Awaab's Law for private landlords: what the October 2026 consultation proposes

Quick answer: Awaab's Law does not yet apply to private landlords. On 9 October 2026 the government opened a consultation on extending it to private rented homes in England. It closes at 11.59pm on 18 December 2026. It asks whether private landlords should meet the same deadlines as social landlords, or shorter or longer ones, and it names 2027 as the earliest feasible start. Nothing is decided yet.

Awaab's Law has applied to social housing in England since 27 October 2025. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for extending it to private renting, but the detail, including the deadlines and the start date, has to be set in regulations. This consultation is the step before those regulations.

What the consultation asks

For each duty it offers three options. The middle option in each row matches the rules social landlords already follow.

Duty · Social housing today · Options for private landlords

Investigate a potential significant hazard — 10 working days · 5, 10 or 15 working days

Give the tenant a written summary of the findings — 3 working days · 1, 3 or 5 working days

Make a significant hazard safe — 5 working days · 3, 5 or 10 working days

Start further (preventative) works — 5 working days, beginning within 12 weeks at the latest · 3, 5 or 10 working days

Investigate and make safe an emergency hazard — 24 hours · 12, 24 or 48 hours

It also asks:

• When to start: 2027, 2028, 2029 or later. The consultation describes 2027 as the earliest feasible date.
• What to start with: it sees a strong case for doing what social housing did, starting with damp and mould and all emergency hazards.
• Who can inspect: including a two-stage approach in which the landlord or agent makes an initial assessment before a specialist is called in.
• Licences: it proposes covering homes occupied under licence too, such as supported housing, temporary accommodation for homeless households and care leaver accommodation.

What it means in practice

If the consultation lands on the social-housing figures, a private landlord who hears about significant damp or mould would have 10 working days to investigate and 5 more to make it safe. If it lands on the shorter options, those become 5 and 3. Either way, the step that takes longest in real life is finding a qualified specialist who can get there in time.

The government also expects private landlords to join the new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman in 2028, and landlords already face fines of up to £7,000 for serious hazards under the Renters' Rights Act.

What landlords and letting agents can do now

1. Log every report. Write down the date you hear about damp or mould, however it reaches you. The deadlines will run from when you become aware.
2. Fix what you already know about. Properties with existing damp or mould are the ones that will test you first.
3. Line up a specialist before you need one. A qualified damp surveyor or mould specialist you can call the same day is what makes a 5- or 10-day deadline achievable. You can find verified specialists near you and send one request to up to three.
4. Have your say. The consultation is open to landlords, agents and tenants until 18 December 2026.

For the full detail, read the consultation on GOV.UK, and see our guide to Awaab's Law and the private rented sector, which we will update when the government responds. The deadline calculator works out the social-housing dates today.

This is a summary of a consultation, not legal advice.