Awaab’s Law in the social rented sector
Documents relating to Awaab's Law in the social rented sector.
Who this page is for
This document collection contains information for :
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tenants and residents in social housing in England
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social housing landlords in England
What Awaab’s Law means
Awaab’s Law is named after 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died tragically in 2020 as a result of a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home.
Awaab’s Law requires social housing landlords to investigate and repair emergency and significant hazards within set timeframes. These requirements have been introduced in a phased approach in the social rented sector, with Phase 1 coming into force on 27 October 2025 covering all emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards.
Phase 2 will come into force on 30 November 2026 and will extend the significant hazard requirements to a wider range of hazards including:
- excess cold
- excess heat
- falls on the level (including falls on the level, falls on stairs, etc, and falls between levels)
- structural collapse
- fire and explosions
- electrical hazards
- domestic hygiene (including personal hygiene and food safety)
Phase 3 will extend requirements to the remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards, excluding overcrowding.
The regulations mean that social housing landlords must:
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investigate any potential emergency hazards and, if the investigation identifies an emergency hazard, undertake relevant safety work as soon as reasonably practicable. The investigation and the relevant safety work must both be completed within 24 hours of becoming aware of the hazard
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investigate any potential significant hazards within 10 working days of becoming aware of them
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produce a written summary of investigation findings and provide this to the tenant within 3 working days of the conclusion of the investigation
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undertake relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant hazard
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begin, or take steps to begin, any work required to prevent a significant or emergency hazard recurring (“supplementary preventative work”) within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant or emergency hazard. If supplementary preventative works cannot begin within 5 working days it must begin as soon as reasonably practicable, and within 12 weeks
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satisfactorily complete supplementary preventative works within a reasonable time period
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secure the provision of suitable alternative accommodation for the household, at the social landlord’s expense, if relevant safety work cannot be completed within the timeframes set out above
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keep the tenant updated throughout the process and provide information on how to keep safe if the unsafe premises is not vacated
Guidance for social housing landlords: Phase 1
This guidance is relevant to Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law only and will remain in effect until 11:59pm on 29 November 2026. Phase 2 will come into force on 30 November 2026.
Guidance for social housing landlords: Phase 2
Guidance for Phase 2 will come into effect from 30 November 2026.
The social housing landlord guidance sets out the process and requirements of Awaab’s Law and has been updated for Phase 2, taking into account findings from the Test and Learn process.
In response to feedback on the triaging process, the hazards guidance has been developed as a separate annex to support landlords in triaging hazards. Social housing landlords should use the hazards guidance annex alongside the main guidance for social housing landlords.
Guidance for social housing tenants: Phase 1
The Awaab’s Law social housing tenant guidance is for all residents of social housing in England. It clearly outlines the responsibilities of social housing landlords under Awaab’s Law, as well as social housing tenants’ rights and routes of redress.
It includes Arabic, Bangla, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian and Urdu translations, and a British Sign Language version.
Guidance for social tenants for Phase 2 of Awaab’s Law will be published in due course ahead of the 30 November 2026 implementation date.
Regulations: Phase 2
The Awaab’s Law regulations are the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025.
The following is an amended version of the regulations.
Consultation and impact assessment
Impact assessment: Phase 2
Research
Awaab’s Law has been implemented in a phased approach, to allow a ‘Test and Learn’ period between each phase to ensure the regulations are working effectively for both social housing tenants and social housing landlords.
The executive summary from research undertaken from Verian, an independent research company, provides an overview of the early insights from Phase 1 Test and Learn.