Awaab's Law for Landlords in England: Repair Timescales (2026)

Awaab’s Law for landlords is a set of legally binding deadlines for investigating and fixing dangerous hazards, above all damp and mould, once a tenant reports them. It started in social housing on 27 October 2025, and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extends the same idea to the private rented sector (PRS) in England. In short: when a tenant tells you about a serious hazard, you will no longer be able to let it drift. You will have a fixed window to investigate, a fixed window to make the home safe, and a written paper trail to prove you did.

The single most important thing to understand right now is this: the exact PRS timescales and the commencement date are being set by secondary regulations and are still being finalised. The duty is coming, but the precise number of days that will apply to private landlords, and the date they bite, are subject to government consultation. Treat the figures in this guide as the social-housing benchmark and the likely shape of the PRS rules, not as a settled private-sector deadline, and always confirm the current position on GOV.UK before you rely on a specific number.

What is Awaab’s Law and why does it exist?

Awaab’s Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social housing flat in Rochdale. The coroner found the mould had been reported repeatedly and not dealt with. The public response drove a change in the law.

The legal foundation was laid by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which inserted a new section 10A into the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Section 10A allows the government to make regulations that imply terms into tenancy agreements requiring landlords to deal with prescribed hazards within prescribed timescales. The first regulations under that power took effect for social landlords on 27 October 2025.

The mechanism matters. Awaab’s Law does not sit in a code of practice you can quietly ignore; it works by writing a term into the tenancy agreement itself. A breach of the timescales is therefore a breach of contract the tenant can enforce directly, on top of any enforcement by a council or ombudsman.

How Awaab’s Law is being extended to the private rented sector

For most of its short life, Awaab’s Law has applied only to social housing. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changes that by extending the section 10A regime, the duty to deal with prescribed hazards within set timescales, to private landlords in England.

This is one of the later-stage reforms in the Act. The first wave of the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026 (abolishing Section 21, converting tenancies to periodic, and rebalancing the Section 8 grounds, covered in The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 explained: a complete guide for England landlords). Awaab’s Law for the PRS is not part of that first wave. Current government signalling points to the private-sector duty arriving around 2027, but the precise commencement is to be confirmed and depends on the secondary regulations.

Because the detail is being delivered by regulations rather than the Act itself, three things are still moving:

• The exact timescales that will apply to private landlords (the social-housing numbers are the working template, but the PRS figures are not yet locked).
• Which hazards are covered first (damp and mould lead; other hazards phase in).
• The commencement date for the PRS duty.

For where this sits in the wider rollout, see Renters’ Rights Act 2025 commencement dates: the full timeline for England. Do not assume Awaab’s Law is a live private-sector obligation today.

What counts as a relevant hazard?

Awaab’s Law does not cover every minor defect. It targets prescribed hazards, the ones capable of posing a serious risk to a tenant’s health or safety. The framework is being phased in by category of hazard, starting with the issue that gave rise to the law in the first place.

In social housing the phasing looks like this, and the PRS is expected to follow a comparable staged approach:

• First: damp and mould, plus a general duty to deal with emergency hazards of any kind within a much tighter window.
• Next: a broader set of hazards such as excess cold and excess heat, falls (on stairs, between levels, on the level), fire and electrical hazards, explosions, hygiene-related hazards and structural collapse.
• Finally: the remaining hazards that feed into the Decent Homes Standard, with a small number of categories handled separately.

The hazard categories themselves map onto the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), the established framework councils already use to assess risks in housing. So “what counts” is not a brand-new vocabulary, it builds on the hazard list landlords and local authorities have worked with for years. The novelty in Awaab’s Law is not what is hazardous; it is the clock that now runs once a tenant reports it.

Crucially, the duty is triggered when you become aware of a potential hazard, typically a tenant’s report, but awareness can also come from your own inspection or a third party. You cannot wait to be chased.

The timescales: investigate, make safe, and the emergency window

Here are the social-housing timescales that took effect on 27 October 2025. They are the clearest available indication of the shape the PRS rules will take, but, to repeat the central caveat, the figures that will bind private landlords are set by secondary regulations and are not yet finalised. Check GOV.UK for the confirmed PRS numbers before relying on any specific count of days.

A few points worth drawing out:

• An emergency hazard is one posing an imminent and significant risk of harm. Examples in the draft guidance include gas leaks, dangerous electrics, total loss of heating or water, serious structural defects, and serious damp and mould. The 24-hour clock is for making the home safe, not necessarily for a permanent fix; a permanent repair can follow once the immediate danger is removed.
• “Make safe” and “permanent repair” are not the same thing. Where a full repair cannot be completed within the window, you are expected to take interim action to remove the risk and then complete the works within a reasonable further period, recording the plan throughout.
• The deadlines run in working days (with the emergency window in clock hours), so a Friday-afternoon report does not buy you a quiet weekend on the standard hazards, count carefully.

If the PRS regulations adopt these or similar figures, the practical message is the same: build a process that can reliably hit a 24-hour emergency response and a roughly two-week investigation window, because that is the order of magnitude the government has chosen.

Record-keeping and communicating with tenants

Awaab’s Law is, in large part, a documentation duty. The law assumes that if you cannot evidence what you did and when, you did not do it. Two habits will protect you more than anything else.

First, log every report the moment it arrives. Capture the date and time, who reported it, the hazard described, and any photographs. The clock starts from awareness, so the report date is the single most important fact in any later dispute. Treat a text message, an email, a phone call noted at the time, or a comment to your agent as a report, do not insist on a particular channel.

Second, communicate in writing and keep copies. Under the social-housing rules a landlord must give the tenant a written summary of the investigation (its findings, what will be done, and the expected timing) within a few working days of completing the investigation. Even before the PRS rules are confirmed, adopting this discipline now is sensible: a clear written summary both meets the likely duty and demonstrates good faith if the matter is ever examined by a court, a council, or the forthcoming PRS Ombudsman.

Keep a simple, dated trail for each hazard: report received → investigation booked → investigation completed → written summary sent → works ordered → works completed → tenant confirmation. If you use a managing agent, make sure their records flow back to you, because the legal duty stays with the landlord.

What happens if you fail to comply?

Because Awaab’s Law works as an implied term of the tenancy, a missed timescale is a breach of the tenancy agreement. That opens several routes against a non-compliant landlord, which broadly mirror the enforcement landscape across the Renters’ Rights Act:

• Court action by the tenant. A tenant can apply to court for an order for specific performance (forcing you to do the work) and for damages/compensation for the breach and any harm suffered. This sits alongside the long-standing repairing obligations in section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which already let tenants sue over unfit conditions.
• Local authority enforcement. Councils can already act on serious hazards under the HHSRS regime, issuing improvement notices, prohibition orders and, where appropriate, civil penalties. Awaab’s Law strengthens the backdrop rather than replacing it.
• The PRS Landlord Ombudsman. A single redress scheme that all private landlords will be required to join is expected to arrive around 2028; once live, tenants will be able to escalate unresolved hazard complaints there for binding decisions and compensation. See the wider enforcement picture in The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 explained.
• Knock-on possession risk. A landlord embroiled in a disrepair claim is in a far weaker position when seeking possession, and unresolved hazards can feed into other compliance failures. The reforms that removed the no-fault route, explained in Section 21 abolished in England: what landlords need to know in 2026, mean you can no longer side-step a difficult tenancy with a quick Section 21, making proactive repair the only sensible strategy.

The precise penalties, compensation levels and enforcement detail for the PRS version are, again, part of the secondary regulations still being finalised, so do not quote a hard figure to a tenant or assume a particular fine. Confirm on GOV.UK.

Practical compliance steps to take now

You do not need to wait for the commencement date to get ready. The cost of preparing early is low; the cost of being caught flat-footed when the duty bites, with a tenant who knows their rights and a council willing to enforce, is high.

1. Set up a hazard report log. One place where every report is recorded with a timestamp. This single habit is the backbone of compliance.
2. Define an emergency-response path. Know, in advance, who you would call to make a home safe within 24 hours, a contractor or two on standby for damp, electrics, heating and water. A relationship arranged now beats a panicked search later.
3. Diarise the standard windows. When a non-emergency hazard is reported, immediately book the investigation and set a reminder for the (likely ~10 working day) deadline and the follow-on works window.
4. Investigate damp and mould properly, not cosmetically. Painting over mould is not “making safe.” Identify the cause, condensation, penetrating damp, rising damp, a leak, ventilation, and address it. Keep evidence of the diagnosis.
5. Always send a written summary. Tell the tenant what you found, what you will do, and when. Keep the copy.
6. Brief your managing agent. Confirm they will treat tenant reports as triggering the clock and feed records back to you. The duty does not transfer to them.
7. Tend to the wider compliance baseline. Gas, electrical (EICR) and EPC duties are unchanged by the Act and remain in force, and a well-maintained property generates fewer hazard reports in the first place. Awaab’s Law also runs ahead of the incoming Decent Homes Standard for the PRS, so raising your stock to a good standard now serves both duties at once.

For the broader set of duties this sits within, including deposits, which are untouched by Awaab’s Law, see Tenancy deposit protection in England explained (2026 landlord guide).

Frequently asked questions

Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords yet?

Not yet as a live, enforceable duty. Awaab’s Law took effect for social landlords on 27 October 2025. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extends it to the private rented sector, but the PRS duty is a later-stage reform expected around 2027, and its exact timescales and commencement date are being set by secondary regulations that are still being finalised. Check GOV.UK for the confirmed private-sector position before relying on a specific deadline.

What hazards does Awaab’s Law cover?

It targets prescribed hazards that pose a serious risk to health or safety, led by damp and mould, together with a general duty to deal with emergency hazards quickly. Further categories, such as excess cold and heat, falls, fire and electrical hazards, hygiene and structural risks, are being phased in, drawing on the established Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazard list rather than inventing new definitions.

How quickly will I have to fix damp and mould?

Under the social-housing rules from October 2025, a landlord must investigate within 10 working days, provide a written summary within 3 working days of completing the investigation, and make safe significant damp and mould within a further 5 working days, with emergency hazards investigated and made safe within 24 hours. These are the benchmark figures. The numbers that will bind private landlords are set by regulations not yet finalised, so confirm the current PRS timescales on GOV.UK rather than treating these as fixed.

What is the legal basis for Awaab’s Law?

It rests on section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, inserted by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. Section 10A lets the government make regulations that imply a term into the tenancy agreement requiring landlords to address prescribed hazards within prescribed timescales. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is the vehicle for extending that regime to the private rented sector. You can read the underlying statutes on legislation.gov.uk.

What can a tenant do if I miss the deadline?

Because the timescale is an implied term of the tenancy, a breach is a breach of contract. A tenant can apply to court for specific performance (an order forcing the work to be done) and for compensation, alongside existing remedies under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 and section 11 repairing duties. Councils can also enforce through the HHSRS regime with notices and civil penalties, and, once operational, the PRS Landlord Ombudsman will offer a further route to redress.

Does Awaab’s Law replace my other safety obligations?

No. It adds to them. Your existing gas, electrical and EPC duties, your repairing obligations under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and the fitness duty under the 2018 Act all continue to apply. Awaab’s Law layers fixed timescales on top of the existing duty to keep a home free of serious hazards, and it runs alongside the forthcoming Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector.