Awaab’s Law is a new UK government law, which will come into force in England from the 27th October 2025.
From this date onwards, it is a legal requirement for social landlords to adhere to this new regulation, in full.
It is deeply rooted in the 2023 Social Housing (Regulation) Act, and it is designed to help protect those living in social housing from the risk of health issues caused by property damp, ensuring that these tenants are living in safe and healthy homes.
Now, it is a legal requirement for landlords to address damp and mould in a property within strict time limits.
Below, we’ll be explaining these new legal property requirements in more detail.
Why is Awaab’s Law being introduced?
This new law has been named in memory of Awaab Ishak – a two-year-old child, who passed away in December 2020. His death was caused by respiratory failure, due to chronic exposure to black mould, in his family’s social housing flat.
His tragic death brought this critical issue to the forefront of public attention, and exposed how some social landlords were failing to deal with serious hazards in housing.
Before this new law was introduced, social landlords were governed by some legislation (e.g. the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985), which gave them legal requirements regarding keeping homes habitable and addressing serious issues. But, until now, there has been no statutory requirement for time limits for addressing hazards like damp and mould.
Now, Awaab’s Law has added contractual and regulatory obligations into social landlord-tenancy agreements. Response deadlines are now mandatory, and tenants have much clearer routes to escalate the situation, if their landlord fails to fix the problem in the required time.
In summary, with Awaab’s Law, social landlords must now:
- Investigate and begin remedial work within set time limits (within 10 working days), when hazards are reported
- Provide the tenant with a written summary after completing the investigation (within 3 working days)
- Begin remedial work within 5 working days, if a serious hazard is identified (for more complex circumstances, remedial work must be completed within 12 weeks)
- Complete repairs for emergency hazards within 24 hours
- Provide alternative accommodation to the tenants (at the landlord’s expense) if the work cannot be completed within these timelines
- Landlords will also be held to account if they breach these requirements. The law also gives tenants rights of redress.
The law is being rolled out in phases, with the first phase starting in October 2025. This Phase 1 covers damp and mould hazards, while future phases will cover other HHSRS hazards (e.g. fire risks, extreme cold, hygiene hazards and electrical hazards).
Why are damp and mould surveys important?
A damp and mould survey – conducted by a qualified remedial surveyor who holds CSRT (Certified Surveyor of Remedial Treatment) or equivalent accreditation, such as British Damp Proofing – is a fantastic way to help social landlords ensure that they are maintaining full legal compliance.
With these surveys, social landlords can identify potential issues and address their root causes far more efficiently.
During these surveys, a damp specialist will:
- Pinpoint any damp or mould issues in the property
- If present, identify the source of the issue (e.g. whether it is due to rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation, poor ventilation)
- Assess the risk to health that the issue poses
- Provide a detailed report (which can be used to comply with new legal investigation timeframes)
- Recommend best-fit remedial actions, which eliminate the root cause of the issue
As you can see, arranging a damp and mould survey will form a critical part of a landlord’s compliance strategy, while ensuring these properties are safe and healthy, for the long term.
At British Damp Proofing, we offer a comprehensive range of damp proofing services, including everything from damp surveys to dependable damp proofing, all conducted by fully qualified, highly experienced specialists.
To find out more about our services, or to arrange a damp survey for your property, speak to a member of our team today.