Introduction
On 27 October 2025 the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 came into force. These are more widely known as Awaab’s Law.
The legislation requires all social landlords to act promptly to address hazards in the home, including damp and mould, putting in place strict timescales for investigating a hazard, providing feedback and completing the repairs. There will be a phased implementation of Awaab’s Law over the next two years.
Phase one of the regulations mean that from 27 October 2025 we have to:
- Make emergency hazards safe within your home in 24 hours
- Investigate significant hazards relating to damp and mould in your home within 10 working days
- Within three days of inspection, provide you with a written summary of our findings, outlining what we are going to do to fix the issue, and when
- Carry out work to make your home safe from damp and mould (carry out a mould wash for example) within five days of inspection
- Start additional work to fix the cause of the issue or prevent it from returning within twelve weeks of your initial call to us
- Provide temporary accommodation if we can’t make homes safe within the timescales
We already have existing processes in place to manage emergency repairs, hazards and damp and mould. These new rules will strengthen our approach.
Frequently asked questions
So that you know what to expect when you tell us about a hazard in your home, we’ve put together some frequently asked questions.
Reporting
1. I have a new case of damp and mould in my home, how do I report it?
You can report this to us online, by phone or by email. If you can, send us some photos or a video so we can get a better idea of the extent of the issue.
Reports should not be made to us on social media.
What happens next
2. You’ve agreed that I have an emergency hazard in my home, what’s next?
We will make your home safe within 24 hours. If we can’t, we will tell you why and what the next steps will be. If we need to come back to carry out further work, we will be clear with you about what that work is and when you can expect us to return to complete it. We will provide you with a written summary of findings within 3 working days.
3. How soon should I expect someone to investigate the damp and mould in my home, if I’m told it has been categorised as a significant hazard?
We will arrange to visit or carry out a virtual assessment of your case within 10 working days. We will provide you with a written summary of our findings, including a list of the repairs we need to undertake and an estimated timescale. We will also agree with you how often we will keep in contact if the work in your home is likely to be lengthy or complex.
4. How long will the work take?
It’s difficult to say as it will depend on the cause of the damp and mould. We will aim to complete safety works within 5 working days. If we need to do more to resolve the issue, or stop it coming back, we will let you know when the work will start and how long it will take. We will do this as soon as possible, but if we need to engage with specialist contractors or source materials it may take longer, but work should start within twelve weeks.
5. What happens if you can’t carry out the work within the timescales?
We will keep you updated and let you know why. We may also offer you temporary rehousing.
6. I have an open damp and mould case, reported to you before 27 October 2025, will this now be covered under Awaab’s Law?
Not necessarily, as per the government guidance, any cases that we are currently working on will remain in our existing damp and mould process. If you contact us to tell us the issue has changed, become worse or is adversely affecting a member of your household, we will re-evaluate and may agree that the damp and mould should be covered under Awaab’s Law.
7. What happens if I’m unhappy with the way you’ve responded to my hazard or damp and mould report?
You can make a formal complaint to us, which we will investigate via our normal routes. If you remain unhappy with our decision, you can escalate your case to the Housing Ombudsman.