Social landlords will be required to follow a new set of regulations to maintain their properties and protect tenants, including addressing repairs within 24 hours in emergency situations. Under Awaab's Law - named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died after prolonged exposure to mould in 2020 - landlords will be legally obligated to react to damp and mould issues in social housing more quickly. Significant cases will need to be investigated within 10 days of the landlord being notified, then fixed in five days.
Landlords will also need to consider the circumstances of their tenants when making repairs, such as whether they have children or suffer from a health condition, and offer alternative accommodation if necessary. Non-compliant landlords could be taken to court, issued with an enforcement order, and made to pay compensation and legal costs.
Steve Reed, the housing secretary, said: "Everyone deserves a safe and decent home to live in, and Awaab Ishak is a powerful reminder of how this can sadly be a matter of life or death.
"Awaab’s family has fought hard for change and their work to protect millions of tenants’ lives will live on as a legacy to their son. Our changes will give tenants a stronger voice and force landlords to act urgently when lives are at risk, ensuring such tragedies are never repeated."
What are the new requirements for social landlords?
These are the key regulations that social landlords will now need to follow:
- As soon as reasonably practicable and, in any event, within 24 hours, investigate and action any emergency repairs in an emergency situation
- 10 working days to investigate and ascertain if there is a hazard once they become aware of a potential damp and mould hazard in a social home
- Three working days of the investigation concluding, to provide residents with a written summary of the findings
- Five working days to make the property safe (using temporary measures if necessary), if it is found that the damp and mould hazard poses a significant risk of harm to the health or safety of a resident
- 12 weeks to complete supplementary work needed to prevent serious hazards from reoccurring (overall repair works must be completed within a reasonable time period)
- Suitable alternative accommodation, at the social landlord’s expense, must be offered until it is safe to return, if the property cannot be made safe within the specified timescales
- Landlords must keep clear records of attempts to comply with the requirements, including records of all correspondence with residents and contractors. If the landlord is unable to meet the requirements for reasons beyond their control, they will be expected to provide a record of the reasons that prevented them from doing so
These points are phase one of the regulations, with a second phase expected in 2026 and a third in 2027. The next steps will broaden the requirements to cover a wider range of hazards, not just damp and mould, eventually incorporating every hazard presenting a significant risk of harm as defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), but excluding overcrowding.
Why have the new regulations been introduced?
Millions of people in the UK live in homes affected by damp, mould, or condensation. This is often exacerbated by poor maintenance in rented homes, including in the social housing sector.
In 2020, two-year-old Awaab Ishak died after prolonged exposure to mould in a property rented by his parents from social landlords Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH). Following a campaign from Awaab's parents, the Manchester Evening News and Shelter, Awaab’s Law was introduced in July 2023 as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act.
The legislation granted the government the authority to insert a term into social housing tenancy agreements that would require landlords to comply with a specified set of requirements. It also stipulates that if landlords fail to comply with the requirements, they may be found in breach of contract in court.
The actual list of regulations that social landlords will need to follow was finalised this week and published by the government.
Will Awaab's Law apply to the private rental sector?
Research from the Health Equals campaign found that 23% of surveyed renters who complained of damp, mould or condensation issues in their homes were social renters, while 21% were privately renting.
At the time of writing, the new regulations will only apply to social housing. However, the government plans to extend Awaab's Law to cover the private rental sector as part of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
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