Awaab's Law: What the Official Guidance and Ombudsman Say

There is a lot of commentary about Awaab’s Law. This article sticks to what the official sources actually say: the government’s guidance, the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing. Each point links to the page it comes from, so you can check the wording yourself. Sources were checked on 6 October 2026.

Key Takeaways

• The government guidance sets the timescales: Emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours; significant hazards investigated within 10 working days, with a written summary, safety works and preventative works to follow within set periods.

• The Ombudsman called for a culture change in 2021: Its Spotlight report on damp and mould urged a zero-tolerance approach and a move from reactive to proactive.

• The Regulator expects landlords to know their homes: The Safety and Quality Standard requires an accurate, up to date and evidenced understanding of stock condition, and a timely repairs service.

• The scale of the problem is measurable: The English Housing Survey found 1.3 million homes (5%) in England had a damp problem in 2023–24.

• Ventilation is part of the picture, not the whole of it: Building Regulations guidance links inadequate ventilation to mould, but damp also has other causes, such as leaks and plumbing faults, that need their own fixes.

What the Government Guidance Says

The GOV.UK guidance for social landlords confirms that Awaab’s Law came into force for the social rented sector from 27 October 2025. For emergency hazards, landlords must investigate and carry out safety work within 24 hours of becoming aware of the hazard. For significant hazards, they must investigate within 10 working days, give the tenant a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation concluding, complete safety work within 5 working days, and begin supplementary preventative work within 5 working days, or physically start it within 12 weeks if it cannot begin sooner.

Three other points from the guidance are often misunderstood:

• The defence is narrow. Landlords have a defence only if they can prove they used all reasonable endeavours to comply but could not do so for reasons genuinely beyond their control.
• Monitoring alerts are not the trigger. The guidance explains that a risk notification from an environmental monitoring system does not, in itself, mean a landlord has been made aware of a current hazard. Timescales start when the landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard.
• The phased approach is not a free pass. The guidance makes clear that phasing does not give social landlords leeway on dangerous issues in the meantime, and that they should continue to meet the outcomes in the Regulator of Social Housing’s Safety and Quality Standard.

On enforcement, the guidance explains that the requirements are implied into tenancies, so tenants can take legal action for breach of contract, and that the Housing Ombudsman Service investigates complaints against social landlords.

The government has also published Phase 2 guidance. It says Phase 2 is expected to apply from 30 November 2026, when the amending regulations come into force, subject to Parliamentary approval.

What the Housing Ombudsman Says

In October 2021 the Housing Ombudsman published Spotlight on damp and mould: It’s not lifestyle. It looked at 410 complaints about 142 landlords over two years, finding maladministration in 56% of cases, rising to 64% for complaint handling, and made 26 recommendations.

Two points from the Ombudsman’s announcement of the report stand out:

• A zero-tolerance approach “does not mean zero cases”, but it does require changes in culture, behaviour and approach by landlords, moving from reactive to proactive.
• The report said the term “lifestyle”, when it may be a consequence of limited choices, “should be banished from the vernacular”.

The Ombudsman also keeps a learning hub on Awaab’s Law, and publishes its guidance on remedies, which explains the orders it can make when it finds service failure, maladministration or severe maladministration.

What the Regulator of Social Housing Says

The Regulator of Social Housing’s Safety and Quality Standard, in effect since 1 April 2024, includes these required outcomes:

• “Registered providers must have an accurate, up to date and evidenced understanding of the condition of their homes that reliably informs their provision of good quality, well maintained and safe homes for tenants.”
• “Registered providers must provide an effective, efficient and timely repairs, maintenance and planned improvements service for the homes and communal areas for which they are responsible.”

The consumer standards do not set ventilation or insulation levels. Those come from the Decent Homes Standard, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and Building Regulations.

The Scale of the Problem

The English Housing Survey 2023 to 2024 found that 1.3 million homes in England (5%) had a damp problem in one or more rooms, the highest rate in five years. Local authority and private rented homes were the most likely to be damp (both 9%), compared with 5% of housing association homes.

Ventilation and Health: What the Guidance Says

Ventilation is one of the factors behind condensation, damp and mould, and it is often overlooked. Approved Document F puts it plainly: “Without adequate ventilation, mould and internal air pollution might become hazardous to health.” The World Health Organization’s guidelines on dampness and mould found sufficient evidence that people living in damp or mouldy buildings are at increased risk of respiratory symptoms, respiratory infections and worsening asthma.

That doesn’t mean ventilation fixes everything. Damp also comes from leaks, rising and penetrating damp, and plumbing faults, which need their own repairs. Good ventilation, alongside heating and insulation, is designed to help reduce condensation risk once those other causes have been ruled out or fixed. Whatever system is used, it should be inspected periodically so it keeps working as intended.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the government guidance say Awaab’s Law requires?
Social landlords in England must investigate and make safe emergency hazards within 24 hours, and for significant hazards investigate within 10 working days, give a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation, complete safety work within 5 working days, and begin preventative work within 5 working days (or physically start within 12 weeks if it cannot begin sooner).

How is Awaab’s Law enforced?
The requirements are implied into social tenancies, so tenants can bring a claim for breach of contract. Tenants can complain to the Housing Ombudsman, and the Regulator of Social Housing oversees landlords against its consumer standards, including the Safety and Quality Standard.

What did the Housing Ombudsman’s 2021 Spotlight report find?
It looked at 410 complaints about 142 landlords over two years, found maladministration in 56% of cases, made 26 recommendations, and called for a zero-tolerance approach that moves landlords from reactive to proactive.

Do the Regulator’s standards set ventilation requirements?
No. The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to understand the condition of their homes and provide a timely repairs service. Ventilation and insulation levels come from the Decent Homes Standard, the HHSRS and Building Regulations.

How common is damp in England?
The English Housing Survey 2023 to 2024 found 1.3 million homes (5%) had a damp problem, with local authority and private rented homes the most likely to be affected (both 9%).

In this series

Part 10 of 12 in Awaab’s Law: The Complete Guide for Landlords (2026).

• ⬅ Previous: Awaab’s Law in Practice: Illustrative Compliance Scenarios
• ➡ Next: Awaab’s Law: The Real Costs of Non-Compliance