Awaab's Law originated in the social rented sector following the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020. It imposes strict statutory timescales on landlords to investigate and remedy damp, mould, and other health hazards. It applies to social landlords from 27 October 2025. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for it to be extended to private landlords in England, consultation is pending and no commencement date has been set. If you let property in England, prepare now.
The response windows (social-sector model, in force 27 October 2025)
| Window | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Within 10 working days | Tenant reports a significant damp or mould hazard | Investigate the hazard |
| Within 3 working days of the investigation concluding | Investigation concludes | Written summary of findings to the tenant |
| Within 5 working days | Investigation identifies a significant hazard | Make the property safe |
| Within 12 weeks | Further works needed | Supplementary works started |
| Within 24 hours (emergency) | Hazard presents imminent risk | Make safe, temporary accommodation if needed |
Under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), serious damp or mould is a High (H) hazard. Even without Awaab's Law, a local authority can serve an improvement notice requiring remedial works; the notice cannot require works to start earlier than 28 days after service, and the landlord has 21 days to appeal. With Awaab's Law, the tenant can also pursue civil action.
Prescribed hazards under Awaab's Law
- Damp and mould growth.
- Excess cold.
- Excess heat.
- Carbon monoxide and fuel combustion products.
- Electrical hazards (consistent with the EICR regime).
- Structural collapse and falling elements.
- Domestic hygiene, pests and refuse.
- Food safety (shared cooking facilities in HMOs).
What 'investigation' means in practice
A visual inspection by the landlord is rarely enough. For damp/mould you need an independent survey identifying the cause, rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation, interstitial. For electrical, you need an EICR-type check. Keep written reports and photos. Without evidence of investigation, the default assumption is that you did nothing.
Documenting the response timeline
- Record the tenant report with time, date, and channel (email/phone/WhatsApp).
- Acknowledge in writing within 24 hours.
- Inspect within 10 working days. Send the tenant the appointment.
- Obtain a written survey / surveyor's opinion. Copy to tenant.
- Quote and schedule remedial works. Copy to tenant.
- Complete works. Obtain confirmation of remediation. Copy to tenant.
- Log the entire chain in your compliance file, this is what the court will ask for.
When it's a condensation-only complaint
Condensation is still a prescribed hazard if severe. The fact that better ventilation or heating habits would reduce it does not remove your duty. The right response is to investigate, advise, and, where the building fabric contributes (cold bridges, inadequate extraction), remediate. Never dismiss a mould complaint as 'a lifestyle issue' in writing; that single phrase has lost more than one case.
Our Awaab's Law Response Template gives you the acknowledgement letter, the 10-working-day inspection report frame, the quote-and-schedule letter, and a completion certificate, the exact paper trail a tribunal expects.