The government recently announced its plan for Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law, a new piece of legislation which will come into force on 27 October 2025. It introduces strict, legally-binding timeframes for social landlords to investigate and resolve hazards in housing, which pose a health and safety risk.
Awaab’s Law was introduced in response to the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020, which was caused by exposure to damp and mould in his family home over an extended period. This tragedy sparked a national outcry for reform within the housing sector with the aim of preventing such tragedies from occurring again.
This new law imposes clear deadlines for landlords, depending on the severity of the hazard. In emergency situations, where a hazard poses a serious threat to health, landlords must investigate and respond within 24 hours of it being reported. For less urgent but still concerning issues, landlords have seven days to begin the repair work. If made aware of a matter that may be a hazard, the social landlord has ten working days to investigate and provide a written summary of their findings to residents within three working days of completing that investigation. Where a significant health or safety risk is confirmed, landlords have five working days to make the property safe, including implementing temporary measures if necessary, and must then carry out any further repairs in a reasonable timeframe. If the home cannot be made safe within the required timeframe, the landlord must provide alternative accommodation, at their own cost, until the repairs are completed.
Landlords must prove they are identifying hazards, gathering accurate information, such as photos, humidity readings, and acting promptly, while keeping record of it all – creating a transparent trail of evidence.
This is more than just a new law; it’s an operational change for landlords, a cultural shift for the rental market. Awaab’s Law is designed to move the sector away from compliance box-ticking exercises and toward accountability. However, this could pose significant challenges for housing providers, creating time-consuming jobs and additional costs if not addressed correctly—especially as budgets are already stretched thin.
As we head towards peak condensation season, this law brings a sense of urgency to housing providers where delays can no longer be the norm. Dr Alex Boote, Product & Innovation Manager at ARC Building Solutions, a leading manufacturer of cavity fire barriers and insulation products, explains why landlords must act now: “When October arrives, as a housing provider, you may face a potentially overwhelming number of reports. The challenge will be not only to respond within the legal timeframes but to also diagnose the hazard accurately. For example, misdiagnosing penetrating damp for condensation can lead to improper repairs, worsening conditions, increased costs, legal risks and distressed tenants.
“Conducting health checks across your property portfolio ahead of time allows issues to be identified and resolved within sufficient lead time. But repairs and retrofits must meet the highest standards and be fitted right first time – or it could potentially worsen the issue, creating unnecessary remediation costs. When retrofitting insulation, attention must extend beyond the walls but to the eaves too: the joint between the roof and the wall, which is an area all too often ignored. To neglect the eaves when improving the insulation in a home is to increase the thermal bridging and thus likely intensify the risk of mould and damp. More moisture, and thus potentially mould, will build up due to the lower temperatures on the surfaces inside the home. This leads to rafter rot, which can weaken the structural integrity of the home, and black mould inside the living space, which can be detrimental to health.”
“Even when installers attempt to address the eaves, they frequently neglect ventilation, exacerbating damp and mould problems in the loft space. Effective eaves insulation and ventilation should not only reduce heat loss and thermal bridging but also maintain essential airflow to prevent moisture accumulation. Our Retrofit Eaves Insulator is designed to address both these issues, improving thermal performance while ensuring proper ventilation.”
By acting now, landlords can avoid the risk of fines, legal hot water, and reputational damage. Trust between housing providers and the tenants, which can often be strained, stands to be strengthened through the increased transparency and accountability encouraged by Awaab’s Law.