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Awaab's Law is coming to private rentals: start preparing now

Awaab's Law is extending to the PRS from 2027. What the social housing framework already requires and what private landlords should start doing now.

Awaab’s Law — named after Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social housing flat — came into force for the social rented sector on 27 October 2025. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 contains provisions to extend it to the private rented sector. Implementation in PRS is expected from 2027, with detail to be set out in secondary legislation.

This post tells you what to expect, based on the social housing framework currently in force.

What Awaab’s Law does

It replaces the vague “reasonable timeframe” for repairs with statutory deadlines triggered the moment the landlord becomes aware — or ought to have become aware — of a significant hazard.

The current social housing timeframes (Phase 1)

  • Damp and mould hazards presenting a significant risk to health:
    • Investigate within 10 working days of becoming aware.
    • Provide a written summary to the tenant within 3 working days of concluding the investigation.
    • If a significant risk is identified, make safe within 5 working days, and complete full repairs within a reasonable further period.
  • Emergency hazards (any type): make safe within 24 hours.

What will expand in social housing from October 2026 (Phase 2)

Beyond damp and mould, the law will cover:

  • Excess cold and excess heat
  • Falls (on stairs, from windows, from heights)
  • Structural collapse and falling elements
  • Fire, electrical hazards and explosions
  • Hygiene, sanitation and water supply

Phase 3 (October 2027) will extend to all remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards except overcrowding.

What this means for private landlords

The PRS version will be set out in secondary legislation and may not exactly mirror the social housing timeframes, but the direction is clear. Assume:

  • A statutory deadline to investigate damp/mould reports (likely 10–14 working days).
  • A requirement to provide a written summary of findings to the tenant.
  • A statutory deadline to make safe once a significant risk is identified.
  • Enforcement via local authorities, Rent Repayment Orders, and potentially direct tenant action in the county court.

What to start doing now

  1. Log every tenant complaint with date, nature and your response. A WhatsApp screenshot is better than nothing; a dedicated log is better; a property management system with timestamps is best.
  2. Treat damp and mould reports as health reports, not maintenance reports. “Lifestyle” or “condensation caused by the tenant” is not a defence the law will accept, and the government guidance for social landlords explicitly warns against that framing.
  3. Get a proper damp survey rather than a painter-and-decorator fix. Anti-mould paint over a penetrating damp problem is failure, not compliance.
  4. Check your ventilation. A lot of older housing stock has inadequate extraction in kitchens and bathrooms. Fixing ventilation is often the cheapest long-term solution and is work that counts toward EPC improvements too.
  5. Know your contractors. The 10-working-day investigation window isn’t much if your surveyor is 3 weeks out. Build relationships now.

The common mistake

Assuming you have until 2027 to care about this. In practice, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 and the landlord’s existing repairing covenant already give tenants a cause of action for damp and mould. Awaab’s Law tightens the screws, but the underlying duty is already there.

References and further reading

General guidance, not legal advice. Secondary legislation extending Awaab’s Law to the PRS is still being drafted — always check the primary source for the current position.