Awaab's Law: What Landlords Need to Know About Damp & Mould
Since 27 October 2025, social landlords in England have had legal duties to investigate and fix reported damp and mould within fixed timeframes. Here's what's actually required, and what's changing next.
Where the law came from
Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family's housing association home, despite repeated reports to the landlord. The resulting regulations — introduced via a new section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 — set legally binding timeframes social landlords must follow when a tenant reports damp or mould.
What's in force now (Phase 1)
Emergency hazards
Where damp or mould poses an imminent and significant risk of harm, the landlord must investigate and make the property safe within 24 hours.
Standard investigation
Social landlords must investigate a reported damp or mould hazard within 10 working days of becoming aware of it.
Written findings
A written summary of the investigation's findings must be provided to the resident within 3 working days of the investigation concluding.
Urgent safety works
Where the investigation identifies a significant hazard, works required to make the property safe must be completed within 5 working days of that investigation concluding — meaning a home should be made safe within 15 days of the report or less.
Longer-term remedial works
Repairs that cannot reasonably be completed inside the safety window must begin within 12 weeks of the investigation.
Record-keeping
Landlords must keep clear records of all correspondence and attempts to comply — including with contractors — and, where a property can't be made safe in time, arrange alternative accommodation at the landlord's expense.
What's changing in Phase 2
The operative instrument is the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, amended from 30 November 2026 by the equivalent Amendment Regulations 2026. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published its Phase 2 landlord guidance and hazards annex on 13 July 2026, and the Phase 1 guidance remains operative until 11:59pm on 29 November 2026, with the Phase 2 guidance applying from the following day.
Phase 2 keeps the same timescales and extends them to six further hazard groups: excess cold and excess heat, falls, structural collapse and explosions, fire and electrical hazards, and domestic and personal hygiene and food safety. Practically, that means a tenant reporting a broken boiler in winter or exposed wiring will trigger the same statutory clock that damp and mould already does. A third phase is planned for 2027, extending the regime to all remaining HHSRS hazards with the exception of overcrowding.
Does this apply to private landlords?
Not yet. Phase 1 and the confirmed Phase 2 timeline apply specifically to social housing. The Renters' Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, gives government the legal power to extend Awaab's Law to the private rented sector — but a commencement date has not yet been confirmed, and separate secondary legislation is required before it takes effect there. Private landlords are generally advised to prepare rather than wait.
One related date is fixed: the Decent Homes Standard, which already applies to social housing, has been confirmed to extend to the private rented sector from 2035.
How a survey report supports compliance
A dated, written damp survey — identifying whether the cause is rising, penetrating or condensation-based, and what's needed to resolve it — gives a landlord clear documentation that an investigation genuinely took place, what was found, and what action followed. That's directly relevant to the record-keeping expectations built into the regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not yet. Phase 1 and Phase 2 both apply to social housing only — local authorities, housing associations and other registered providers. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 gives government the power to extend the regime to the private rented sector, but that requires separate secondary legislation and no commencement date has been confirmed. Private landlords still have repairing obligations under existing law, and the sensible position is to prepare rather than wait.
Five. Investigate and make safe within 24 hours where the hazard is an emergency. Investigate a significant hazard within 10 working days. Give the resident a written summary of findings within 3 working days of that investigation. Complete works needed to make the property safe within 5 working days of the investigation. Begin any longer-term remedial works within 12 weeks.
The same timescales extend beyond damp and mould to six further hazard groups: excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse and explosions, fire and electrical hazards, and domestic and personal hygiene and food safety. Phase 1 guidance stays operative until 11:59pm on 29 November 2026, with Phase 2 guidance applying from the next day.
It provides documented evidence that an investigation took place, when it took place, what was found, and what was recommended — which is exactly what the record-keeping expectations in the regulations are aimed at. It does not itself discharge a landlord's duties, but a dated written report from a qualified surveyor is considerably stronger evidence than an internal note.
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