What Does Awaab’s Law Mean for Social Housing Landlords?

Awaab's Law is officially in motion, meaning landlords must stop blaming tenants for damp and mould issues.

Awaab’s Law came into effect on the 27th October 2025, five years after the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak due to mould exposure in his family’s social housing home.

The new Legislation will require housing association and council landlords to take a more proactive approach to fix reports of damp, mould and other emergency repairs within a strict timeline.

Since the Legislation was introduced, the government has published detailed guidance for social landlords, including timeframes within which repairs must be done. In addition to abiding by strict timeframes, the government has also said that it is unacceptable for landlords to blame tenants for damp and mould issues.

What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaab's Law was passed in 2023 as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. It is named after Awaab Ishak, a two- year- old boy who tragically died of mould exposure in social housing in December 2020.

In the years following two-year-old Awaab’s death, local authorities, social housing providers and management companies have come under increasing social and legal pressure to respond to tenant’s complaints in a suitable amount of time and to offer better solutions.

Now that the Law has come into effect, social housing tenants will have more protection from unsafe and unhealthy living conditions amidst rising complaints.

Awaab’s Law was enacted on 27th October 2025 and will be gradually phased in over the next two years. In the meantime, landlords are urged to get ready for the changes.

Landlords and tenants should be aware of the following milestones:

• October 2025: Landlords must 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.

Landlords must not blame the tenant’s lifestyle

Since Awaab's Law was first announced, many social housing tenants have come forward with their experiences of ignored complaints, or even refusals to take action due to blame being put on the tenant’s lifestyle; now, government guidance deems this “unacceptable”.

New government guidance states “It is unavoidable that everyday tasks, such as cooking, bathing, washing and drying laundry will contribute to the production of indoor moisture. These activities are unlikely to constitute a breach of contract on the part of the tenant and, therefore, should not be a reason not to take action through Awaab’s Law.”

If tenants are dealing with recurrent mould and damp, or other disrepair, it is their responsibility to raise a complaint with their landlord; the landlord is then responsible for assessing and resolving the complaint effectively and efficiently.

Tenant’s rights to a safe home

Introduced to improve living standards in the rental sector, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, sets out standards that landlords must meet by law. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 states that properties need to be fit for habitation throughout the entire tenancy agreement.

As a tenant, it’s important to know you have the right to a rented home free from serious hazards. This means your home must be free from:

• Damp, mould and excess cold
• Structural defects
• Electrical or fire hazards
• Pest infestations
• Poor water supply/hygiene

Ongoing repairs are part and parcel of maintaining habitable conditions and therefore these should be done within a reasonable timeframe by your landlord. If your landlord fails to do so they could be harming your health and safety due to disrepair and home hazards.

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act, passed in 2023, which also incorporates Awaab’s Law, has increased regulation of social housing, forcing landlords to improve living standards in the sector.

Raising a complaint with the Housing Ombudsman

Despite strengthened legislation put in place to protect social housing tenants, many people are left waiting longer than they should or are completely ignored by their housing associations or councils following reported complaints of disrepair. If this has happened to you then your social housing provider has failed to provide a safe, habitable home which is their legal obligation.

In this case tenants can contact the Housing Ombudsman service (HOS) or seek legal advice for a housing disrepair claim. HOS is an impartial service that settles social housing complaints between tenants and their landlords.

Tenants who are dealing with unresolved reported repairs or an active dispute with their landlord can take their case to HOS for a final judgement. Tenants may also be able to claim compensation for stress, damage or damage to their belongings caused by unresolved repairs.

Premier Legal Assist are on hand to help

If you are living in disrepair, and reported issues such as mould, broken heating, electrical faults, infestations or structural issues, to your landlord and they have refused to act, or not acted within a reasonable timeframe, you may be entitled to make a claim for repairs and in some cases compensation.

Premier Legal Assist can connect you with a team of specialist housing disrepair lawyers who operate on a 'no-win, no-fee' basis. Our panel of specialist lawyers has years of experience dealing with local councils and housing associations across the UK.

To find out if you are eligible to make a 'no-win, no-fee' claim, complete our short form, and a team member will be in touch.