Awaab's Law is the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. Since 27 October 2025, social landlords in England must investigate and make safe emergency hazards within 24 hours, and investigate significant damp and mould hazards within 10 working days. Phase 2 applies from 30 November 2026 and adds further hazards.
Awaab's Law sets legal deadlines for social landlords in England to investigate and fix dangerous hazards in tenants' homes. Phase 1 has applied since 27 October 2025 and covers significant damp and mould hazards and all emergency hazards. Phase 2 applies from 30 November 2026 and widens the list of hazards with fixed timescales.
The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old whose death in 2020 was caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family's social rented home. Its legal name is the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1042), made on 23 September 2025. Section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 provides for it.
What does Awaab's Law require?
Phase 1 covers two kinds of hazard:
- Significant hazards: damp and mould that is a significant hazard.
- Emergency hazards: every hazard except overcrowding.
The clock starts when you, the landlord, become aware of the hazard. The timescales are:
| Stage | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Emergency hazard | Investigate and make safe within 24 hours of becoming aware |
| Significant hazard: investigation | Within 10 working days |
| Written summary to the tenant | Within 3 working days of the investigation ending (not needed if the work is finished in that time) |
| Safety work | Within 5 working days of the investigation |
| Supplementary preventative work | Begin within 5 working days or, if that is not reasonably practicable, within 12 weeks; complete within a reasonable period |
| Renewed investigation, if the tenant asks | Within 10 working days, including a physical inspection |
If the safety work cannot be done in time, you must provide alternative accommodation at no cost to the tenant.
To work out each date from the day you became aware, use the Awaab's Law working-day calculator.
Who is covered, and who is not?
The regulations apply to tenancies of all registered providers, both private registered providers and local authorities. That includes temporary and supported accommodation let as social housing under a tenancy.
They do not cover:
- licences;
- long leases;
- shared ownership;
- tenancies excepted under section 14 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
What counts as a defence?
You have an "all reasonable endeavours" defence. The government guidance gives examples such as problems getting access, delays in Building Safety Regulator approval, and contractor or material shortages. The defence depends on what you can show you did, so the record of each attempt matters as much as the work itself.
Enforcement is through tenant contract claims, the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing. The regulations do not create fines.
Who carries the duty when a contractor does the work?
You do. The landlord keeps full responsibility when it uses contractors. A contractor's late attendance or missing paperwork is still your missed deadline, so your contracts and service levels need to sit inside your own clock, with margin for raising orders and reviewing reports.
What changes from 30 November 2026?
The phase 2 amending regulations were approved by the House of Lords on 14 October 2026 and the House of Commons on 20 October 2026. They apply from 30 November 2026. Phase 2 adds these hazards:
- excess cold and excess heat;
- falls;
- structural collapse;
- fire and explosions;
- electrical hazards;
- domestic hygiene, including pests.
In practice, that brings heating failures, electrics, stairs, fire and pests within fixed timescales. Phase 3 is due in 2027, with no date set, and is expected to cover all remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards except overcrowding. The HHSRS itself was reformed from 23 June 2026, cutting the number of hazards from 29 to 21, so check that your hazard categories match the 2026 framework.
Does it apply to private renting, licences or other nations?
- Private rented sector: the Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for extending Awaab's Law to private renting, once commenced. MHCLG's consultation runs from 9 October to 18 December 2026. It also proposes covering licences, such as supported housing, temporary accommodation and care-leaver accommodation, in both the social and private sectors. No commencement date has been set.
- Scotland: the separate Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 came into force on 6 October 2026. Damp or mould must be investigated within 10 working days by a competent person, the tenant gets a written summary within 3 working days, and repairs must start within 5 working days.
- Wales and Northern Ireland: we found no Awaab's Law equivalent in either nation when we checked in October 2026. See the Wales and Northern Ireland standards pages.
What should contractor SLAs and evidence look like?
Set contractor service levels so that each step finishes before your legal deadline:
- Make-safe within 24 hours for emergency hazards, measured from when you became aware, not when the order was raised.
- An inspection and report that lets you complete the 10 working day investigation and issue the written summary within 3 working days.
- Safety work within 5 working days of the investigation.
- Longer works started within 12 weeks, with materials and access planned from the start.
The evidence matters as much as the attendance. Ask for:
- timestamped arrival, make-safe and completion records;
- evidenced no-access attempts, with the date, time, method and a photo of any card left;
- before and after photos;
- moisture and humidity readings, with locations, so the cause and the result are on record;
- the reason for any delay, such as material lead times or approval.
The Housing Ombudsman's spotlight report on roof leaks under Awaab's Law (2 July 2026) found inadequate risk assessments and unevidenced "no access" claims. Both are avoidable with the records above. See also damp and mould root causes and Tenant Satisfaction Measures.
This guide is a summary, not legal advice. Check the current regulations and guidance, or take advice, for your own case.
How we help
We deliver make-safe visits, investigation support and damp and mould remediation to the timescales you set in your contract. Each job comes back with timestamped attendance, no-access evidence, photos and readings, so the record supports your own decisions. The legal duty stays with you; our role is the works and the evidence. Contact us to discuss your service levels.
Common questions
Does the 24-hour deadline apply to every repair?
No. The 24-hour duty covers emergency hazards only. Significant hazards follow the 10 working day investigation clock, and other repairs stay on your normal repair timescales.
Can a tenant ask for the hazard to be looked at again?
Yes. A tenant can ask for a renewed investigation, which must include a physical inspection and runs on its own 10 working day clock.
Are there fines for missing an Awaab's Law deadline?
The regulations do not create fines. Tenants can bring contract claims, and the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing can act on failures.
Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords yet?
No. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for extending it to the private rented sector, but no commencement date has been set. MHCLG is consulting on the detail from 9 October to 18 December 2026.
Sources
- Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025
- Awaab's Law phase 2: guidance for social landlords (MHCLG)
- Safer homes for 4m tenants with quicker action on dangerous homes (MHCLG)
- UK Parliament procedure record for the phase 2 amending regulations
- Extending Awaab's Law to private rented tenancies and to licences (consultation)
- Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026
- Housing Ombudsman spotlight reports
Checked 31 October 2026. This guide summarises the rules for planning purposes and is not legal advice; check the current legislation or take advice for your own case.
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