Complete guide to Awaab's Law

Direct answer

Awaab's Law is the popular name for new statutory deadlines on social landlords to fix dangerous problems in tenants' homes. It came into force on 27 October 2025, named after Awaab Ishak, the 2-year-old boy who died in 2020 from prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale flat. The law sets firm clocks: 24 hours to make an emergency hazard safe, 10 working days to investigate a significant hazard, 3 working days to issue written findings, 5 working days to begin the repair works. Miss those clocks and the landlord is in breach. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Key facts

• The 2024 to 2025 English Housing Survey found about 5% of homes in England, around 1.4 million, had a problem with damp, most common in privately rented homes (10%). English Housing Survey 2024-25, GOV.UK
• Official guidance from the UK Health Security Agency and the Department of Health and Social Care links damp and mould in homes in England to around 5,000 cases of asthma and 8,500 lower respiratory infections among children and adults. Health risks of damp and mould, GOV.UK

How we got here

In December 2020, Awaab Ishak died at the age of 2 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in his family's housing-association flat in Rochdale. The inquest in 2022 ruled that the mould caused his death. The independent statutory review of the case found severe failings by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

Public outcry forced the Government to act. The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 inserted what became Section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, giving social tenants statutory deadlines on hazards. The detail came in the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) Regulations 2025, in force from 27 October 2025.

The law is informally called Awaab's Law in his memory.

Who Awaab's Law covers

Awaab's Law applies to social landlords in England:

• Local authorities (councils).
• Registered providers of social housing (housing associations registered with the Regulator of Social Housing).

It does not currently apply to private landlords, but the Renters' Rights Act 2025 is set to extend it. See Renters' Rights Act 2025 tracker.

It applies to your tenancy regardless of whether you have a secure, assured, flexible, starter or any other social tenancy.

What hazards Awaab's Law covers

The Regulations apply to all category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) plus the most severe category 2 hazards. In practice, the hazards Awaab's Law is most often used for are:

• Damp and mould.
• Excess cold.
• Excess heat.
• Fire risk.
• Electrical safety.
• Gas safety and carbon monoxide.
• Falls (broken stairs, missing rails, dangerous floors).
• Structural collapse (ceiling, walls).
• Sanitation, drainage and sewage.
• Asbestos exposure.
• Lead exposure.
• Water supply.

If you are unsure whether your problem is in scope, ring us on 0800 030 4669 and we will check.

The deadlines in plain English

Awaab's Law sets four key clocks. The clock starts when the landlord knows about the hazard, which is usually when you have reported it in writing.

Emergency hazard: 24 hours to make safe

If the hazard is an emergency (a significant and immediate risk of harm or worse), the landlord must make the home safe within 24 hours of becoming aware of it.

"Make safe" can be a temporary measure (rehousing you, isolating a circuit, blocking a leak). The full repair can take longer. The point is that you should not have to live with the immediate danger for more than a day.

If the home cannot be made safe within 24 hours, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation, and continue paying for it while the hazard remains.

Significant hazard: 10 working days to investigate

If the hazard is a significant but not immediate risk, the landlord has 10 working days from learning about it to start a proper investigation. This usually means a survey of the home.

Written findings: 3 working days after investigation

The landlord must send you a written summary of the investigation's findings within 3 working days of finishing it.

Repair works: begin within 5 working days of findings

The landlord must begin the repair works within 5 working days of the written findings, and complete them in a reasonable time. Emergency safety work must be done within 24 hours. For larger preventative works, the guidance allows a longer reasonable period, with a 12-week backstop where immediate completion is not practicable.

See how quickly must my landlord fix an emergency.

How to trigger the deadlines

The clock only starts when the landlord knows. Make sure the report is:

1. In writing. Email is best. The landlord's app or portal is fine. SMS works.
2. Clear about the hazard. Name what is wrong (damp on the bedroom wall, no hot water).
3. Clear about the impact. Say if anyone in the home is vulnerable (baby, older person, anyone with health conditions). Vulnerability shifts the assessment.
4. Dated. Date and time matter for the deadline calculation.

Keep a copy. Take photos of the hazard.

See how to report damp to your landlord and what evidence do I need.

What "knew or ought to have known" means

The landlord cannot escape the clock by ignoring obvious signs. If they have been told about a leak repeatedly and the mould is now visible, they "ought to have known" about the mould too. Courts look at the whole pattern.

A repeated complaint pattern is itself a Awaab's Law violation: the landlord ignored notice they had.

What "emergency" actually means

The Regulations leave "emergency" undefined in detail, but the practical test is whether the hazard creates a significant and immediate risk of harm to health or safety. Common examples:

• No heating in cold weather with a baby or older person at home.
• No hot water for more than a day or two.
• A live electrical fault (shocks, smoke, smell of burning).
• Smell of gas.
• Active sewage backup.
• Flooding from a burst pipe or leak.
• A collapsed or about-to-collapse ceiling.
• A boarded-up front door in a high-crime area.
• A child living with serious mould and active health symptoms.

If you are unsure, treat it as an emergency and report it as such.

What "significant" means

A hazard that is serious but not immediately dangerous. The 10-working-day investigation deadline applies. Examples:

• Established damp and mould without acute symptoms.
• Intermittent heating failures.
• Mice or cockroaches not yet at infestation level.
• Cracks needing assessment.

What happens when the landlord misses the clock

A landlord who misses an Awaab's Law deadline is in breach of the tenancy, which is enforceable through the County Court.

You have several options:

1. Make a formal complaint through the landlord's two-stage process.
2. Escalate to the Housing Ombudsman after the complaint is complete (or 8 weeks). See how to complain to the Housing Ombudsman.
3. Bring a disrepair claim in the County Court. Compensation includes a share of your rent for the breach period plus damages for damaged belongings, health impact, distress. See the complete disrepair claims guide.
4. Apply for an injunction if the landlord refuses to act and the hazard is serious. This is a court order compelling repair.
5. Report to environmental health if the local authority is the landlord, the route through is to a different team. See the council is ignoring my repairs.

In practice, a credible threat of a disrepair claim often gets faster action than any other route.

How Awaab's Law connects to other duties

Awaab's Law sits on top of existing duties:

• Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Still in force. The landlord still has the older statutory repair duties. See what is Section 11.
• Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. Still in force. The home must still be fit to live in. See what is the Fitness for Human Habitation Act.
• Defective Premises Act 1972. Still in force for foreseeable injury.
• Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 82. Still available for serious nuisance.

The strongest case usually argues several of these together.

Common landlord excuses, and what to say

"We came out and looked at it, that counts as investigating"

A walk-through is not an investigation. The Regulations expect a proper survey by someone qualified to assess the hazard. Inspecting from the door does not count.

"We are waiting for parts"

Supply chain delays can sometimes justify longer windows, but the landlord has to prove the delay was unavoidable, and they still have to keep you safe in the meantime. Vague "back-ordered" does not cut it.

"The other flats are causing your problem"

Internal blame-shifting. The landlord owns the building. They are responsible for resolving inter-flat causes too.

"You haven't kept the home ventilated"

Lifestyle blame for damp and mould is increasingly being rejected by the courts. The Regulations focus on the hazard itself, not how it got there.

"There has been a recent change in management"

The duty transfers with the property. New management does not reset the clock.

What evidence to keep

The same evidence that wins any housing-disrepair case wins an Awaab's Law claim:

• Written reports to the landlord, with dates.
• Photographs and a short video of the hazard, dated.
• Doctor's letters for any health impact.
• A diary of everything that has happened.
• Receipts for replaced belongings or for paying extra heating bills.
• The landlord's responses (or notes that there were none).

See what photos to take for a disrepair claim.

Awaab's Law in private rented homes

The Government has confirmed Awaab's Law will be extended to private rented homes under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The exact commencement date has not been set at the time of writing.

Even before extension, private tenants have parallel rights through Section 11, the Fitness for Human Habitation Act, and the council's environmental health team. See Renters' Rights Act 2025 tracker.

Awaab's Law cases so far

The 2025 commencement is recent. The first formal Awaab's Law cases are now starting to come through the courts. We track meaningful published cases on our news and advice section.

Who Awaab Ishak was

Awaab was a much-loved 2-year-old boy. His family, originally from Sudan, lived in social housing where they had been reporting mould for years. The landlord's response was inadequate.

His parents have campaigned tirelessly for the law that bears his name, so other families do not lose what they lost. Awaab's Law is their legacy.

Sources

• Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlords (GOV.UK)
• Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home (GOV.UK)

Get a free, honest assessment

If your social landlord has missed an Awaab's Law deadline, we can run a disrepair claim alongside whatever complaint route you are on. Compensation typically covers the breach period plus damaged belongings and any health impact.

Call free on 0800 030 4669.

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