Awaab's Law turns damp and mould from a judgement call into a timed duty. For social landlords in England, hazards now have to be investigated, reported on and repaired within set periods, and the evidence trail has to show it happened. The housing teams coping best are the ones who treat the first visit as an investigation, not a repaint.
Who it applies to
The requirements came into force for social housing in England from October 2025, starting with damp and mould and emergency hazards, with further hazards being phased in. The government has signalled that similar duties will reach the private rented sector, so private landlords and the agents managing their blocks are sensible to work to the same standard now rather than retrofit it later.
Check the current guidance for your stock type before setting internal targets. The timescales below are the headline duties, not a substitute for legal advice.
The timescales in practice
- Emergency hazards: investigate and make safe within 24 hours
- Significant hazards: investigate within 10 working days of becoming aware
- Written summary of findings to the resident within 3 working days of the investigation
- Where a significant hazard is confirmed, start safety work within 5 working days
- Where work cannot be completed quickly, the resident should be offered suitable alternative accommodation
Why the first visit decides everything
Most failed damp cases we are called into had a visit within days. The problem is that the visit treated the mould and left the cause. Six weeks later the resident reports it again, and the clock restarts with a worse history behind it.
A proper investigation records surface and air temperature, humidity and moisture readings room by room, tests every extract fan, checks the outside of the building above the affected area and photographs all of it. That one visit gives you the diagnosis, the written summary and the start of the evidence pack.
What a defensible record looks like
- Date and time the report was received, and how
- Investigation date, readings, photographs and the cause identified
- Copy of the written summary sent to the resident, with the date it was sent
- Scope of works, start date and completion date
- A follow up inspection after the next heating season, recorded against the original report
Getting ahead of it
The cheapest damp case is the one that never gets reported. Annual extract fan checks, gutter and roof inspections before winter, and a quick look at void properties before they are relet catch most causes early. Pairing those checks with a planned maintenance schedule turns Awaab's Law from a reactive risk into a routine one.