Awaab’s Law Is Coming to Private Rentals — What Landlords Must Do Now

Awaab’s Law — which requires landlords to investigate damp and mould within 14 days of a report and begin remediation within a further 7 days — is being extended to the private rented sector. Private landlords who have not updated their maintenance processes and contractor networks are now legally exposed. Here is what is changing, what the consequences of inaction are, and the three steps every private landlord should take immediately.

What Is Awaab’s Law and Why Does It Exist?

Awaab’s Law is one of the most significant changes to housing repair obligations in a generation. It was named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy from Rochdale who died in December 2020 following prolonged exposure to black mould in his family’s social housing flat. The subsequent inquest made national headlines: the housing provider had received multiple complaints about the mould and had consistently failed to act with any urgency.

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 responded by introducing mandatory, enforceable timescales for investigating and remediating damp and mould in social housing. The message was clear: when a tenant reports a hazard, the landlord must move — within days, not weeks or months.

Extension to the private rented sector was the logical next step. With private renters making up approximately 19% of all households in England, and with damp and mould disproportionately concentrated in older private housing stock, restricting the legislation to social landlords alone would have left millions of tenants without equivalent protection.

The era of casual inaction on damp and mould — for any landlord — is over.

What Are the Timescales Landlords Need to Know?

Under Awaab’s Law as applied to social housing — the model that private sector obligations are being built on — the timescales are:

• Investigate a reported damp or mould hazard: 14 days
• Begin remedial works once hazard is confirmed: 7 days (after investigation)
• Respond to emergency hazards: 24 hours
• Arrange alternative accommodation if property is uninhabitable: 7 days

These are not aspirational targets. They are legally enforceable deadlines with real financial consequences for missing them. The 14-day investigation window is tight in practice. The clock starts running the moment a report is received — not when the landlord decides to acknowledge it.

For private landlords, this means existing informal approaches to repairs — where messages are picked up when convenient, and contractors are booked on a best-efforts basis — are no longer viable. Systems, not good intentions, will determine compliance.

Why Private Landlords Cannot Take a Wait-and-See Approach

Some landlords may be tempted to delay preparing until the specific commencement date for the private sector extension is confirmed. This is a significant strategic error, for three reasons.

1. The legal baseline is already high

Even without Awaab’s Law in its statutory form, private landlords have substantial obligations under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 — which specifically names mould and damp as factors making a property unfit — and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), under which serious mould is a Category 1 hazard.

If a property is found unfit or presents a Category 1 hazard, enforcement action can already follow. Awaab’s Law does not create the duty to act; it tightens the timescales and raises expectations about what a reasonable response looks like.

2. Enforcement activity has increased sharply

The Awaab Ishak case changed the political environment for housing enforcement. Local authorities are under pressure to demonstrate they are acting on damp and mould, and enforcement activity in the private rented sector has risen considerably.

Environmental Health teams are more likely to:

• Inspect promptly when damp and mould are reported
• Serve Improvement Notices
• Use Civil Penalties instead of informal advice
• Escalate repeat offenders for banning orders or management orders

Waiting for the precise start date of Awaab’s Law in the private sector misses the point: the enforcement culture has already shifted.

3. The financial consequences are severe

A successful Rent Repayment Order (RRO) can result in an award of up to 12 months’ rent. For a property renting at £1,200 per month, that is a potential liability of £14,400 from a single case.

On top of that, landlords face:

• Civil penalties of up to £30,000 per offence
• Legal costs and time spent defending claims
• Potential loss of Section 21 (no-fault) possession routes where licensing or safety obligations are breached
• Reputational damage, particularly for portfolio landlords and agents

Against this backdrop, the cost of proactive inspections and timely remediation is modest.

The Three Steps Every Private Landlord Should Take Now

Step 1: Audit Your Portfolio for Existing Issues

If you have not commissioned a professional damp inspection for any of your properties in the last 12 months, do so now. A proactive inspection — carried out before any tenant complaint is received — is far preferable to a reactive one.

Focus your initial audit on higher-risk properties:

• Any property built before 1970
• Ground-floor and basement flats
• Properties with solid walls and poor insulation
• Homes that have received complaints about coldness, condensation, or moisture in the past two years
• Properties where extract ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms has not been upgraded recently

During the audit, you should:

• Record visible signs of mould, staining, or peeling paint
• Check relative humidity and surface temperatures where possible
• Review whether trickle vents, extractor fans, and window seals are functioning
• Ask tenants about any recurring issues, smells, or health symptoms

The aim is to identify and address problems before they escalate into formal complaints, enforcement action, or tribunal claims.

Step 2: Build Your Contractor Network Before You Need It

The 14-day investigation deadline is only achievable if you have a qualified contractor on standby. When a tenant messages you about mould tonight, you need to be able to send your chosen specialist in within days.

Relying on general handymen or waiting weeks for a surveyor appointment will not be compatible with Awaab’s Law timescales.

What to look for:

• PCA (Property Care Association) membership as the principal quality indicator in this sector
• CSRT (Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatments) or CSSW (Certificated Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing) qualifications for damp diagnosis and structural moisture issues
• Clear written reports that distinguish between condensation, penetrating damp, and rising damp
• Contractors who can propose both immediate risk-reduction steps and long-term solutions

What to avoid:

• Any contractor who diagnoses from photographs alone
• Any contractor who quotes before inspecting the property
• Any contractor who cannot explain the cause of the problem in plain language
• Contractors who only recommend chemical injections or coatings without addressing ventilation, insulation, or building defects

You should also:

• Agree indicative response times in writing (e.g. inspection within 5 days of instruction)
• Clarify fees for urgent call-outs versus standard visits
• Ensure contractors carry appropriate insurance and provide method statements where needed

Find a verified, PCA-accredited mould and damp specialist in your area

Step 3: Document Everything, From the Moment of Report

If a dispute ever reaches the First-tier Tribunal, your documentation is your defence. Every stage of the process must be recorded in writing with a timestamp.

At a minimum, you should retain:

• The original report from the tenant with date and time (email, portal message, or written note)
• Your response acknowledging the report and setting out next steps
• The contractor’s written inspection report, including photos where possible
• The remediation works instruction and completion confirmation
• Correspondence with the tenant throughout, including any advice on ventilation or temporary measures

Best practice is to:

• Use a single system (property management software or a structured email folder system) to store all records
• Log phone calls in writing immediately afterwards with a brief note of what was discussed
• Keep copies of invoices, guarantees, and follow-up inspection notes

Keep these records for the entire tenancy and for at least six years afterwards. This aligns with limitation periods for many civil claims and provides a clear evidence trail if historic issues are raised later.

Practical Process: From Tenant Report to Resolution

To operationalise Awaab’s Law in a private portfolio, landlords should design a simple, repeatable workflow:

1. Report received
   • Tenant reports damp or mould via agreed channel
   • Automatic or same-day acknowledgement sent, confirming that an investigation will be arranged
2. Triage within 24–48 hours
   • Assess whether the report suggests an emergency (e.g. severe leaks, electrical risks, or health emergencies)
   • For emergencies, aim to attend or send a contractor within 24 hours
3. Investigation within 14 days
   • Book a qualified damp specialist or suitably competent contractor
   • Ensure access is arranged with the tenant and confirmed in writing
4. Diagnosis and plan
   • Receive written report identifying cause and recommended works
   • Share key findings with the tenant and agree a timetable
5. Remedial works within 7 days of confirming a hazard
   • Begin works promptly, prioritising risk reduction (e.g. removing heavily contaminated materials, improving ventilation)
   • Where full works cannot be completed within 7 days, ensure there is clear evidence of commencement and a realistic schedule
6. Alternative accommodation if needed
   • If the property is deemed uninhabitable, arrange suitable alternative accommodation within 7 days
   • Confirm arrangements and duration in writing
7. Follow-up and closure
   • Confirm completion of works with photos and, where appropriate, a follow-up inspection
   • Ask the tenant to confirm in writing that the issue has been resolved or to flag any ongoing concerns

Embedding this process now will make compliance with Awaab’s Law far easier once the private sector extension formally takes effect.

The Bigger Picture: Professionalism Is Now the Baseline

Awaab’s Law is not an isolated piece of legislation. It sits within a wider programme of rental reform — including a national Private Rented Sector Database, strengthened local authority enforcement powers, and the abolition of no-fault evictions — that is fundamentally reshaping what it means to be a private landlord in England.

The direction of travel is clear:

• More transparency about who owns and manages rental properties
• Higher expectations of property condition and responsiveness
• Greater use of civil penalties and tribunals to enforce standards

The landlords who will navigate this environment successfully are those who treat their rental properties as the regulated businesses they now are. That means:

• Professional maintenance processes with clear timescales and responsibilities
• Professional contractors with recognised qualifications and written reporting
• Professional documentation that can withstand scrutiny from councils, tribunals, and courts

For many landlords, this will require a mindset shift from informal, ad hoc management to structured, evidence-based practice. But the benefits are substantial: fewer disputes, lower long-term repair costs, and a more stable, sustainable rental business.

The good news is that for most landlords, damp and mould is a solvable problem. The cost of not investing is not finite. It is open-ended — in legal risk, financial exposure, and human impact.

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This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify the current legal position with your solicitor or landlord association.