Awaab's Law
Provisions extending to the private rented sector under the Renters Rights Act 2025 that set strict timescales for landlords to investigate and remedy hazards such as damp and mould. Named after Awaab Ishak. Breach can lead to tenant compensation and enforcement by the local housing authority.
At a glance
- Named after
- Awaab Ishak
- Applies to
- PRS (extended by RRA 2025)
- Core duty
- Strict timescales to investigate + remedy hazards
- Enforcement
- Local housing authority + tenant compensation
Full guide
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Open full guideWhy Awaab's Law matters for landlords
Awaab’s Law was originally written for social housing after the preventable death of Awaab Ishak from mould exposure. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extended the timescale-based duties to the private rented sector, so a damp-and-mould complaint can no longer sit in a landlord’s inbox for weeks. Missing a statutory investigation or repair window is not just a reputational risk — it generates a live enforcement and compensation exposure, and the paper trail of when a tenant reported the hazard becomes legally decisive.
Official sources
LetCompliance editorial reviews this entry every quarter against the sources above. Always confirm specific duties with a qualified solicitor or your local council.
Related terms
Council Tax
The tax charged on residential property by the local authority. Tenants are usually liable while the property is let as their main residence. Landlords become liable during void periods and for most HMOs (where each tenant has their own AST).
Decent Homes Standard (DHS)
A government standard for minimum housing quality, extended to the private rented sector by the Renters Rights Act 2025. Properties must be free of Category 1 HHSRS hazards, in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and provide reasonable thermal comfort.
Disrepair
A property condition falling below legal standards under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 or the Decent Homes Standard. Tenants can sue for damages and specific performance, and a valid disrepair claim is a complete defence to a possession claim.
Fitness for Human Habitation
The standard set by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. Every rented home must be fit for habitation at the start of the tenancy and throughout. Tenants can sue the landlord directly for breach, without involving the local authority.
Ground Rent
A payment due from a leaseholder to the freeholder. Ground rents on long leases granted on or after 30 June 2022 are capped at a peppercorn (effectively zero) under the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022.
HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System)
The risk-assessment framework used by local authorities to judge whether housing is safe. It scores 29 categories of hazard, from damp and mould to falling on stairs. Category 1 hazards are the most serious and trigger enforcement powers including Improvement Notices and Prohibition Orders.