HomeYour rightsRegulationsHazards in Social Housing Regulations 2025
Statutory instrument
Hazards in Social Housing Regulations 2025
Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) Regulations 2025 · In force from 27 October 2025
The technical regulations that gave Awaab's Law its teeth: deadlines on social landlords to investigate, report on and remedy hazards in tenants' homes.
Background
Awaab Ishak died in 2020 from prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale family flat. The 2022 inquest, and the subsequent statutory failings investigation, exposed how slowly social landlords often responded to serious hazards.
The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 inserted Section 10A into the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, giving social tenants statutory deadlines. The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) Regulations 2025 set out the detail, coming into force on 27 October 2025. Together they are commonly called Awaab's Law.
What it requires
- Emergency hazards (significant and immediate risk): make safe within 24 hours
- Significant hazards: investigate within 10 working days
- Send written summary of findings within 3 working days of finishing the investigation
- Complete the safety works within 5 working days of issuing findings
- Provide suitable alternative accommodation if a home cannot be made safe in 24 hours
What it means for tenants
If your social landlord misses an Awaab's Law deadline, that is a breach of tenancy you can enforce. The breach itself supports a disrepair claim. Even without a claim, a credible Awaab's Law citation in your complaint usually accelerates action.
Enforcement and penalties
Tenants can enforce through the County Court (disrepair claim) or via the Housing Ombudsman after exhausting the landlord's complaints process. The Regulator of Social Housing can also investigate systemic non-compliance.
Official source
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awaabs-law-guidance-for-social-landlords
Related Help Centre guides
Complete guide to Awaab's Law
Everything tenants need to know about Awaab's Law: the deadlines, who it covers, what counts as an emergency, how to use it, and what to do if your landlord misses the clock.
What is Awaab's Law? (plain English)
Awaab's Law sets strict legal deadlines for social landlords to fix damp, mould, and emergency hazards. Here's what it means for tenants.
How quickly must my landlord fix an emergency repair?
Emergency repairs (gas leaks, no heating in winter, exposed wiring) must usually be made safe within 24 hours. Here's the law for England and Wales.
Has your landlord breached this?
Call us free or start a claim online. We tell you honestly whether you have a case worth pursuing.
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 and not guaranteed; every case is different.