Awaab’s Law Phase 2: What Landlords Must Do

From 30 November 2026, Phase 2 of Awaab’s Law will extend mandatory hazard investigation and repair timeframes across the social rented sector in England.

The new requirements are particularly important for housing associations, councils and other registered providers. They will need reliable systems for triaging reports, arranging inspections, completing urgent works and recording every decision.

This guide explains what landlords must do, how the deadlines operate and how tenants can respond where a landlord fails to act. If you need advice about a housing condition dispute, our landlord and tenant solicitors can advise on the appropriate next step.

What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaab’s Law was introduced following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to severe mould in his social housing home.

The law creates fixed duties for social landlords to investigate potential hazards and complete safety works within prescribed timeframes. It was introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and the associated regulations.

The duties are being introduced in phases.

Phase 1: 27 October 2025

Phase 1 applies to:

• All emergency hazards covered by the regulations; and
• Significant damp and mould hazards.

Phase 2: 30 November 2026

Phase 2 extends the significant hazard requirements to:

• Excess cold;
• Excess heat;
• Falls;
• Structural collapse;
• Fire and explosions;
• Electrical hazards; and
• Domestic hygiene, including personal hygiene and food safety.

Phase 3 is expected to cover the remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazards, excluding overcrowding.

Which hazards are covered by Phase 2?

A hazard must generally arise from a deficiency in the social home, or land or buildings for which the landlord is responsible. It must also present a significant or imminent risk of harm to an actual occupier.

Excess cold

This may include a defective boiler, inadequate heating, broken windows, poor insulation or other defects that leave a home dangerously cold.

Landlords must consider the circumstances of the household. For example, a loss of heating may present a greater risk to a household with young children, older residents or someone with a relevant medical condition.

Excess heat

This covers homes that become dangerously hot. Possible causes include inadequate ventilation, defective heating controls, poor building design or a failure to address overheating risks.

A landlord should not assume that excess heat is merely a matter of tenant comfort. It may create a significant risk, particularly for people who are medically vulnerable.

Falls

The category includes falls on the level, falls on stairs and falls between levels. Examples might include defective flooring, dangerous steps, inadequate handrails, unsafe balconies or poorly designed balustrades.

The landlord should investigate the underlying defect rather than simply advising the tenant to be more careful.

Structural collapse

This includes defects that could cause ceilings, walls, balconies, roof elements or other parts of a building to collapse or fall.

Temporary measures may be needed while specialist surveys or structural works are arranged. Restricting access to an unsafe area does not remove the need to address the underlying hazard.

Fire and explosions

Phase 2 can apply to fire and explosion hazards within an individual social home, such as missing or defective smoke alarms, dangerous installations or other defects creating a serious risk.

Some fire risks in communal areas are dealt with under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 instead. Landlords must identify which legal regime applies and comply with any shorter or separate deadline.

Electrical hazards

This includes exposed wiring, dangerous sockets, faulty installations and other electrical defects. Electrical hazards should be investigated and repaired by a suitably competent person.

A landlord should not wait for a routine electrical inspection if a tenant has reported an immediate danger.

Domestic hygiene

Domestic hygiene includes hazards involving pests, refuse, sanitation, personal hygiene and food safety.

Landlords must avoid making assumptions that a reported pest, sanitation or hygiene problem is caused by a tenant’s “lifestyle”. The relevant facts and the landlord’s responsibility for the building or land must be investigated properly.

How do the Awaab’s Law timeframes work?

The clock normally starts when the landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard or a material change to a hazard already reported. Awareness may arise through a tenant, housing officer, contractor, managing agent or third party.

Triage is part of the initial response. It is not a separate period that allows a landlord to delay the statutory clock until an inspection has taken place.

Emergency hazards: 24 hours

An emergency hazard is one that presents an imminent and significant risk of harm which a reasonable landlord would make safe within 24 hours.

The landlord must:

1. Investigate the potential emergency hazard; and
2. Complete the relevant safety work to make the property safe,

within 24 hours of becoming aware of the potential hazard.

The landlord should act sooner where the circumstances require it. Temporary measures may be used to remove the immediate danger, but they do not necessarily resolve the landlord’s obligation to complete preventative works.

Significant hazards: investigation within 10 working days

For a potential significant hazard, the landlord must complete an investigation within 10 working days of becoming aware of it.

The investigation should establish:

• Whether a significant or emergency hazard exists;
• The effect on the particular household;
• The likely cause;
• What work is needed to make the home safe; and
• What work is needed to prevent the hazard from returning.

The investigation must be carried out by someone the landlord reasonably considers competent. The method may be remote or in person, depending on the circumstances. A tenant can request an in-person investigation after a remote assessment.

Written summary within three working days

After the investigation concludes, the landlord will usually need to provide the tenant with a written summary within three working days.

The summary should explain what was found, whether a significant or emergency hazard exists, what action will be taken and the expected timescales. It should also explain why no action is required if the investigation concludes that Awaab’s Law does not apply.

Safety work within five working days

If the investigation identifies a significant hazard, the landlord must complete the relevant safety work within five working days of the investigation concluding.

This is separate from the 10-working-day investigation deadline. The five-day repair period does not begin when the tenant first reports the issue; it begins when the investigation concludes.

What if the repair cannot be completed on time?

Where a significant hazard cannot be made safe within the initial five-working-day remediation period, the social landlord must secure suitable alternative accommodation for the household at its expense.

The accommodation should be suitable for the household’s needs, including factors such as:

• The number of bedrooms required;
• Location and access to work or education;
• Disability or medical needs;
• Pets; and
• The expected length of the stay.

A tenant may decline the offer and choose to remain at home or make alternative arrangements. If the tenant remains in the property, the landlord must provide clear written safety advice explaining how risks may be reduced, or stating where the risk cannot reasonably be mitigated.

The landlord must also keep the tenant updated about the work and the reasons for any delay.

Preventing the hazard from returning

Safety work and preventative work are separate obligations. For example, cleaning mould may make a room safe temporarily, but repairing a roof defect or improving ventilation may be necessary to prevent the problem returning.

The landlord must begin, or take steps to begin, supplementary preventative work within five working days of the investigation concluding. If it is not reasonably practicable to start within five working days, the work must begin as soon as reasonably practicable and within 12 weeks at the latest.

The preventative work must then be completed within a reasonable period.

Access, refusals and record-keeping

Landlords should seek access promptly and communicate clearly about why an inspection or repair is necessary.

The regulations provide a right of entry at reasonable times, provided at least 24 hours’ written notice has been given. However, constructive engagement should normally be the first approach.

If a tenant refuses or cannot provide access, the landlord should record:

• Dates and times of attempted contact;
• Telephone calls, emails, letters and text messages;
• Appointments offered;
• Any accessibility, work or childcare issues raised;
• Contractor attendance and missed appointments;
• Alternative dates offered; and
• Any safety information provided.

A landlord may have a defence where it has used all reasonable endeavours but access, materials, specialist contractors or required approvals have made compliance impossible. That defence depends on the evidence. A repairs log and clear audit trail are therefore essential.

Who does Awaab’s Law apply to?

As at September 2026, Awaab’s Law applies to the social rented sector in England. This includes local authority landlords and private registered providers such as housing associations.

It does not currently apply in the same way to ordinary private rented properties. There is no fixed deadline for extending the regime to the private rented sector as at September 2026. Extension is expected around 2027, but the relevant regulations still need to be finalised.

Private landlords should nevertheless prepare now by:

• Reviewing repairs and complaints procedures;
• Introducing clear hazard-reporting channels;
• Training staff and managing agents;
• Checking contractor response times;
• Maintaining property condition records;
• Reviewing heating, electrical, fire and ventilation arrangements; and
• Recording decisions where access or works are delayed.

Other legal duties already apply to private landlords, including repairing, fitness, gas, electrical and fire safety obligations. A private landlord should not wait for a future Awaab’s Law extension before addressing serious hazards.

What can tenants do if a landlord fails to act?

A social tenant should normally begin with the landlord’s complaints procedure and keep copies of all reports, photographs, appointment records and correspondence.

If the issue is not resolved, the tenant may be able to complain to the Housing Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can consider how the landlord handled the complaint and whether it complied with relevant repair duties and timeframes.

A tenant may also bring a housing conditions claim in the courts. A court can potentially order repairs, award compensation and make an order for legal costs. The Housing Ombudsman’s complaint guidance explains the usual complaint route.

The Regulator of Social Housing does not generally determine individual tenant complaints, although serious systemic failures may raise regulatory concerns.

Landlord checklist for Phase 2

Social landlords should take the following steps before 30 November 2026:

• Update triage procedures: Include all seven new hazard categories and assess the actual household’s circumstances.
• Start the clock correctly: Record the date and time the landlord became aware of the potential hazard.
• Maintain a repairs log: Record reports, inspections, decisions, works, communications and completion dates.
• Train frontline staff: Ensure housing officers and contractors know how reports must be escalated.
• Use competent investigators: Match the investigator’s skills to the hazard, particularly for electrical and structural issues.
• Prepare written-summary templates: Explain findings and required action in clear language.
• Plan temporary measures: Identify how homes can be made safe while longer-term works are arranged.
• Prepare alternative accommodation options: Establish a process for urgent moves where the five-day or 24-hour period cannot be met.
• Evidence delays: Record contractor availability, materials, permissions, access attempts and every reasonable step taken.
• Review contractor agreements: Make sure contractors report hazards immediately and understand the statutory deadlines.

Frequently asked questions

Does Phase 2 apply to private landlords?

No. As at September 2026, Phase 2 applies to registered providers of social housing in England. Private rented sector regulations are expected in the future, but no fixed commencement date has been confirmed.

Does the 10-day investigation period start after triage?

No. The clock normally starts when the landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard. Triage forms part of the initial response and should not be used as a separate delay.

Can a landlord use a temporary repair?

Yes, temporary measures may be appropriate to make a property safe. However, the landlord may still need to complete preventative works to address the underlying cause.

What happens if a tenant refuses access?

The landlord should make reasonable efforts to agree access, provide appropriate notice and keep a detailed record. In extreme cases, legal advice may be needed about seeking an injunction.

Is the landlord registration service part of Awaab’s Law?

No. Landlord registration is a separate housing regulation issue. Awaab’s Law concerns hazard investigation, repairs, communication and related safety duties.

If you are a landlord or tenant dealing with a serious repair dispute, contact Tyndel Solicitors’ landlord and tenant team for advice on your rights and obligations.