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Awaab's Law in force from October 2025

Housing association repairs, Awaab's Law and your right to claim

Direct answer

Reported damp, mould, a leak, or a heating, electrical or structural problem? If your housing association has not fixed it within the Awaab's Law legal deadlines, you can claim compensation. The first call is free: 0800 030 4669.

What is a housing association repair?

Two laws set the list. Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 covers the structure and outside of your home. It also covers water, gas, electrics, toilets and heating. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 goes wider. Your home must be fit to live in. That includes damp, mould and proper ventilation.

Awaab's Law deadlines explained

  • 24 hours to investigate and make safe a genuine emergency. No heat in winter, dangerous electrics, major leaks, total loss of water.
  • 10 working days to investigate a significant hazard. Damp affecting sleeping or living rooms, intermittent heating, persistent leaks.
  • 5 working days from the end of that investigation to complete the relevant safety work.

These are legal deadlines, not internal targets. If your landlord misses one, that is itself evidence in a disrepair claim.

How to escalate

Follow the formal complaints process:

  1. Stage 1: a formal complaint to your housing association. They must acknowledge it in 5 working days. They must respond in 10 working days.
  2. Stage 2: not satisfied? Escalate in writing. They have 20 working days to give a final response.
  3. Still not fixed? You have a final stage-2 response, or eight weeks have passed with no proper reply. You may have a claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Find your housing association

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Top housing associations we work with

Places for People
245,000 homes
Clarion Housing
125,000 homes
Bromford Flagship LiveWest
120,000 homes
Peabody
108,823 homes
L&Q
105,000 homes
Sanctuary Housing
90,000 homes
SNG (Sovereign Network Group)
77,929 homes
Riverside Group
75,000 homes
Southern Housing
68,918 homes
Notting Hill Genesis
67,000 homes
The Guinness Partnership
64,506 homes
Home Group
55,000 homes
Anchor Hanover
54,000 homes
Hyde Group
50,000 homes
MTVH (Metropolitan Thames Valley)
45,309 homes
Abri Group
45,269 homes
Orbit
45,000 homes
A2Dominion
38,000 homes
Stonewater
37,000 homes
Together Housing
36,800 homes
Aster Group
35,803 homes
Thirteen Group
35,000 homes
Karbon Homes
31,413 homes
Midland Heart
30,518 homes
Onward Homes
30,261 homes
Pobl Group (now Codi)
25,000 homes
Longhurst Group
23,000 homes
Newport City Homes (now Hedyn)
16,000 homes
Wales & West Housing
12,000 homes
Trivallis
10,500 homes

FAQs, housing association repairs

What counts as a housing association repair?
The list comes from Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It covers the structure and outside of your home. It also covers water, gas, electrics, toilets and heating. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 adds a wider duty. Your home must be fit to live in. That includes damp, mould and ventilation.
How long does my housing association have to fix a repair?
Awaab's Law has been in force since October 2025. An emergency hazard must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours. A significant hazard must be investigated within 10 working days. You must get a written summary of the findings within 3 working days of the investigation. The relevant safety work must be completed within 5 working days of the investigation ending. These are legal deadlines, not internal targets.
Does Awaab's Law apply to housing associations?
Yes. It covers every social landlord registered with the Regulator of Social Housing in England. That includes the 25 largest housing associations, all the for-profit providers, and every shared-ownership landlord we work with.
Where do I complain about my housing association?
Stage 1 is a formal complaint to the housing association. They have 10 working days to respond. Not satisfied? Go to stage 2. They have 20 working days. Still not fixed after stage 2, or eight weeks with no proper response? You may have a claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.
How much compensation can I claim from a housing association?
We cannot promise a figure. How much you get depends on how long the problem lasted, how serious it was, the evidence and how it affected you. 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.
What if my housing association keeps inspecting but never repairing?
An inspection does not satisfy Awaab's Law. The deadline keeps running. Keep a record of every inspection date, the surveyor's name, and what they said. That pattern makes any future claim much stronger.

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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.

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