months before I can claim?+
Under Awaab's Law the deadlines start from when you reported the hazard, not a fixed 3-month window. If a 5-working-day emergency repair has not been done, you do not wait months. For longer-running issues such as damp, mould and heating failures, the 3-month marker is the practical point where a disrepair claim becomes straightforward to pursue. Call us and we will tell you honestly where you stand.
Does Awaab's Law cover damp and mould?+
Yes. Damp and mould were the primary focus of Awaab's Law: Awaab Ishak died in 2020 from prolonged exposure to mould in a Rochdale social housing flat, and his death drove the legislation. Damp and mould that affect health are treated as significant hazards requiring investigation within 10 working days.
By: Support for Tenants editorial team
Last updated:
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 15 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.