Awaab’s Law: Time is Ticking for Social Housing Landlords to Adhere to New Legislation

New laws to speed up landlord action on emergency repairs and disrepair complaints come into force in October 2025, but many tenants continue to live in unsuitable and unsafe conditions.

Social housing landlords have just over four months to prepare for the introduction of Awaab's Law in October 2025, under which they will be required to complete emergency repairs within 24 hours and address damp and mould issues within tight timeframes.

Despite the upcoming deadline to improve response times, a recent report from the Housing Ombudsman, the body responsible for investigating complaints between tenants and landlords, found that questions remain regarding landlords' approach to handling emergency repairs.  

Awaab’s Story

The new rules for landlords come as part of the rollout of Awaab's Law, a new piece of legislation being introduced in response to the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died as a result of prolonged mould exposure in his family's housing association flat in Rochdale in 2020, despite repeated complaints by Awaab’s parents to their landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).

Awaab’s parents had first noticed, and reported to RBH, damp and mould in their flat in 2017 and made numerous further complaints to the housing association, including to request rehousing, between then and Awaab’s tragic death in 2020.

These complaints were met with suggestions to “paint over” the black mould, and it has since been revealed that the landlord had also made assumptions about the family’s lifestyle being the cause of the black mould rather than disrepair, leading to a lack of urgency in fixing the issue.

Unfortunately, despite multiple complaints to the landlord to fix the damp, ventilation issues and black mould, Awaab, who had suffered chronic coughs and breathing issues throughout his life, died in December 2020 after a short period of hospitalisation. The inquest into his death ruled that it had been directly caused by environmental mould exposure. A survey of the property after Awaab’s death found that it was “unfit for human habitation without repairs”. 

Awaab’s Law

Understandably, Awaab’s seemingly preventable death in tragic circumstances led to outrage and widespread scrutiny of social housing in the UK. In 2023, Awaab's Law was passed as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.

The new law aims to protect social housing tenants from unsafe and unhealthy housing conditions by ensuring faster action on emergency repairs and issues like damp and mould, as well as to hold social housing landlords accountable. 

Awaab’s Law will be gradually phased in over the next two years, with the following milestones:

• October 2025: Landlords will be required to address damp and mould hazards in a fixed timescale and perform emergency repairs – including those linked to damp and mould – within 24 hours.
• 2026: Initial requirements will be extended to include other serious hazards, such as excess cold and heat, structural issues, fire, electrical problems, and hygiene hazards.
• 2027: The law will be extended to include all remaining hazards defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), excluding overcrowding.

Housing Ombudsman’s Report

Unfortunately, there are still social housing tenants dealing with disrepair in their properties as a result of landlord negligence and disregard, which could have life-threatening consequences. The Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS), responsible for investigating disputes between social housing landlords and tenants, publishes regular ‘Learning from Maladministration’ reports to outline common issues in the sector. 

In the May 2025 report, the HOS detailed instances of potential threats to tenants’ health in local authority and housing association properties, including:

• Children without access to their bathroom for 6 months after a ceiling collapsed and debris continued to fall.
• A domestic abuse survivor living without a replacement external door for 6 months.
• A woman with breathing difficulties without heating and hot water for 5 months during
  the winter.

The HOS insists that lessons need to be learned from Awaab’s tragic death and changes need to be made across the social housing sector. 

Social Housing Landlords’ Responsibilities

Social housing landlords have a legal responsibility to carry out repairs reported to them by tenants in a satisfactory and timely manner; failure to do so can leave them open to a compensation claim. 

A housing complaint can be made for a range of disrepair issues; the severity of the issues will impact the extent of the housing disrepair claim that can be made.

The range of housing disrepair complaints commonly include:

• Mould, fungus or dampness
• Leaks, flooding or water damage
• Cracks and structural damage
• Defective roofing or gutters
• Defective brickwork
• Insect infestation
• Faulty plumbing, heating and broken boilers
• Vermin infestations
• Electrical faults
• Broken doors and windows
• Housing Ombudsman claims

As seen in the HOS report and regularly reported in the press, these issues are not always addressed effectively (if at all) and, when left unresolved, can result in potentially catastrophic health issues for tenants.

Tenants who have complained to their landlord and have not received a satisfactory resolution to the problem (e.g., repairs, replacements, etc.) can escalate the complaint to HOS for free or speak to a solicitor for legal advice.

Premier Legal Assist can help

Premier Legal Assist works with a panel of specialist solicitors who have extensive experience in housing disrepair law in cases involving a wide range of Housing Associations and Local Authorities across the UK.

Our panel of solicitors are dedicated to our clients, ensuring the best possible outcome is achieved and support is provided every step of the way.

To find out if you may be eligible to make a housing disrepair claim, get in touch and fill out our contact form.