Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law to Apply to Social Landlords from October 2025

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07 February 2025

Social landlords will be forced by law to investigate and fix dangerous mould and other emergency hazards in their housing stock.

From October 2025, social landlords will have to address damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants to fixed timescales. They will also have to address all emergency repairs as soon as possible and within no longer than 24 hours. Landlords who fail to comply face being taken to court.

In 2023, seven per cent of social rented homes had a damp problem and four per cent had a category 1 hazard, meaning the problem is deemed a serious and immediate risk to a person's health and safety. 

Awaab’s Law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died from a respiratory condition in 2020 due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale. It was ruled by the coroner that there was “a lack of proactive treatment of the mould and a lack of consideration of the ineffective ventilation” within the family’s home. The bathroom of the flat had a broken fan and there was no mechanical ventilation in the kitchen at all.

Further phases of the law will be introduced in 2026, to include hazards such as excess cold and excess heat; falls; structural collapse; fire, electrical and explosions; and hygiene hazards. In 2027, it will include all remaining hazards defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. 

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, in a statement made in the House of Commons, justified the phased approach, saying: “This sequencing will allow us to apply the protections that Awaab’s Law provides to damp and mould earlier than would be the case if we sought to apply it to a wider group of hazards from the offset. It will also provide for an initial period of testing and learning to ensure the reform is being delivered in a way that benefits social tenants and secures the lasting legacy that Awaab Ishak’s family have fought so hard for.”

The government intends to extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector and has committed to consult on the issue in the coming months.

Picture: a photograph of an open window with condensation and mould on it. Image Credit: Unsplash

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 07 February 2025

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