Awaab’s Law and private landlords: timescales and status

What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaab’s Law is a set of legal deadlines for landlords to investigate and fix dangerous hazards in a rented home. It is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in December 2020 from a severe respiratory infection caused by prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home.

It came into force for the social rented sector in England on 27 October 2025, through the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. Social landlords are councils and housing associations.

The law applies in England. It is being brought in by stages, and private renting has not yet been reached.

Private landlords should still know the detail. The social housing rules are the model the government has said it will adapt for private renting, and government guidance already expects an urgent response to damp and mould in any rented home.

Sources: GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law, guidance for social landlords on timeframes for repairs · GOV.UK: understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home

Awaab’s Law timescales

The timescales below are the ones in the government’s guidance for social landlords. They start when the landlord becomes aware of a possible hazard, which in practice usually means when the tenant reports it.

The guidance uses two tests. A significant hazard is one a reasonable landlord with the relevant knowledge would take steps to make safe as a matter of urgency. An emergency hazard is one such a landlord would make safe within 24 hours. If the home cannot be made safe within the time allowed, the landlord must secure suitable alternative accommodation at the landlord’s expense.

Sources: GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law, guidance for social landlords on timeframes for repairs

Which hazards are covered, and from when?

Awaab’s Law is being phased in by type of hazard. Phase 1 covers all emergency hazards, and all damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm. GOV.UK confirms that phase 2 comes into force on 30 November 2026.

For a social tenant the practical effect of phase 2 is that a failed heating system in winter or a dangerous electrical fault goes on the same clock as damp and mould, where it presents a significant risk of harm.

The third phase has a year but no day. The guidance says that in 2027 the regulations will be extended to all remaining hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, apart from overcrowding.

Sources: GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law, guidance for social landlords on timeframes for repairs · GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law in the social rented sector

Awaab’s Law and private landlords: where it stands today

Awaab’s Law does not apply to private landlords today. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives the government the power to extend it to private renting, and the government has said it will do so, setting legally enforceable timeframes within which private landlords must make homes safe where they contain serious hazards.

No start date has been set. The government’s implementation roadmap puts the extension in the third phase of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms, with the date shown as to be confirmed, subject to consultation. A GOV.UK article of 30 April 2026 said a consultation would be launched soon. The landlord guide to the hazard rating system, updated on 16 September 2026, says the government will consult in the coming months on how to apply Awaab’s Law to private rented housing.

As of 5 October 2026 we could not find that consultation on GOV.UK, and no regulations have been made for private renting. Anything you read that gives a firm start date for private landlords is a forecast. The roadmap says the government will consult on the details of the policy, including implementation timescales, so the private sector deadlines may not match the social housing ones. See our guide to the new landlord rules for 2026 for what has already started.

Sources: GOV.UK: implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, roadmap · GOV.UK: when will the Renters’ Rights Act come into force? · GOV.UK: landlord and agent guide to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System

Damp and mould: landlord responsibilities that already apply

Private landlords already have legal duties on damp and mould. Awaab’s Law will add fixed deadlines; it will not create the responsibility. The government’s damp and mould guidance lists the standards that apply now.

Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 a rented home must be fit for human habitation at the start of the tenancy and throughout. A serious problem with damp is one of the things a court looks at. If the home is unfit, the tenant can take the landlord to court, and the court can order the landlord to carry out works and pay compensation. The landlord is not required to remedy unfitness caused by the tenant’s behaviour, or by events such as fires, storms and floods.

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11, requires the landlord to keep the property in repair. The Housing Act 2004 requires homes to be free of the most dangerous category 1 hazards, and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 covers conditions prejudicial to health. The same guidance points to the minimum energy standard, covered in our guide to EPC rules for landlords, because a cold home is harder to keep dry.

Sources: GOV.UK: understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home · GOV.UK: guide for landlords, Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018

What a council can do about a hazard today

Councils assess rented homes with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, a tool for identifying and assessing risks to health in the home. A category 1 hazard is the most serious kind and the council has a duty to act. For a category 2 hazard it has discretion. Its options include a hazard awareness notice, an improvement notice, a prohibition order and emergency remedial action.

The cost of ignoring a notice went up on 1 May 2026. GOV.UK’s landlord guide says that for offences on or after that date, failing to comply with an improvement notice can bring a civil penalty of up to £40,000 or prosecution with an unlimited fine, and a rent repayment order of up to two years’ rent. Tenants will also be able to complain to the Private Landlord Ombudsman once it is running.

Sources: GOV.UK: landlord and agent guide to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System

What a private tenant can do about damp and mould now

A private tenant does not have Awaab’s Law deadlines to rely on yet, but is not without options. The first step is to report the problem to the landlord or agent in writing, with photographs and the date, and to allow access for an inspection.

If nothing happens, the tenant can ask the council’s housing team to inspect. Where the council finds a category 1 hazard it must act, and it can require the landlord to carry out works. The tenant can also bring a court claim under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which the government’s guide says covers tenancies of less than seven years. The same guide says the Act created no new obligations for landlords: it gave tenants a direct way to enforce existing ones.

Sources: GOV.UK: guide for landlords, Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 · GOV.UK: landlord and agent guide to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System

What to do when a tenant reports damp or mould

Treat a report of damp or mould as urgent and look for the cause. The government’s guidance says it is totally unreasonable to blame damp and mould on ‘lifestyle choices’, because everyday tasks such as cooking, bathing, washing and drying laundry unavoidably produce moisture. The steps below follow that guidance.

Working to the social housing timescales now is a sensible way to prepare, and it gives you a clear record if the council or a court becomes involved. TenancyDesk can hold your own reminders against each property, so a follow-up inspection does not get missed.

• Reply to the tenant promptly, in writing, and record the date the problem was reported.
• Inspect quickly and assess how serious it is. Do not wait for medical evidence before acting.
• Find and fix the underlying cause, such as a leak, a failed extractor fan, poor insulation or inadequate heating.
• Have the mould removed, using a qualified professional where appropriate.
• Tell the tenant what you will do and when, and keep them informed.
• Inspect the home again at least six weeks after the work to check the problem has not returned.
• Keep the report, photographs, invoices and messages with the property’s other records.

Sources: GOV.UK: understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home

How Awaab’s Law fits with the Decent Homes Standard

Awaab’s Law is one of two condition reforms coming to private renting. The other is the Decent Homes Standard, which the government has said will apply from 2035 and includes a criterion that a home should be free of damp and mould. Awaab’s Law is about how fast a landlord must respond. The Decent Homes Standard is about the condition the home must be in.

Both sit within the wider changes described in our guide to the Renters’ Rights Act paperwork. We will update this page when the consultation on private renting is published.

Sources: GOV.UK: implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, roadmap · GOV.UK: when will the Renters’ Rights Act come into force?

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