Navigating Awaab's Law: A comprehensive guide for social housing landlords

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Awaab’s Law introduces important changes for social housing landlords, setting clear responsibilities for maintaining tenant health and safety. As this legislation evolves, it’s vital to stay proactive and informed to ensure your properties remain compliant and your tenants remain safe.

Understanding how the regulations impact your daily operations and taking proactive action will help ensure you’re always ahead. In this guide, we'll provide the insights you need to navigate Awaab’s Law with confidence, ensuring safe homes for your tenants.

What is Awaab's Law?

Awaab's Law (effective from 27 October 2025) introduces significant changes for social housing landlords. The legislation places a legal obligation to address reported damp, mould and emergency repairs within strict time frames, ensuring timely action is taken to protect tenants' health and wellbeing.

This law is a direct response to a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy. It's named in memory of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who sadly passed away on 21 December 2020 from a severe respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family's rented home.

“We have a moral duty to ensure tragedies like the death of Awaab Ishak never happen again. Landlords cannot be allowed to rent out dangerous homes and shamelessly put the lives of their tenants at risk. Our new laws will force them to fix problems quickly, so that people are safe in their homes and can be proud to live in social housing.”

– Angela Rayner, former Deputy Prime Minister

The law's core mandate

Formally known as Section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, Awaab's Law introduces a clear and enforceable set of responsibilities on you as a social housing landlord.

In simple terms, the law will add a new clause to every social housing tenancy agreement, making it your contractual obligation to promptly address and resolve issues like damp and mould. This creates a specific legal duty for you to investigate hazards and take action within defined timescales, holding you accountable for the safety and well-being of tenants.

Non-negotiable timelines

Awaab's Law eliminates uncertainty by setting firm, mandatory deadlines for action. Social landlords are now required to follow this structured framework:

To defend claims, you'll need to maintain clear records that demonstrate your efforts to meet these timelines.

Additionally, if safety work can't be completed within specified timeframes, you'll need to secure suitable alternative accommodation for the household at your expense. You'll also need to update the named tenant throughout the process and provide information on how they can keep themselves safe.

Consequences of non-compliance

Failure to meet the deadlines set by Awaab's Law can lead to serious consequences for you as a social housing provider.

1) Escalation

If you fail to act within a reasonable time frame, tenants have the right to report the issue to their local council or environmental health department for further investigation.

Crucially, the Retaliatory Eviction Ban protects tenants from eviction for reporting damp and mould, ensuring that they can raise concerns without fear of retaliation.

2) Inspection

The local council may conduct an inspection under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to determine whether a hazard exists. What happens next depends on the level of hazard detected.

• Category 1 Hazard: These are serious dangers that pose an immediate risk to tenants' life and health. If found, the council is required to take immediate enforcement action.
• Category 2 Hazard: These are less serious hazards but still adversely affect tenants' health and safety. If this level of hazard is found, the council can take action if it determines the issue is significant enough to warrant it.

3) Enforcement

If the problem remains unresolved, you may face the following consequences:

• Improvement notices – A legal order requiring you to fix the issue within a specified time frame.
• Fines – You could incur fines of up to £30,000 per offence for failing to comply.
• Banning orders – In severe cases, you could be banned from renting out properties.
• Emergency remedial action – In some cases, the council can carry out the repairs themselves and charge you for the cost.

Understanding and complying with the law's current requirements is only the first step. You must also prepare strategically for the evolution of this legislation in the coming years.

How will Awaab's Law evolve?

Awaab's Law isn't a static piece of legislation. It's a phased regulatory shift designed to progressively increase your responsibility for tenant health and safety. Understanding how it will evolve is crucial for you to stay ahead in ensuring compliance.

The phased expansion of Awaab's Law

The Law will be rolled out in stages, gradually expanding your responsibilities over three years. Each phase will require greater diligence and action to ensure the safety of your tenants.

• October 2025 – The first phase will focus on addressing dangerous damp, mould and other emergency hazards that require a 24-hour response.
• 2026 – The law will expand to cover a broader range of non-emergency hazards, including excess cold and heat, structural issues, fire, electrical faults and hygiene concerns.
• 2027 – The final phase will see the law apply to the full range of hazards outlined by the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS), excluding overcrowding.

Understanding the 29 HHSRS Hazards

To comply with Awaab’s Law, you'll ultimately need to meet the requirements set by the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which outlines 29 potential hazards in residential properties. As Awaab's Law evolves, staying compliant will require your ongoing attention to ensure your properties meet the highest standards of health and safety.

Below are the 29 HHSRS hazards:

Successfully navigating this complex and evolving regulatory environment will require much more than internal policy changes. You need a partnership with a specialist who understands the challenges and can provide proven solutions.

At EnviroVent, we bring decades of experience in improving indoor air quality, with expertise in tackling risks like damp and mould. We can help ensure your properties remain compliant and safe for your tenants.

If you’d like to discuss how we can help you stay ahead of Awaab’s Law and maintain the highest standards for your tenants, get in touch with our expert team today.

Why is a specialist ventilation partner essential for compliance with Awaab's Law?

Awaab's Law brings significant changes that directly impact your responsibilities as a social housing landlord. With tight deadlines, severe penalties and mandatory evidence trails, there is no room for delays or lack of expertise.

This evolving landscape requires a trusted partner who becomes an extension of your own team – someone who shares your commitment to compliance, ensures service levels are met and provides the reliable support necessary to keep your organisation operational and legally protected.

What do you need from a ventilation supplier for compliance with Awaab's Law?

To navigate the challenges of Awaab's Law successfully, social landlords like you should carefully consider the following when selecting a ventilation partner:

• Guaranteed service levels: A proven track record of responding swiftly to both resident concerns and requests for remedial action, ensuring compliance deadlines and internal KPIs are consistently met.
• Supply chain resilience: A dependable supply chain that ensures ventilation solutions are always available, helping avoid delays that could jeopardise compliance and lead to legal consequences.
• Regulatory expertise: The ability to provide in-depth knowledge and guidance on technical requirements, delivered through professional, accredited training.
• Demonstrable compliance: Fast, accurate information through dedicated portals to help create a clear, reliable audit trail for legal protection.
• Holistic solutions: The ability to offer a full range of services beyond just products, such as installations, environmental data logging, design service, property surveys, and training and support, to provide a comprehensive solution for your needs.

EnviroVent is here to support you with everything required to meet these needs, offering a complete solution to help you stay ahead in the new era of social housing compliance.