Awaab’s Law Comes Into Force: What Social Landlords Must Do Now

From today, 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law is officially in force across England. The new legislation legally binds social landlords to strict repair timelines for health and safety hazards, beginning with damp and mould.

The law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 following prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social home in Rochdale. His death exposed serious failings in how hazards were handled by housing providers and set in motion a complete rethink of accountability within the sector.

Who it applies to

Awaab’s Law currently applies to all registered providers of social housing in England, including housing associations, councils, and ALMOs. Private landlords will be brought in later through separate legislation.

The legal timeframes

From today, the following requirements are enforceable:

• Emergency hazards that present an imminent and significant risk to health must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours of the landlord becoming aware.

• Significant damp and mould hazards must be investigated within 10 working days.

• If confirmed, safety works must begin within 5 working days of the investigation.

• Tenants must receive a written summary of findings within 3 working days of the investigation finishing.

• Where a home cannot be made safe within these timeframes, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation.

Phase 1 covers damp and mould. Future phases will extend the same structure of legal timeframes to other hazards such as excess cold, structural issues, and fire safety between 2026 and 2027.

What this means for housing providers

The law makes response times enforceable, not advisory. Social landlords must now be able to prove they can identify, triage, and resolve hazards inside those timelines. Failure to comply risks enforcement action from the Regulator of Social Housing, potential fines, and significant reputational damage.

Immediate actions landlords should take

• Review and test repair and inspection workflows to make sure emergency responses are possible within 24 hours.

• Audit all open damp and mould cases and prioritise based on risk.

• Confirm contractor and subcontractor capacity to meet the new deadlines.

• Update policies, training, and tenant communication templates to reflect the new legal duties.

• Keep full records of reports, investigations, and correspondence as an evidence trail.

• Work with diagnostic specialists where needed to verify root causes before remediation.

A practical note

The aim is not only fast repairs but safe, lasting outcomes. “Making safe” within 24 hours means eliminating the immediate risk, not necessarily completing full reinstatement works. Those must follow once conditions are stabilised.

What comes next

The next 12 months will see regulators closely monitor how providers adapt. Many will need to upgrade case-management systems, train teams on hazard classification, and build stronger partnerships with damp and mould specialists to meet compliance.

Awaab’s Law represents a clear line in the sand for housing safety in England. It demands urgency, documentation, and cultural change ensuring that what happened in Rochdale can never happen again.