If a tenant tells you there’s black mould in the bedroom, how quickly do you have to act? For social landlords the answer is now set in law, with fixed timescales, under Awaab’s Law. For private landlords it isn’t yet, and this guide sets out what the rules say, what already applies to you and how to get ready.
The law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 from prolonged mould exposure in a social home in Rochdale. The 2022 coroner’s verdict held that a systemic failure to remediate damp was the cause. The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 introduced the original framework. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives the power to extend the same statutory duty to the private rented sector (PRS) in England, but the PRS regulations have not yet been made.
For private landlords, the change would be blunt. If Awaab’s Law is extended to private landlords, ignoring a tenant’s written report of a hazard would stop being merely bad practice. It would become a breach of a statutory duty with fixed timescales, backed by damages in the County Court. No date has been set and no regulations have been made, so today the existing duties apply, including the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
This guide walks through what Awaab’s Law does, what the timescales look like in the social housing rules, how it interacts with existing duties under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, the Defective Premises Act 1972 and HHSRS, and the operational habits every landlord should adopt in 2026.
Important caveat up front: no regulations for private landlords have been made, no draft has been published and no date has been set. The day-counts and hazard list in this article come from the social housing rules, in force for social landlords since 27 October 2025. Use them as good practice, not as a legal deadline on a private tenancy. Always verify the current Statutory Instrument on legislation.gov.uk and the companion guidance on GOV.UK before relying on a specific day-count in a formal notice or tribunal submission.
Why Awaab’s Law exists
Before 2023, the legal route for a tenant with damp, mould or disrepair in England was a patchwork. They could sue under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (structural and installation disrepair), the Defective Premises Act 1972 (negligence causing personal injury), or the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (overall fitness, a direct right of action). Each route requires the tenant to start proceedings, carry the burden of proof, and then wait, usually 6 to 18 months, for a hearing.
Local authorities also had powers under HHSRS to serve Improvement or Prohibition Notices on landlords with Category 1 hazards. But these powers are reactive (triggered by complaint or inspection) and resource-constrained: councils prioritise hundreds of complaints against weeks of inspector capacity.
Awaab’s Law flips the default. A tenant does not need to sue. A tenant does not need to get the council involved. Once the tenant makes a written report of a prescribed hazard, the landlord has a statutory duty to investigate and remediate within fixed timescales, or face an action for breach of the tenancy agreement (the duty is implied into every tenancy) plus damages proportional to the length of the delay and the severity of the hazard.
The social-housing version of the law came into force in October 2025. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives the Government a power to extend it to private landlords, but no date has been set and no regulations have been made (check GOV.UK for the current position).
In the social-housing version the clock starts with the tenant’s report, so the date of each report is the record to keep now. From £7.99 a month, LetCompliance takes repair reports through the tenant portal with photos, dates each one the moment it arrives and tracks it to the fix, alongside the tenancy, the rent and the certificates. Get started
What counts as a prescribed hazard
In social housing, the rules have covered damp and mould and emergency hazards since 27 October 2025, with more HHSRS hazards added from 30 November 2026. There is no list for private landlords yet. The wider HHSRS hazards include:
- Damp and mould
- Excess cold
- Excess heat
- Carbon monoxide and fuel combustion products
- Uncombusted fuel gas
- Lead
- Asbestos and MMF (including disturbed fibres)
- Electrical hazards
- Fire
- Flames and hot surfaces
- Hygiene, pests and refuse
- Food safety
- Structural collapse and falling elements
- Explosions
Note what is not on this list: noise nuisance, garden maintenance, cosmetic wear and tear. These remain governed by the general fitness and repair duties but are not on the fast-track Awaab timetable. A broken hinge on a kitchen cupboard is a repair obligation under section 11; a patch of black mould in the bedroom is an Awaab’s Law hazard.
The timescales (social-housing model, likely PRS pattern)
These are the figures actually in force for social landlords from 27 October 2025, under the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. The PRS version is expected to mirror them, but the private-sector regulations are not yet made, so treat these as the likely pattern and confirm the final Statutory Instrument on legislation.gov.uk before relying on a specific day-count.
1. Investigation: within 10 working days
From the day the tenant reports a significant damp or mould hazard, the landlord must investigate within 10 working days. That means arranging a competent inspection, not necessarily finishing the fix. Note these are working days, not calendar days.
Practically: contact a qualified surveyor (damp/mould), a Gas Safe engineer (CO/gas), a registered electrician (electrical hazards) or an asbestos surveyor, and attend or schedule the inspection inside that window.
2. Written summary: within 3 working days of the investigation
Once the investigation is complete, the landlord must send the tenant a written summary of what was found and what will be done, within 3 working days. This can be an email. It should name the defect, the proposed remediation and the timeline.
3. Make safe: within 5 working days of the investigation
Work to make the home safe from the damp and mould hazard must be carried out within 5 working days of the investigation. Where a lasting repair genuinely takes longer (for example stripping and re-plastering), the duty is to make safe within the window and then complete the full repair within a reasonable period.
4. Emergency hazards: 24 hours
For any hazard presenting a significant and imminent risk of harm, the landlord must investigate and make safe within 24 hours of the report (calendar hours, not working). Examples:
- Raw sewage backup into a habitable room
- Total loss of heating or hot water in cold weather (widely cited threshold: average daily temperature below 5°C)
- Exposed live electrical wiring
- Carbon monoxide detector alarm triggered
- Imminent structural collapse risk
- Severe water penetration affecting electrical fittings
Emergency action means attending, making safe and isolating the hazard; the full repair can follow on the normal timeline.
How it interacts with existing duties
Awaab’s Law does not replace existing habitability law. It sits on top. A single mould complaint can therefore breach:
- Section 11 Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (repair of structure and installations)
- Section 9A Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 insert, fitness at the start and throughout)
- Defective Premises Act 1972 section 4 (duty of care to persons who might reasonably be expected to be affected)
- Awaab’s Law (fixed timescales)
- HHSRS (Category 1 hazard notifiable to the local authority)
A tenant who brings a County Court claim can plead multiple breaches in the alternative. Damages are typically calculated as a percentage reduction of rent for the period of disrepair, plus special damages for damaged belongings and, occasionally, personal injury.
If Awaab’s Law is extended to private landlords, it would be a fast-track trigger: a tenant who could prove you missed the 10-working-day or 24-hour window would have a clean, date-based case. Today a private tenant has to prove the defect was serious enough to breach the Fitness Act (a subjective test). Under Awaab’s Law it would be enough to prove the timescale was missed.
The operational playbook
Treat Awaab’s Law as an inbox discipline problem before it is a legal problem. Most landlord defeats under this regime will come from lost reports, not contested facts.
Set up a single reporting channel
Tell every tenant in writing (ideally in the tenancy agreement or a welcome letter) that hazard reports must be sent to one named email address or tenant portal. Do not use personal mobile SMS; they vanish.
Every channel you offer (WhatsApp, phone) must forward to that single log or you will miss one. Many landlords now use a tenant portal precisely to avoid this.
Acknowledge within hours
Send a written acknowledgement the same day, confirming the report has been received and you are beginning the investigation. This starts your timeline log and pins the tenant’s report to a specific date in case of later dispute about when it was made.
Book qualified professionals, not handymen
The statutory duty implicitly demands competent inspection. For damp and mould, a general handyman will not do. You need a PCA-accredited damp surveyor or a chartered building surveyor (MRICS/FRICS) with damp experience.
Cheap fixes (painting over mould, running a dehumidifier for a week) are not remediation under Awaab’s Law if the underlying cause is left alone, whether that’s condensation from inadequate ventilation, thermal bridging or rising damp.
Keep a dated paper trail
For every hazard:
- The original report (email, portal entry, call log with timestamp)
- Your acknowledgement
- Correspondence with the surveyor/engineer booked
- The surveyor’s written report
- Your written summary to the tenant within 3 working days of the investigation
- Invoices and photographs of remedial works (before and after)
- Confirmation from the tenant that the hazard has been resolved (or a written record of follow-up if they dispute it)
LetCompliance keeps this file for you. The tenant reports the problem through their portal, so the report is dated the moment it arrives. The repair, the contractor, the photos and the surveyor’s report sit against the same property, next to its gas safety and electrical certificates.
Reject “it’s the tenant’s fault” as a default
A recurring theme in coroner reports and social-housing complaints is landlords attributing damp to “tenant lifestyle” (drying washing indoors, not opening windows, cooking with lids off) without investigating structural causes.
Under Awaab’s Law the framing of a hazard as “tenant-caused” is not a defence to the timescale duty. You still have to investigate within 10 working days. If the surveyor concludes tenant behaviour is contributory, you must still document that in a written summary and advise the tenant on ventilation, and then check compliance in a follow-up visit.
Even where lifestyle is a genuine factor, the property must allow a reasonable household to live without generating persistent mould. If your bathroom has no extractor fan and a single small window, that is a structural problem dressed up as “tenant lifestyle”.
Preparing before it reaches private landlords
Awaab’s Law has been in force for social landlords since 27 October 2025. No date has been set for private landlords, and any runway may be short when one is. Use 2026 to:
- 1Audit your properties for hazards that would fail HHSRS Category 1. A pre-emptive damp survey in a flat with any history of condensation is a strong investment.
- 2Install adequate ventilation. Mechanical extract ventilation (MEV), positive input ventilation (PIV) and trickle vents on windows are all well-established fixes for condensation.
- 3Update tenancy agreements with a single named reporting address.
- 4Train any managing agent on the timescales. If an agent is handling day-to-day contact and they miss the 10-working-day window, you (the landlord) carry the breach unless the contract clearly assigns compliance to them.
- 5Budget for emergency response. Having a pre-agreed call-out contract with a local emergency plumber, electrician and surveyor is cheaper than scrambling at midnight.
- 6Join a landlord insurance policy that covers emergency response and defect remediation.
Enforcement and penalties
Breach of Awaab’s Law can trigger:
- County Court proceedings by the tenant for damages and specific performance (compelling you to fix)
- Housing conditions enforcement by the local authority under HHSRS (Improvement Notice, Prohibition Order, Hazard Awareness Notice)
- Civil penalties under the HHSRS enforcement framework (up to £40,000 for offences from 1 May 2026) and (for repeat offenders) consideration for banning orders under the Housing and Planning Act 2016
- Rent repayment orders where the breach amounts to a licensing offence or a section 40 offence under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 (up to two years’ rent for offences from 1 May 2026)
The most severe financial exposure is from rent repayment combined with multiple concurrent breaches on a multi-tenant HMO. Civil penalties are imposed per notice per offence.
The reputational exposure is also real. The Private Rented Sector Database under the Renters’ Rights Act opens on 15 December 2026; the Government says tenants will in future be able to use it to see whether a landlord is compliant with key legal requirements, and it will publish the list of what the public can see at a later stage.
Related reading
- UK landlord compliance 2026, full checklist: every statutory duty including Awaab
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025 landlord checklist: the broader Act, which carries the power to extend Awaab to the PRS
- Smoke & CO alarms England: the other emergency-response duty, closely linked
- UK Regulations 2026 hub: statutory duties mapped to LetCompliance features
- Property compliance tracker: how LetCompliance keeps repairs, certificate dates and reminders for each property
Sources and scope
- Legislation: Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 (Awaab’s Law origin)
- GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law consultation response (social housing)
- Legislation: Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (power to extend Awaab’s Law to the PRS)
- GOV.UK: Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) guidance
- Legislation: Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
Every figure on this page is cited to GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or HSE and reviewed against the live source every quarter. This is guidance, not individual legal advice.
2026 UK Landlord Compliance Cheat Sheet
The main duties, deadlines and maximum penalties for a private let in England on two printable A4 pages, and which failures stop a possession order. Updated for the rules in force since 1 May 2026.
- Duties before and during the tenancy, with the deadline for each
- Maximum penalties, including the £40,000 electrical safety figure
- Which failures bar a Section 8 possession order, and which do not
- The possession grounds landlords use most, with notice periods
Frequently asked questions
Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords?
Not yet. Awaab’s Law originated in the social housing sector after the 2020 death of Awaab Ishak from mould exposure, and it has applied to social landlords since 27 October 2025. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 carries the power to extend the framework to private rented sector (PRS) tenancies in England, but that extension is not in force: the commencement date and the list of prescribed hazards come in secondary legislation that has not been made. So do not treat the Awaab timescales as a legal deadline on a private tenancy today. Do not relax either: Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 and HHSRS already bite, so a damp and mould report is already actionable and a council can already serve an Improvement Notice. Verify the current position on legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK before relying on specific timescales.
What are the Awaab’s Law timescales for damp and mould?
Under the social-housing rules (no private-sector version has been made), landlords must investigate reported hazards within 10 working days, produce a written summary of findings, start remedial works within a further short window, and respond to emergency hazards within 24 hours. These specific day-counts are regulatory not primary-Act text; always check the current SI for your sector and the HHSRS hazard category you’re dealing with.
What counts as an emergency hazard under Awaab’s Law?
Any defect presenting a significant and imminent risk of harm: raw sewage ingress, total loss of heat or hot water in winter, exposed live electrics, structural collapse risk, severe water penetration. For these, the social housing rules require action within 24 hours, and dealing with them within 24 hours is good practice for private landlords too. Document when you were notified, what you did, and by whom.
How do I prove compliance if a tenant complains of mould?
Keep a timestamped record of every inbound report (email, portal, letter, call log). Acknowledge in writing within hours. Commission a qualified surveyor or damp specialist (not a general handyman) and keep their written report. Log remedial works with invoices and photos before/after. In LetCompliance the tenant reports through their portal, so the report is dated when it arrives, and the repair, the contractor, the photos and the surveyor’s report are kept against the property.
