The Awaab's Law Compliance Checklist for Landlords (2026)
Every step a landlord must take — from the moment a damp or mould report is received to case closure — to comply with Awaab's Law.
Awaab's Law (SI 2025/1042) requires registered social housing providers to follow a structured process for every damp, mould, or hazard report they receive. This checklist covers every statutory requirement from report receipt to case closure, in the order they must happen.
On receipt of report (Day 0)
☐ Record the date and time the report was received. This is Day 0 — the awareness date from which every subsequent working-day clock begins on the day after. The record must be timestamped and retained.
☐ Classify the hazard as emergency or significant. Apply the triage decision framework to determine whether the hazard poses an imminent and significant risk of harm (emergency — investigate and make safe within 24 hours) or is a significant but non-emergency hazard (significant — investigate within 10 working days).
☐ Send a written acknowledgement to the tenant. The acknowledgement should confirm receipt of the report, the hazard classification, and the expected next steps and timeline.
☐ For emergency hazards: investigate and make safe within 24 hours. The 24-hour deadline covers both investigation and the completion of any safety works, and it runs in hours rather than working days — so it runs through out-of-hours periods and weekends.
Within 10 working days (significant hazards)
☐ Complete a full inspection of the affected areas. The inspection must identify the location, extent, probable cause, and severity of the hazard. It should include moisture readings (using a calibrated damp meter), photographic evidence, and an assessment of tenant vulnerability.
☐ Document the inspection formally. Complete an inspection record that captures all findings. This document forms part of the evidence log for the case.
☐ Identify the root cause — not just the symptoms. Surface mould that recurs after treatment is almost always a symptom of an underlying ventilation, structural, or condensation issue. The investigation must identify the cause, not just the visible hazard.
☐ Assess tenant vulnerability. Are there children under 2 in the household? Elderly residents? Residents with respiratory conditions? Vulnerability factors affect both the urgency classification and potential compensation liability.
☐ Prepare the Regulation 9 written summary. The summary must set out: the findings of the investigation, what action is required (or why none is), the target timescale for any further action, and how the tenant can contact the landlord. It must be signed off before being sent.
☐ Provide the Regulation 9 written summary to the tenant. This must be done within 3 working days of the investigation being completed. A verbal update is not sufficient — the summary must be in writing and a copy retained.
☐ Make the home safe within 5 working days of the investigation. The 5-working-day deadline is for completion of the safety works, not merely for them to begin. If the home cannot be made safe in time, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation.
Within 12 weeks (backstop on additional preventative works)
☐ Begin any additional preventative works within 12 weeks of the investigation. Where works beyond the initial safety remediation are needed to stop the hazard from coming back, those works must begin within 12 weeks at the latest. Completion should follow in a reasonable timeframe.
☐ Document all works completed with dates. Maintain a chronological evidence log recording each stage of works, contractor visits, materials used, and sign-offs.
☐ Conduct a post-works inspection. After completion, inspect the property to confirm the hazard has been remediated. Take post-works moisture readings and photographs. Retain these in the evidence log.
☐ Send a written completion notification to the tenant. Confirm in writing that all works have been completed, what was done, and what the tenant should do if the issue recurs.
At case closure
☐ Complete the Regulation 9 compliance checklist. Confirm that all statutory obligations have been met — acknowledgement, investigation, written summary, safety works, full remediation, post-works inspection, and completion notification.
☐ Retain the complete evidence file. The evidence log — inspection records, photographs, moisture readings, written summary, contractor records, correspondence with the tenant — should be retained for a minimum of 6 years.
☐ Consider whether a vulnerability referral is needed. Where the case involved a vulnerable household, consider whether any referral to support services, tenancy sustainment, or social care is appropriate.
☐ Review for systemic issues. Is this an isolated case or indicative of a broader stock condition problem? Properties built in the same era, with the same construction type, or in the same block should be reviewed for similar issues.
If you cannot meet the deadlines
Where the 12-week backstop on additional preventative works cannot reasonably be met, the landlord must document the reason and keep the tenant informed in writing before the deadline. If 24-hour, 10-day, 3-day, or 5-day deadlines cannot be met — for example, due to contractor unavailability — the landlord must document the reason and implement interim measures (such as a dehumidifier, temporary rehousing, or mould wash) while the full response is mobilised. If the home cannot be made safe within the 5-working-day deadline, the landlord must also offer suitable alternative accommodation.
Interim measures do not reset the clock. They are mitigations, not substitutes for compliance.
The Compliance Pack
Our Awaab's Law Compliance Pack includes a pre-built version of every document mentioned in this checklist — the inspection record, written summary template, three template tenant letters, evidence log, and Regulation 9 checklist — in a single 35-page PDF ready to use from Day 0.