Awaab's Law explained: what landlords must do about damp and mould.
Awaab's Law gives social landlords fixed, legal timescales to investigate and fix damp, mould and other hazards. This is a plain-English guide to what it requires, who it applies to, and why a lasting fix means treating the cause, not just the symptom. Every figure here is sourced from the legislation and GOV.UK guidance.
What is Awaab's Law?
Named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his home, Awaab's Law places damp and mould at the centre of a landlord's legal duties.
Introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and given effect by regulations that came into force on 27 October 2025, Awaab's Law adds strict time limits to a landlord's existing repairing obligations. Instead of leaving hazards unresolved, landlords must now act within set deadlines once a problem is reported.
The first phase targets the problem our vents are designed to help with: damp and mould, alongside all emergency hazards. Further hazard types are expected to follow in 2026 and 2027; check GOV.UK for the latest.
The statutory timescales for damp and mould
These are the Awaab's Law deadlines that apply to social landlords in England from a report of a potential hazard. Timescales are counted in working days unless stated otherwise. Different rules apply elsewhere in the UK; see 'The rules where you are' below.
Where a hazard poses a significant and imminent risk, the landlord must investigate and make it safe as soon as reasonably practicable, and within 24 hours.
Reg 5, SI 2025/1042From becoming aware of a potential significant hazard such as damp or mould, the landlord has 10 working days to investigate and establish whether a hazard exists.
Reg 6, SI 2025/1042After the investigation concludes, the landlord must give the tenant a written summary of the findings within 3 working days.
Reg 9, SI 2025/1042Where a significant hazard is confirmed, safety work to make the home safe must be completed within 5 working days of the investigation, or the landlord must arrange suitable alternative accommodation at their own expense.
Reg 11, SI 2025/1042Longer-term work to stop the problem returning must begin within 5 working days; where that is impracticable, it must physically start within 12 weeks and complete within a reasonable period.
Reg 13, SI 2025/1042A "working day" means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a bank holiday. Where make-safe work cannot be completed in time, the landlord must provide suitable alternative accommodation at their own expense.
The rules where you are
Damp-and-mould duties are not the same across the UK: they differ by nation, by whether the home is social or privately rented, and by date. Choose yours to see what applies and what's changing.
Emergency repairs within 24 hours · investigate within 10 working days · tell the tenant within 3 working days · repair within 5 working days
Applicable framework: Awaab's Law: Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1042)
In force for social landlords (councils and housing associations) since 27 October 2025. Phase 1 covers damp & mould and all emergency hazards.
What's changing & when
Phase 2 (further hazards such as excess cold, fire and structural) is expected in 2026 and Phase 3 in 2027. These add hazards; they do not change the damp & mould deadlines already in force.
No fixed timescales yet: reasonable time
Applicable framework: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s.11, Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and the HHSRS
There is a duty to keep the home fit and to repair, but no fixed statutory day-by-day timescale; the law requires action within a reasonable time. The home must be fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy.
What's changing & when
Awaab's Law is due to be extended to the private rented sector under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, but no start date is set yet (to be confirmed after consultation). Do not assume the social-housing deadlines apply to private tenancies today.
Urgent hazards: check within 24 hours, then fix within a further 24 hours · serious hazards: check within 10 working days, then fix within 5 working days
Applicable framework: Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023: "Responding to Hazards" (with the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016)
In force for social landlords in Wales since 1 April 2026. Uses a different structure to England: imminent-risk hazards are investigated within 24 hours and remedied within a further 24 hours; significant-risk hazards are investigated within 10 working days and remedied within 5.
What's changing & when
Wales delivers this through its housing standard rather than "Awaab's Law". There is no committed timescale regime for private tenancies in Wales yet.
No fixed timescales: reasonable time
Applicable framework: Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016: fitness for human habitation (WSI 2022/6)
There is a duty to keep the home fit and to repair, but no fixed statutory day-by-day timescale; the law requires action within a reasonable time. Damp and mould is "Matter 1" under the Welsh fitness regulations; repairs must be done within a reasonable time.
What's changing & when
The Welsh Government has signalled interest in protecting private tenants, but no fixed private-sector timescales have been committed.
From 6 Oct 2026: investigate within 10 working days · tell the tenant within 3 working days · start repairs within 5 working days
Applicable framework: Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/173), under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025
Fixed timescales apply to reports made on or after 6 October 2026, to both social and private tenancies. Before that date the duty is to repair within a reasonable time. Scotland uses working-day timescales (10 / 3 / 5) and has no separate 24-hour limb.
What's changing & when
These duties commence on 6 October 2026 (SSI 2026/173). For reports dated before then, the Repairing Standard "reasonable time" duty applies.
From 6 Oct 2026: investigate within 10 working days · tell the tenant within 3 working days · start repairs within 5 working days
Applicable framework: The Repairing Standard (Housing (Scotland) Act 2006), with SSI 2026/173 timescales from 6 Oct 2026
Fixed timescales apply to reports made on or after 6 October 2026, to both social and private tenancies. Before that date the Repairing Standard requires repair within a reasonable time.
What's changing & when
These duties commence on 6 October 2026 (SSI 2026/173). For reports dated before then, the Repairing Standard "reasonable time" duty applies.
No fixed timescales: standards-based
Applicable framework: Decent Homes Standard (with the Housing (NI) Order 1981 fitness standard)
There is a duty to keep the home fit and to repair, but no fixed statutory day-by-day timescale; the law requires action within a reasonable time. Social homes are maintained under the Decent Homes Standard; there is no Awaab's-Law-style timescale in Northern Ireland.
What's changing & when
A review of the Decent Homes Standard consulted between November 2025 and March 2026 and may introduce stronger protections, but nothing is yet enacted.
No fixed timescales: fitness standard
Applicable framework: Housing (NI) Order 1981, Article 46: fitness standard (enforced by councils)
There is a duty to keep the home fit and to repair, but no fixed statutory day-by-day timescale; the law requires action within a reasonable time. A dwelling must be free from dampness prejudicial to the health of the occupants; councils enforce the fitness standard.
What's changing & when
Reform of private-rented fitness standards has been debated but no Awaab's-Law equivalent has been enacted in Northern Ireland.
Meeting a deadline is not the same as fixing the cause.
Awaab's Law is about outcomes, not box-ticking. Wiping mould, repainting or sealing a wall clears the symptom for a few weeks, then it returns and has to be dealt with again. A durable fix has to remove the reason the surface got wet in the first place.
Most damp and mould comes down to humid air and moisture with nowhere to go. Where that is the cause, ventilation that carries that moisture out at source tackles it, which is what a lasting repair looks like. Damp has several causes, such as leaks and plumbing faults, and some of them ventilation can't fix.
Addresses the cause, not the surface
Wind-powered vents are designed to keep air (and moisture) moving through the fabric, so walls can dry instead of staying wet and cold.
Fast to fit, no motor, no electricity
No running costs and nothing for a tenant to switch on, and it ventilates actively whenever there's wind. Inspect periodically; the removable insert makes it quick to check and clear.
Inspectable by design
The patent-pending removable insert lets the cavity be checked and cleared, directly tackling the blocked weep holes and cavity debris that keep walls wet.
Compliance tools
Practical help to track and evidence your response to a damp-and-mould report.
Compliance tracker
An interactive checklist that turns a damp-and-mould report into dated, owned tasks (investigate, summarise, make safe), with the statutory deadlines calculated for you, plus export, printing and a shareable record for landlord and tenant.
Open the tracker → Free downloadCompliance kit for tenants
A ready-to-use, printable handout landlords can give tenants, explaining the timescales, what to expect and how to report a problem, to evidence a fair, compliant process.
Open the kit → Free toolDamp solution finder for landlords
Explains the likely cause of what tenants are reporting, checks whether our vents suit the building, and counts and prices the vents across your homes, so you can plan the fix behind each report.
Open the finder →Awaab's Law, in plain answers
What does Awaab's Law require?
It sets legal deadlines for landlords to act on reported hazards. For damp and mould, a landlord must investigate within 10 working days, give the tenant a written summary within 3 working days of that investigation, and complete any make-safe works within 5 working days, with emergency hazards made safe within 24 hours.
Source: The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 →When did Awaab's Law come into force?
It came into force for social landlords in England on 27 October 2025. This first phase covers damp and mould, plus all emergency hazards. Further categories of hazard are expected to be added in 2026 (Phase 2) and 2027 (Phase 3); check GOV.UK for the latest position.
Source: Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlords (GOV.UK) →Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords?
Not yet. Awaab's Law currently applies to social housing (councils and housing associations). The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates the power to extend it to the private rented sector, but no start date has been set. Private landlords are not currently bound by these deadlines, but they already have duties under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 and the HHSRS.
Source: Renters' Rights Act 2025 →Does ventilation count as fixing the root cause?
Awaab's Law expects landlords to address the cause of a hazard, not just paint over it. Most damp and mould is driven by humid air and moisture with nowhere to go. Where that is the cause, ventilation that carries moisture out at source tackles it, rather than masking the symptom. Damp has several causes, such as leaks and plumbing faults, and some of them ventilation can't fix, so the cause should be diagnosed first.
Source: Approved Document F: Ventilation (Building Regulations) →References
- › The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1042)
- › Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlords, timeframes for repairs (GOV.UK)
- › Awaab's Law consultation: government response (GOV.UK)
- › Renters' Rights Act 2025 (extension to the private rented sector)
Whilst we have done our due diligence to research, locate and cite accurate data for this page, it is provided as general guidance only and is not legal advice. Housing law differs across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and changes over time, and other sources may interpret it differently, so we cannot guarantee it is complete or current for your situation. Always check the legislation that applies to your location and seek your own independent legal advice before relying on it.
Fix the cause, not just the deadline
Repeat damp and mould cases usually come back to trapped moisture. We'll review your highest-risk homes and show how wind-powered cross-ventilation can help keep them dry.