Awaab's Law Phase 2 starts the day winter begins, and social landlords will feel it in week one

Tristan Hemsley, Specialist Disrepair and Awaab's Law Consultant, who leads UKAME's Awaab's Law training, said:

"Phase 1 asked social landlords to hit statutory deadlines on a single hazard group, and good organisations still found the timescales demanding. Phase 2 applies the same clock to excess cold, fire, electrical hazards, falls and more, and it does so at the start of winter. A faulty boiler reported on 30 November could need to be treated as an emergency hazard under Phase 2, particularly if a resident is vulnerable, which means the landlord must investigate and make safe within 24 hours.

"The landlords that succeed will be the ones that use the next four months well: updating their triage process and systems so reports of the new hazard types are recognised and escalated, tightening contractor arrangements, and training every person who owns the deadlines. Housing officers, surveyors, repairs teams and contractors are all on the Awaab's Law clock the moment a report lands."

The scale of the task is significant. In the most recent English Housing Survey, 7% of social rented homes in England had a problem with damp, and Category 1 hazards were present in 4% of social rented dwellings. Under Phase 2, hazard categories that make up a large share of a typical responsive repairs workload come under statutory deadlines for the first time.

1. 1.Re-run triage and reporting routes. The clock starts when anyone in the organisation, or an agent acting for it, becomes aware of a potential hazard. Reporting and escalation routes need to recognise the new hazard types.
2. 2.Update records on tenants and homes. The tests for significant and emergency hazards turn on what the landlord knows, or reasonably ought to know, about the occupier's health and circumstances.
3. 3.Review contractor arrangements. The guidance expects processes that ensure issues raised with contractors reach the landlord, and that works can begin within the deadlines.
4. 4.Train the people who own the deadlines. Frontline staff and contractors need to recognise the hazards in scope and understand the timescales before the first winter reports arrive.

Tom Colgan, CEO of UKAME, said:

"Damp and mould do not leave the picture in Phase 2. They remain fully in scope, and winter is exactly when condensation and mould problems multiply, so landlords face the new hazard duties and their busiest damp and mould season at the same time.

"Our message to social landlords is simple: make best use of the months you have to prepare. The guidance is published, the date is fixed, and there is still time to be ready. We have published a free explainer of the Phase 2 requirements, and UKAME training courses are open to housing teams, contractors and private landlords who want their people confident with the new duties before the end of November."

UKAME's free Phase 2 explainer is available at mouldexperts.org.uk/awaabs-law-phase-2.

Ends

Awaab's Law Phase 2: key facts

• ·Awaab's Law was introduced under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale.
• ·Phase 1 came into force on 27 October 2025, covering damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm, plus all emergency hazards.
• ·Phase 2 comes into force on 30 November 2026 under amending regulations, with supporting government guidance published on 13 July 2026.
• ·From 30 November 2026 the law covers, alongside damp and mould: excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene, wherever they present a significant risk of harm.
• ·Phase 3, planned for 2027, is intended to extend the requirements to all remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards except overcrowding.
• ·Awaab's Law applies to registered providers of social housing in England. The requirements are implied into tenancy agreements, so tenants can enforce them through the courts as a breach of contract using Section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

The statutory timescales

About Tristan Hemsley

Tristan Hemsley is a Specialist Disrepair and Awaab's Law Consultant and Trainer with more than 25 years' experience in housing property services and compliance, holding memberships with the CIH, CIOB and CIEH, and he leads UKAME's Awaab's Law training courses for housing associations, councils, contractors and private rented sector landlords.

Media contact

Tom Colgan, CEO, UKAME (UK Academy of Mould Experts). Email info@mouldexperts.org.uk. Tom Colgan and Tristan Hemsley are available for interview and comment. Further press information is on our media page.

Sources

• ·MHCLG, Awaab's Law guidance for social landlords (updated 13 July 2026), gov.uk
• ·English Housing Survey 2023 to 2024, headline findings on housing quality and energy efficiency, gov.uk