Awaab's Law: what social landlords must do, and by when

Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a 2-year-old who died in 2020 from a lung condition caused by mould in his home; his parents had told their social landlord about the mould many times over 3 years. The rules are in the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 and are implied into every social housing tenancy, so a landlord that breaks them is in breach of your tenancy, and a court can order it to comply.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. If a hazard has already affected your health, see our guides to damp and mould health claims and tenant injury claims.

Awaab's Law timescales at a glance

In England, the clock starts when your landlord becomes aware of a possible hazard:

A working day is any day except a Saturday, a Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a bank holiday in England and Wales. The 3-day deadline is for your landlord to send the written summary, not for you to receive it, and no summary is needed if the problem is fully fixed within those 3 days.

Who Awaab's Law covers

The regulations apply to landlords of social homes in England, meaning homes rented from a council or a housing association, whenever the tenancy began. In supported housing or temporary accommodation you might have a licence agreement rather than a tenancy, and then Awaab's Law would not apply, although your landlord still has a duty to keep you safe from hazards.

Private renters in England are not covered yet. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 will extend Awaab's Law to privately rented homes, but the government will consult first and the change starts on a date still to be appointed (as of 27 September 2026). The English rules do not apply in Wales or Northern Ireland; Scotland's rules are set out below.

Emergency and significant hazards

An emergency hazard poses an imminent and significant risk of harm to someone living in the home: a risk that a reasonable landlord, knowing what it knows or ought to know about the household's health and circumstances, would take steps to make safe within 24 hours. A significant hazard poses a significant risk that a reasonable landlord would treat as urgent, but not within 24 hours. So tell your landlord about children, health conditions or disabilities in your home.

The tenant guidance lists examples of emergency hazards: gas or carbon monoxide leaks, broken boilers, no water supply at all, dangerous electrical problems such as exposed wires, major leaks, broken external doors or windows that make the home unsafe, very serious damp or mould and major structural problems. For now, the significant hazard timescales cover only damp and mould. The rules do not apply where a hazard is wholly or mainly caused by the tenant breaking the tenancy, for example by damaging the home on purpose, and work to fix unsafe cladding is outside the timescales.

Reporting a hazard and what happens next

Report the problem through your landlord's official contact methods rather than social media, and keep a record of what you reported, when, how and to whom. You do not need to give evidence from your doctor, but details of who lives with you and any health conditions help the landlord assess the risk. If a problem you reported before has got worse, report it again: this is called a material change. The clock also starts if the landlord hears about a hazard another way, for example from a contractor.

An investigation can be done in person or remotely, using photos or videos. If you ask for an in-person inspection before it is finished, it must include one and be completed within 10 working days of your request. If you ask afterwards, and there was no inspection and the work to stop the problem coming back has not begun, a renewed investigation is due within the same period.

The written summary must say whether an emergency or significant hazard was found, what happens next with target timescales, or why no further action is required, and how to contact the landlord, which must then keep you informed about the work. Your tenancy now lets the landlord in to do this at reasonable times, with at least 24 hours' notice in writing.

If your home cannot be made safe in time

If the landlord cannot complete the safety work within 24 hours for an emergency hazard, or within 5 working days after the investigation for a significant hazard, it must secure suitable alternative accommodation for your household at no cost to you until the work is done. Your household includes children who stay overnight at least once a week. You can refuse the offer, and not everyone who lives with you has to move.

If you stay at home, the landlord must give you written information on anything you can do, or avoid doing, to reduce the risk until the work is completed.

Phase 2: more hazards from 30 November 2026

GOV.UK says Phase 2 will come into force on 30 November 2026, extending the significant hazard timescales to excess cold and heat, falls (including on stairs and between levels), structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene, including food safety. The amending regulations are subject to approval by Parliament (as of 27 September 2026). Phase 3 will cover the remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazards, apart from overcrowding.

The draft also defines a significant hazard as one a reasonable landlord would make safe within 15 working days, and excludes fire hazards in the structure, external walls and common parts of blocks of flats. If your landlord already knew about one of the new hazards, the timescales begin when a concern about it is first reported after Phase 2 starts, even if you reported it before, or when there is a material change.

Scotland: damp and mould timescales from 6 October 2026

The Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 come into force on 6 October 2026 for Scottish secure tenancies, short Scottish secure tenancies and most private tenancies. When a landlord is told or becomes aware of damp or mould, a competent person must complete an investigation within 10 working days, beginning with the day after. The landlord must send you a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation and start any repairs needed within 5 working days. Councils and housing associations must finish the repair within 20 working days; private landlords must finish it as soon as reasonably practicable. Working days exclude weekends and Scottish bank holidays.

If circumstances beyond its control stop the landlord meeting a timescale, it must write to tell you why and when it expects to comply, and take reasonable steps to limit the damp or mould meanwhile. Cases reported before 6 October are not covered. If a council or housing association fails to comply, you may be entitled to compensation under the Right to Repair Scheme and can complain to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman; private tenants can go to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber), which can order the repairs.

If your landlord misses the deadlines

Start with your landlord's complaints process. Under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, statutory since April 2024, a landlord must acknowledge a stage 1 complaint within 5 working days and respond within 10 working days of acknowledging it, with any extension no more than 10 working days without good reason. Stage 2 is the landlord's final response, due within 20 working days of acknowledging your escalation, with extensions limited to 20 working days without good reason.

If you are unhappy with the final response, go to the Housing Ombudsman, a free, independent service that can consider whether the landlord met Awaab's Law and order it to put things right, including paying compensation. It may decline complaints brought more than 12 months after the landlord's complaints procedure ended.

In England you can also follow the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims: send a letter of claim, and the landlord should normally reply within 20 working days of receiving it. As a named tenant, you can sue for breach of contract, and the court can order repairs and compensation. Legal aid may help if a disrepair problem poses a serious risk of illness or injury. A personal injury claim usually has a 3-year time limit: see claim time limits.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides: damp and mould health claims, tenant injury claims, carbon monoxide poisoning claims, electric shock injury claims and claiming against a council.

Official sources used for this guide: Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025; GOV.UK: Awaab's Law in the social rented sector; GOV.UK: Awaab's Law guidance for tenants in social housing; Draft amendment regulations 2026 (Phase 2); Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026; Scottish Government: Awaab's Law guidance for tenants; Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. This guide is general information about the law in the UK, not legal advice; the law can change, so check your own position with a regulated solicitor.