Awaab’s Law: how to get damp and mould fixed in a council or housing association home

Quick answer: Awaab’s Law has covered council and housing association homes in England since 27 October 2025. If damp or mould is a significant risk to your health, your landlord has 10 working days to investigate. After that, it has 3 working days to send you a written summary and 5 to make the home safe. Emergencies must be made safe within 24 hours.

The clock starts when your landlord becomes aware of the problem. So how you report it matters.

What Awaab’s Law is

Awaab’s Law is the everyday name for The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025. They came into force on 27 October 2025 and apply to social homes in England whatever date the tenancy began. They set legal deadlines for investigating hazards and making homes safe, and make the landlord rehouse you at its own cost if it can’t make the home safe in time.

Why it exists: Awaab Ishak

Awaab Ishak died on 21 December 2020 at the Royal Oldham Hospital. He was 2. The Senior Coroner for Manchester North, Joanne Kearsley, found that he “died as a result of a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment. Action to treat and prevent the mould, was not taken.” That’s from her Prevention of Future Deaths report of 16 November 2022.

The family’s flat in Rochdale was owned by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH). Mould was reported to RBH in 2017 and the advice was to “paint over it”. A health visitor wrote to RBH on 9 July 2020, and RBH confirmed the mould on 14 July. Nothing had been done to treat it by the time Awaab died. The bathroom fan “did not work effectively” and the kitchen had no mechanical ventilation.

In December 2022 the Regulator of Social Housing found that RBH had breached the regulator’s consumer and governance standards. It had waited nearly two years after Awaab’s death to check other homes on the estate, then found hundreds of tenants living with damp and mould.

Who it covers

Awaab’s Law applies to local authorities and housing associations. The government’s tenant guidance says it covers “most people with social housing tenancy agreements in England”. One exception catches people out: if you live in supported housing or temporary accommodation, you might have a licence agreement instead of a tenancy, and then the law doesn’t apply.

Private renters in England aren’t covered yet. Section 60 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extends the power behind Awaab’s Law to private rented homes, but that section isn’t in force, and the government’s roadmap lists the timing as to be confirmed, subject to consultation. It’s planned. No date has been set.

What counts as a hazard right now

Phase 1 has applied since 27 October 2025. It covers all emergency hazards, plus damp and mould that present a significant risk of harm. Under regulation 3, a significant hazard is one a reasonable landlord would make safe “as a matter of urgency (but not within 24 hours)”. An emergency hazard is “an imminent and significant risk of harm” that it would make safe within 24 hours.

The time limits

The written summary must say whether a hazard was found, what further action is needed with target start and finish times (or why none is needed), and who to contact. Follow-up work must be finished within a reasonable time.

If the home can’t be made safe in time, regulation 16 says the landlord “must secure the provision of suitable alternative accommodation to the lessee’s household, at no cost to the lessee”. There is a defence: a landlord is protected if it has “taken all reasonable steps to comply”, for example where things were outside its control. So note every appointment offered and every visit you allowed.

Phase 2: more hazards from 30 November 2026, subject to Parliament

The phase 2 guidance says that from 30 November 2026 the law will extend to excess cold, excess heat, falls on the level, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene, where they present a significant risk of harm. This isn’t law yet. The amending regulations are a draft, due in force on that date “subject to Parliamentary approval“. A third phase would add the remaining housing hazards apart from overcrowding. The phase 1 guidance says 2027; the phase 2 guidance gives no date.

How to get damp and mould fixed, step by step

1. Report it through your landlord’s official channels. The tenant guidance says to use “your landlord’s official contact methods, like phone, email, or their online system.” If you phone, follow up in writing so there’s a dated record.
2. Give the details that set the priority: the type of problem, who lives in the home, their ages and health, and any access or communication needs.
3. Take photos, close up and wide enough to show the room. Keep the dates, and take new ones if it spreads.
4. Keep a record of “the hazard you reported, when you reported this, how you reported it and who to.” Save emails and reference numbers. Note calls and visits the same day.
5. Ask for a physical inspection if you want someone to see it. A fresh 10 working days then runs from the day after your request.
6. Ask for the written summary. It’s due within 3 working days of the investigation finishing.
7. If you’re told the work will overrun, ask in writing about alternative accommodation.

Not sure how to word it? Use our free tool to write a letter to your landlord.

How to complain if nothing happens

Social landlords must follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, which “became statutory on 1 April 2024”. You don’t need special wording. A complaint is “an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action”, and a missed Awaab’s Law deadline fits. There can be no more than two stages.

Once you’ve been through the process and the problem isn’t sorted, go to the Housing Ombudsman. It can also help if your landlord “is not responding to a complaint you made to it”. GOV.UK calls it “A free, independent service that investigates complaints about social landlords in England”. You can contact it through its website.

Older advice says you must first go to a “designated person” or wait eight weeks. Ignore it. That step was removed on 1 October 2022.

If you rent privately in England

GOV.UK’s advice is to contact your landlord first and “carry on paying rent while you’re waiting.” If repairs aren’t done, contact the environmental health department at your local council. It can assess the home under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, where damp and mould is one of 29 hazards. Councils must take enforcement action on category 1 hazards and can act on category 2, using improvement notices, civil penalties or prosecution (government guidance).

Cutting condensation while you wait

Report first. Small changes at home can cut condensation while the investigation runs, but they don’t move the repair onto you.

• How to reduce condensation and damp while keeping your home warm
• Why damp and mould can appear after insulation
• How positive input ventilation (PIV) works

And if a bathroom or kitchen extractor fan doesn’t work, report that too. In Awaab’s home, it was one of the failings.

FAQs

How long does my landlord have to fix damp and mould under Awaab’s Law?

For a significant risk, 10 working days to investigate. Then 3 working days to send you a written summary and 5 to make the home safe. Emergency hazards must be made safe within 24 hours.

Does Awaab’s Law apply to private renters?

Not in England yet. It’s planned, but no date has been set. Private renters should contact their council’s environmental health team if the landlord doesn’t act. In Scotland, private tenants are covered from 6 October 2026.

What if my landlord can’t make the home safe in time?

It must arrange suitable alternative accommodation for your household at no cost to you.

Do I have to wait eight weeks before going to the Housing Ombudsman?

No. That wait was removed on 1 October 2022. You can go to the Ombudsman once your landlord’s complaint process is finished, or if your landlord isn’t responding. It’s free.

Will Awaab’s Law cover other hazards?

From 30 November 2026, subject to Parliament, it’s due to extend to excess cold, excess heat, falls on the level, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene.