Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family's housing association flat in Rochdale. It gives social housing tenants fixed timescales for having dangerous damp, mould and other hazards investigated and put right.
What social landlords must now do
Since 27 October 2025, social landlords in England have had to meet these deadlines for damp and mould that presents a significant risk of harm, and for emergencies:
- Emergency hazards: investigate and make safe within 24 hours
- Significant hazards: investigate within 10 working days of becoming aware
- Send the tenant a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation ending
- Start safety work within 5 working days of the investigation ending
- Further hazards are being added in stages during 2026 and 2027
What it means for private landlords
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 gives the Government the power to apply Awaab's Law to privately rented homes. The timing, and whether the deadlines will be the same, are still to be set through consultation; most commentators expect 2027 at the earliest. Nothing about it is in force for private landlords today.
That does not mean damp and mould can wait. Private landlords already have to keep homes in repair and fit for human habitation, under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and councils can take enforcement action under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. The difference Awaab's Law makes is that "a reasonable time" becomes a fixed number of days, and the paperwork becomes part of the duty.
Get into the habit now
- Log every report of damp or mould with the date you were told
- Inspect promptly, take dated photographs and note the likely cause: condensation, a leak, or water getting in from outside
- Tell the tenant in writing what you found and what you will do, and by when
- Fix the cause, not just the mould: a gutter, a failed seal, missing extraction, a blocked air brick
- Check back after the work and record that it has stayed dry
- Keep it all in one file per property
Landlords who already work this way will barely notice when the law changes. Those who do not will find the new deadlines hard to meet, and harder to prove.
Where we fit in
We inspect for damp and mould as part of a condition walk-round, record what we find with photographs, identify the likely cause, and set out the repair in plain English for you and your tradesperson. Landlord Ready, at £295 a property, includes it alongside a certificate check and a plan for EPC C.
Sources and further reading
Checked against the sources below on 4 October 2026.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. The rules for private landlords were still to be confirmed when it was written; check the sources below for the current position.