Awaab's Law Phase 2: what changes from 30 November 2026

From 30 November 2026, Awaab's Law covers all emergency hazards (other than overcrowding) and the following types of significant hazard:

• ·Damp and mould (in scope since Phase 1)
• ·Excess cold
• ·Excess heat
• ·Falls (falls on the level, falls on stairs and falls between levels)
• ·Structural collapse
• ·Fire and explosions
• ·Electrical hazards
• ·Domestic hygiene (including personal hygiene and food safety)

A hazard is in scope where it presents a significant risk of harm to the health or safety of an occupier, arises from a deficiency in a building or land the landlord is responsible for, and does not result from a breach of contract by the tenant. The guidance is explicit that landlords must not write hazards off as a tenant "lifestyle" issue: everyday cooking, bathing and drying laundry are not a reason to refuse action.

Phase 2 does not relax or change the deadlines. It applies the existing ones to the expanded hazard list:

Where relevant safety work cannot be completed in time, the landlord must secure suitable alternative accommodation for the household at its own expense, and must keep the tenant updated throughout, including advice on staying safe if they remain in the home.

Timeframes usually start the day after the triggering event. The exception is the 24-hour emergency clock, which starts as soon as the landlord becomes aware of a potential emergency hazard.

A significant hazard

A significant hazard poses a significant risk of harm to the health or safety of an occupier. The regulations define this through an objective test: would a reasonable landlord, with the relevant knowledge of the tenant and the home, make the hazard safe within 15 working days? Budget and staff availability do not come into it. Temporary measures count: cleaning mould and providing a dehumidifier while wider works are scheduled, or temporary heaters while a boiler is fixed, are the kinds of first steps a reasonable landlord would take. Taking a temporary measure does not stop the clock on fixing the underlying problem.

An emergency hazard

An emergency hazard poses an imminent and significant risk of harm: something a reasonable landlord with the relevant knowledge would make safe within 24 hours. The guidance's examples include gas and carbon monoxide leaks, broken boilers, total loss of water supply, exposed wiring, major leaks, broken external doors or windows that put home security at risk, prevalent damp and mould that is having a material impact on a tenant's health, broken or rotten ceiling joists, and broken balcony railings.

• ·A new communication section. Landlords are responsible for making sure tenants know their rights under Awaab's Law, using the government's Make Things Right campaign materials where helpful.
• ·A separate hazards guidance annex to support triage and categorisation of the wider hazard list.
• ·A written summary template and clearer expectations on what tenants must be told after an investigation, and when.
• ·A new fire safety section reflecting the changes proposed in the Phase 2 regulations.
• ·Worked examples showing how the timeframes operate in practice, from standard investigations to emergencies with preventative works.
• ·Expanded guidance on access, record keeping and tenant engagement, drawing on the "test and learn" lessons from Phase 1.

Awaab's Law applies to registered providers of social housing in England, both local authorities and housing associations, for almost all social housing occupied under a tenancy. It does not apply to housing occupied under a licence, to long leaseholds or to shared ownership. Because the requirements are implied into tenancy agreements by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, tenants can enforce them through the courts as a breach of contract, alongside the landlord's complaints procedure, the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing.

Phase 2 is not the end. In Phase 3, government intends to extend the regulations to all remaining HHSRS hazards, apart from overcrowding, where they present a significant risk of harm.

1. 1.Re-run your triage. Awareness is the trigger: the clock starts when anyone in your organisation, or an agent acting for you, learns of a potential hazard. Reporting and escalation routes need to cover the new hazard types before 30 November.
2. 2.Update records on tenants and homes. The significant and emergency tests both turn on the knowledge a landlord has, or reasonably ought to have, about the occupier's health and circumstances.
3. 3.Check contractor arrangements. The guidance expects clear instructions and processes so issues raised with contractors reach the landlord, and works can begin within the deadlines.
4. 4.Train the people who will carry the deadlines. Housing officers, surveyors, contractors and repairs teams all sit inside the Awaab's Law clock once a report lands.

The full guidance and the hazards annex are on gov.uk. For the Phase 1 requirements that already apply, see our Awaab's Law explainer.

Phase 2 pulls several trades into scope at once, and most of them do not read the social housing press. The same deadlines, read from a different bench:

• Heating and gasExcess cold, Excess heat
• ElectricalElectrical hazards
• Fire safetyFire and explosions
• Environmental healthDomestic hygiene (including personal hygiene and food safety)