Statutory framework · in force

Awaab’s Law statutory deadlines explained.

The full statutory deadline corpus under Awaab’s Law, structured across two tracks for emergency hazards and significant hazards. When each clock starts, what counts as a working day, and exactly what social landlords must do at each stage — under SI 2025/1042 and section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.

Last reviewed: 17 May 2026

The framework

The full statutory deadline corpus, structured across two tracks.

Awaab’s Law introduces a corpus of statutory time limits that social housing landlords must meet whenever a tenant reports a qualifying hazard. The deadlines are set out in the The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1042), which came into force on 27 October 2025and gives statutory effect to the implied tenancy term inserted by section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. They are not guidelines or best-practice targets — they are legally binding obligations backed by enforcement powers from the Regulator of Social Housing, the Housing Ombudsman, and local authorities.

The deadlines split into two tracks depending on whether the hazard is an emergency. For emergency hazards — those posing an imminent risk to the health or safety of the occupants — the landlord has a single 24-hour deadline to investigate the hazard and make it safe. For significant hazards (currently limited to damp and mould under Phase 1; the list is expected to expand in 2026 under Phase 2, subject to secondary legislation), a sequenced framework applies: 10 working days to investigate (Reg 6); from the day the investigation finishes, 3 working days to provide a written summary of the findings (Reg 9 of SI 2025/1042) and 5 working days to complete the safety works (Reg 11(2)(a)); and for any additional preventative works that go beyond the immediate safety works, the default is to begin within 5 working days of the day the investigation finishes (Reg 13(2)(a)), with a 12-week backstop only where beginning within 5 working days is not reasonably practicable (Reg 13(3)(b)). Completion of preventative works must follow within a reasonable period (Reg 13(4)). A separate provision at Regulation 7 allows the tenant to request a physical inspection where the original investigation did not include one — triggering a renewed investigation within 10 working days. Each deadline carries its own rules, triggers, and consequences, which are explained in full below.

Track one · emergency hazards

The 24-hour investigate-and-make-safe deadline.

What triggers the 24-hour deadline

The 24-hourdeadline is triggered when a landlord becomes aware of an emergency hazard — any HHSRS hazard that poses an imminent risk to the health or safety of the occupants. The trigger is awareness, not a formal written complaint. A verbal phone call, an email, a text message, or even a report made by a visiting contractor can all start the clock. If a housing officer visits for an unrelated inspection and notices severe black mould in a child’s bedroom, the 24-hourclock begins at the moment of that observation — the tenant does not need to have made a complaint.

What counts as an emergency hazard

An emergency hazard is one that poses an imminent risk to life or serious risk to health. Examples include extensive black mould in a room occupied by a vulnerable person such as a child, an elderly tenant, or someone with a respiratory condition; a water leak causing electrical safety risks; severe penetrating damp that has compromised the structural integrity of floors or ceilings; dangerous electrical faults; major leaks; damaged external doors or windows where this poses an imminent security or safety risk; or any situation where a medical professional has indicated that the housing conditions are actively contributing to a health crisis.

The emergency category covers all HHSRS hazard types capable of being classed as an emergency, not just damp and mould. Not every report will meet the emergency threshold. A small patch of surface condensation on a bathroom window, while still requiring a 10-working-day investigation under the significant-hazard track, would not ordinarily constitute an imminent risk to life. Landlords must exercise reasonable professional judgement, and where there is genuine doubt the safest course is to treat the report as an emergency.

How the 24 hours are calculated

The 24-hour period is measured in calendar hours, not working hours. It runs continuously from the moment the landlord becomes aware of the hazard. If a tenant telephones to report severe mould at 3:00 pm on a Friday, the deadline expires at 3:00 pm on Saturday. Weekends, bank holidays, and out-of-hours periods do not pause the clock. This is the most demanding deadline in the framework and requires landlords to have robust out-of-hours reporting and response systems in place.

What the landlord must do within 24 hours

The 24-hour obligation under SI 2025/1042 is to investigate the hazard andmake it safe — not merely to begin remediation. In practice this means attending the property, assessing the hazard, identifying its source, and taking the steps needed to remove or reduce the imminent risk to the tenant’s health and safety within the 24-hour window. That might mean deploying dehumidifiers, arranging emergency cleaning of mould, isolating electrical circuits exposed to water, securing damaged external doors or windows, or in the most severe cases decanting the tenant to temporary alternative accommodation. Additional preventative works that go beyond the immediate safety works fall under the 12-week backstop deadline described below; the 24-hour deadline is satisfied when the property is safe, not when every remedial task is complete.

Track two · significant hazards

Sequenced deadlines for significant hazards.

Where the report concerns a significant hazard but does not meet the emergency threshold, a sequenced framework of statutory deadlines applies. The 10-working-day investigation runs from the day after the original report; the 3-working-day written summary, the 5-working-day make-safe, and the 5-working-day preventative-works begin default all run from the day after the investigation finishes; the 12-week backstop applies only where it is not reasonably practicable to begin the preventative works within 5 working days. Under Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law (in force since 27 October 2025) the significant-hazard track applies to damp and mould only. Phase 2 (planned for 2026) extends the track — per the MHCLG Written Ministerial Statement — to excess cold; excess heat; falls; structural collapse; fire; electrical hazards; explosions; domestic and personal hygiene hazards; food safety hazards.

Deadline 1: 10 working days to investigate

The 10-working-daydeadline is triggered by any report of a significant hazard. The trigger date is the date on which the landlord first becomes aware of the issue — sometimes called “Day 0” in compliance documentation. The 10 working days are then counted starting from the next working day after awareness. The obligation within this 10-working-daywindow is to investigate the hazard — to identify its nature, cause, and severity. Producing a written summary of the findings is a separate downstream deadline (3 working days from the day the investigation finishes, see below) and is not required within the 10 working days themselves.

Tenant right to request a physical inspection (Reg 7)

Where the original investigation did not include a physical inspection of the property and preventative works have not yet begun, the tenant may request a physical inspection at any time. Regulation 7 of SI 2025/1042then requires the landlord to secure a renewed investigation — including a physical inspection — within 10 working days of the request. The renewed investigation can confirm or extend the original findings, and may trigger fresh make-safe and preventative-works clocks if it identifies relevant safety work or additional preventative work not identified previously.

How to calculate working days

A working day under SI 2025/1042 is any day that is not a Saturday, a Sunday, or a public bank holiday in England. When counting any of the working-day periods (10 working days to investigate, 3 working days for the written summary, 5 working days to make safe), counting starts on the first working day after the trigger event. If the trigger falls on a working day, counting starts on the following working day. If the trigger falls on a weekend or bank holiday, counting starts on the next available working day.

Worked examples · significant-hazard sequence

Example 1 — Report received on Monday (no bank holidays)

Day 0: Monday (report received)
Counting starts: Tuesday (working Day 1)
Investigation must be complete by: Monday two weeks after the report (working Day 10)
From the day the investigation finishes (Monday), counting again starts on the next working day (Tuesday):
Written summary must be provided by: Thursday of the same week (working Day 3 after investigation finishes)
Make-safe works must be completed by: Monday of the following week (working Day 5 after investigation finishes)
Additional preventative works (5-working-day default): Monday of the following week (working Day 5 after investigation finishes) — the default at Reg 13(2)(a); begin within 5 working days of the day after the investigation finishes.
Additional preventative works (12-week backstop): 12 weeks (84 calendar days) from the day after the investigation is completed — applies only where the 5-working-day default is not reasonably practicable (Reg 13(3)(b)). Completion follows within a reasonable period (Reg 13(4)).

Example 2 — Report received on Wednesday before a bank holiday Monday

Day 0: Wednesday (report received)
Counting starts: Thursday (working Day 1)
Days 1–2: Thursday, Friday
Weekend + Bank Holiday Monday: not counted
Days 3–10: Tuesday through the following Thursday
Investigation must be complete by: Thursday of the week after the bank holiday (working Day 10)
Written summary must be provided by: Tuesday of the next week (working Day 3 after investigation finishes)
Make-safe works must be completed by: Thursday of the next week (working Day 5 after investigation finishes)
Additional preventative works (5-working-day default): Thursday of the next week (working Day 5 after investigation finishes) — the default at Reg 13(2)(a); begin within 5 working days of the day after the investigation finishes.
Additional preventative works (12-week backstop): 12 weeks (84 calendar days) from the day after the investigation is completed — applies only where the 5-working-day default is not reasonably practicable (Reg 13(3)(b)). Completion follows within a reasonable period (Reg 13(4)).
Bank holidays are excluded from working-day calculations, effectively extending the calendar period for each working-day deadline by one day per intervening bank holiday.

What the investigation must include

The investigation carried out within the 10-working-dayperiod must be thorough and proportionate to the reported hazard. At a minimum, it should include a physical inspection of the affected area by a competent person, identification of the root cause of the hazard (not merely the visible symptoms), moisture readings and photographic evidence where damp or mould is reported, an assessment of whether the hazard affects other areas of the property, consideration of any vulnerability factors relating to the household occupants, and a review of the property’s ventilation, insulation, and heating systems where condensation-related damp is suspected.

Simply sending a surveyor to look at the wall is not sufficient if the surveyor does not record findings, take measurements, or identify causation. The investigation must produce evidence that can support and justify the subsequent written summary and the safety works that follow. Housing providers are strongly advised to use a standardised inspection checklist for every investigation to ensure consistency and completeness across their stock.

Deadline 2: 3 working days to provide the written summary (Reg 9 of SI 2025/1042)

From the day the investigation finishes, the landlord has 3 working days to provide the tenant with a written summary of the findings of the investigation. This is a separate statutory deadline from the 10-working-day investigation deadline itself, and it is set out in Regulation 9 of SI 2025/1042. The written summary must include the following elements:

Description of the hazard— a clear, factual account of the hazard identified during the investigation, including its location and severity.
Cause of the hazard— an explanation of what is causing the hazard, whether that is rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation due to inadequate ventilation, a building defect, or another underlying issue.
Works required to remedy the hazard— a detailed schedule of the works needed to make the property safe and to prevent recurrence, broken down into individual tasks where appropriate (for example: treat mould, install PIV unit, repair pointing to external wall).
Timeframe for the works— specific dates or timeframes for each element of the works, distinguishing between the immediate safety works (subject to the 5-working-day make-safe deadline) and any additional preventative works (subject to the 12-week backstop).

The written summary must be provided in writing, in plain language that the tenant can understand. It is the statutory document that records what the landlord found and what they intend to do about it. Where the tenant’s first language is not English, landlords should consider providing a translated summary or arranging for interpretation.

Deadline 3: 5 working days to complete the safety works

Where the investigation finds a significant hazard, the landlord must complete the safety works needed to make the property safe within 5 working days of the day the investigation finishes. The 5-working-day clock runs in parallel with the 3-working-daywritten summary clock, both starting from the day the investigation finishes. “Make safe” means the immediate steps needed to remove or reduce the risk to health and safety from the hazard — not the full programme of preventative works, which is governed by the 12-week backstop below. For damp and mould, make-safe steps typically include treating visible mould growth, addressing the immediate moisture source, and where necessary deploying dehumidifiers or other interim equipment.

Where the landlord complies with Part 6 of SI 2025/1042(temporary rehousing under Regulations 15–17) because the safety works cannot be completed within 5 working days— for example because specialist materials or contractors are required and despite reasonable efforts cannot be procured within that window — the works must be completed as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter. The landlord must document the steps taken to expedite, keep the tenant informed in writing of the revised completion timeframe, and take all reasonable interim measures to protect the tenant’s health and safety in the meantime. Reasonable practicability is assessed objectively; it is not a route to discretionary delay.

Deadline 4: Beginning preventative works (5-working-day default and 12-week backstop)

Where additional preventative works go beyond the immediate safety works, the regulations set TWO deadlines for beginning those works. The default at Regulation 13(2)(a) is that the landlord must begin the preventative work within 5 working days of the day after the investigation is completed. Where beginning within those 5 working days is not reasonably practicable, Regulation 13(3) requires the landlord, within those same 5 working days, to take steps to secure that the work begins as soon as reasonably practicable AND in any event before the end of a 12-week backstop measured from the day after the investigation is completed (84 calendar days, including weekends and bank holidays). Regulation 13(4) governs completion: the work must be completed within a reasonable period.

Whether the landlord operates under the 5-working-day default or the 12-week backstop, the deadline in either case is the date by which preventative works must begin— not the date by which they must be completed. Completion follows within a reasonable period given the nature of the works in question. For example, where the written summary identifies that long-term resolution requires the installation of new external wall insulation, the landlord must have started that installation by the applicable begin-by deadline; the works themselves may then take additional time to complete, but the start date is fixed by the regulations.

The 5-working-day default for beginning preventative works runs in parallel with the 5-working-day make-safe deadline (both measured from the day after the investigation completes). In most cases the landlord can begin both within 5 working days— for example, treating mould as the make-safe step and ordering replacement ventilation as the preventative step on the same day. The 12-weekbackstop is only relevant where the preventative-works start has to be delayed for a reason that is genuinely outside the landlord’s reasonable control. A property where the mould has been treated and ventilation improved as immediate safety steps but where an underlying roof leak requires structural repair has met the 5-working-day make-safe deadline; the roof repair must then begin within 5 working days of the day after the investigation is completed by default, or within 12 weeks where the 5-working-day start is not reasonably practicable.

Landlords should also carry out a post-completion inspection to verify that the works have been effective and provide the tenant with written confirmation that the case has been closed. Good practice includes scheduling a follow-up inspection four to six weeks after the works are complete to ensure the hazard has not recurred.

Grounds for using the 12-week backstop

The 12-week backstop at Regulation 13(3)(b) is only available where it is not reasonably practicable to begin the additional preventative works within the 5-working-day default. Circumstances that may justify reliance on the backstop include:

The works require planning permission or building regulations approval and the application is pending through no fault of the landlord.
Specialist materials are needed that have documented lead times exceeding the 12 weeks period.
Major structural works are required that cannot physically be commenced within the timeframe, such as underpinning, re-roofing, or external wall insulation.
The tenant has refused access despite reasonable attempts to arrange it (the landlord must evidence these attempts in writing).

Reliance on the 12-week backstop is not automatic. The landlord must document the specific reason that the 5-working-daydefault is not reasonably practicable, agree a revised start date with the tenant in writing, continue to take all reasonable interim measures to protect the tenant’s health in the meantime, and keep the written summary updated with the new timeline. Claiming a backlog of work, a shortage of contractors, or budget constraints is not a valid ground. These are matters within the landlord’s control and responsibility to manage.

Transitional provision

Reports made before 27 October 2025.

Awaab’s Law came into force on 27 October 2025. Regulation 21 of SI 2025/1042 contains a transitional provision: where the landlord became aware of a relevant matter before 27 October 2025, the regulations do not bite — and the statutory clocks do not run — unless the concern is first reported again after that date, or there has been a material change in the situation.

Tenants with longstanding, unresolved damp, mould, or other relevant hazards that were first reported before 27 October 2025should re-report in writing, dated, after that date to put the landlord on notice for Awaab’s Law purposes. A re-report restarts the statutory awareness clock and the deadlines explained above then apply in the ordinary way.

At a glance

Summary of all statutory deadlines.

Deadline	Track	Time limit	Measured in	What must be done
Investigate & Make Safe	Emergency	24 hours	Calendar hours (includes weekends & bank holidays)	Investigate the hazard and make the property safe
Investigate	Significant	10 working days	Working days from day after report	Complete the investigation
Written Summary (Reg 9)	Significant	3 working days	Working days from day investigation finishes	Provide tenant with written summary of investigation findings
Make Safe	Significant	5 working days	Working days from day investigation finishes	Complete safety works to make the property safe (or, where the landlord complies with Part 6 (temporary rehousing under Regulations 15-17), as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter)
Preventative Works Begin (default)	Significant	5 working days	Working days from day after investigation finishes	Begin any additional preventative works (Reg 13(2)(a) default)
Preventative Works Backstop	Significant	12 weeks	Calendar weeks (84 calendar days) from the day after the investigation is completed	Begin any additional preventative works (Reg 13(3)(b)) where the 5-working-day default is not reasonably practicable

Enforcement

Consequences for missing deadlines.

Awaab’s Law is enforced through multiple channels, and the consequences for non-compliance can be severe. The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) can issue Regulatory Notices and, for serious or persistent failures, can use its powers under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 (as amended by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023) to impose sanctions on registered providers. These sanctions may include requiring the appointment of a board member or manager, removing officers of the organisation, or in extreme cases transferring management of properties to another provider.

The Housing Ombudsman can investigate individual complaints from tenants and issue orders for compensation, apologies, and systemic service improvements. Maladministration findings are published and can cause significant reputational damage. Local authorities have powers under the Housing Act 2004 to serve Improvement Notices and, where conditions are hazardous, to issue Emergency Remedial Action notices and recover costs from the landlord.

The civil-penalty regime for housing offences was strengthened by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Since 1 May 2026, the maximum civil penalty for failure to comply with an Improvement Notice (and other housing offences under the Housing Act 2004 and the Housing and Planning Act 2016) has risen from £30,000 to £40,000. These civil penalties can be imposed by local authorities as an alternative to prosecution and apply across both the social and private rented sectors.

Tenants themselves may also bring civil claims for breach of the implied tenancy term in section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, breach of the implied covenant of fitness for human habitation under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, or personal injury where the hazard has caused or worsened a health condition. Legal aid may be available where the disrepair poses a serious risk of harm to the health or safety of the household — a narrower scope than before LASPO 2012, but still relevant in the most serious damp, mould, and structural cases.

Beyond legal enforcement, housing providers that consistently miss Awaab’s Law deadlines risk being placed on the RSH’s Regulatory Judgements list with an adverse governance or viability grading, which can affect their ability to borrow, attract investment, and maintain stakeholder confidence.

Compliance toolkit

Practical tips for meeting every deadline.

Compliance with Awaab’s Law timescales requires more than good intentions — it demands operational systems, clear processes, and well-trained staff. Eight steps every landlord should take.

Step 1

Centralise reporting

Ensure all hazard reports, however received (phone, email, app, in-person), are logged in a single system with an automatic timestamp that becomes the official “Day 0”.

Step 2

Triage immediately

Every report must be assessed for emergency status within hours, not days. Train front-line staff to recognise the indicators of imminent risk.

Step 3

Maintain an emergency response roster

The 24-hour investigate-and-make-safe clock does not stop at 5 pm or on weekends. Ensure you have contractor arrangements that cover out-of-hours emergencies, including the capacity to attend, investigate, and make safe within 24 hours.

Step 4

Use standardised inspection checklists

A consistent approach to investigations reduces the risk of missing root causes and ensures the evidence base for the written summary and the safety works is robust.

Step 5

Template the written summary

Having a standard template for the written summary of investigation findings (Reg 9 of SI 2025/1042) ensures no required element is overlooked and speeds up the process of producing the document within 3 working days of the investigation finishing.

Step 6

Track each deadline with automated alerts

For emergency-hazard reports, set escalation alerts at T+12 hours and T+20 hours of awareness so the 24-hour investigate-and-make-safe deadline is never missed out-of-hours. For significant-hazard reports, set alerts at working Day 5 (halfway through the investigation), working Day 8 (final warning before the investigation deadline), the 3-working-day written summary deadline, the 5-working-day make-safe deadline, the 5-working-day preventative-works begin default deadline, and Week 8 (four weeks before the 12-week preventative-works backstop) so that no deadline slips through the net.

Step 7

Document everything

In any enforcement or legal proceeding, the landlord’s evidence of compliance (or good-faith efforts) will be critical. Photographs, dated notes, signed access letters, and contractor receipts all contribute to a defensible record.

Step 8

Pair the make-safe with the preventative plan

Use the written summary to clearly distinguish the immediate safety works (5-working-day clock) from any additional preventative works (12-week backstop). Tenants and regulators alike will look for this distinction in your records.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

What are the statutory deadlines under Awaab’s Law?

The The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1042) set the following deadlines. For emergency hazards, the landlord has 24 hours from awareness to investigate and make safe. For significant hazards (currently damp and mould under Phase 1), the landlord has 10 working days to investigate (with a separate Regulation 7 route allowing the tenant to request a physical inspection if not done, triggering a renewed 10 working days investigation); 3 working days from the day after the investigation finishes to provide a written summary of the findings (Reg 9); 5 working days from the day after the investigation finishes to complete the safety works (Reg 11(2)(a)); and for any additional preventative works, the default is to begin within 5 working days of the day after the investigation finishes (Reg 13(2)(a)), with a 12-week backstop only where beginning within 5 working days is not reasonably practicable (Reg 13(3)(b)). Completion of preventative works must follow within a reasonable period (Reg 13(4)).

When does the 24-hour emergency deadline start?

The 24-hour clock starts from the moment the landlord becomes aware of an emergency hazard — a hazard that poses an imminent risk to the health or safety of the tenant. This includes weekends and bank holidays. It is a calendar-hours deadline, not a working-hours deadline. Within those 24 hours the landlord must investigate the hazard and make it safe, not merely begin remediation.

What counts as a working day under Awaab’s Law?

A working day is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or public bank holiday in England. Working days are used to calculate the 10-working-day investigation deadline, the 3-working-day written summary deadline, and the 5-working-day make-safe deadline. Counting starts on the next working day after the trigger event.

What is the written summary of the findings of the investigation?

Under Regulation 9 of SI 2025/1042, once the investigation has finished the landlord must provide the tenant with a written summary of the findings within 3 working days. The summary must describe the hazard, what caused it, what works are needed to remedy it, and the timeframe for those works. The 3-working-day clock for the written summary runs from the day the investigation finishes, not from the original report date.

What is the 5-working-day make-safe deadline?

Where the investigation finds a significant hazard, the landlord must complete — not merely begin — the safety works needed to make the property safe within 5 working days of the end of the investigation. The 5-working-day deadline runs in parallel with the 3-working-day written summary deadline, both starting from the day the investigation finishes. Where the landlord complies with Part 6 of SI 2025/1042 (temporary rehousing under Regulations 15-17), the safety works must be completed as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter; the landlord must keep the tenant informed in writing of the revised completion timeframe.

Can the 12-week deadline be extended?

The 5-working-day default for beginning additional preventative works (Reg 13(2)(a)) applies first; the 12 weeks period (Reg 13(3)(b)) is only a backstop, available where beginning within 5 working days is not reasonably practicable. Completion of the works can take longer where they genuinely require it, provided the landlord acts within a reasonable period (Reg 13(4)). Reliance on the 12-week backstop must be justified by circumstances genuinely outside the landlord’s reasonable control — planning permission or building regulations approval pending, specialist materials with documented long lead times, or major structural works that cannot physically commence within 5 working days. The landlord must agree any revised timeline with the tenant in writing and continue to take reasonable interim measures throughout.

What happens if a landlord misses an Awaab’s Law deadline?

Missing a deadline can trigger enforcement action by the Regulator of Social Housing, the Housing Ombudsman, or the local authority. Consequences include Regulatory Notices, financial penalties, civil penalty notices of up to £40,000 since 1 May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 for failure to comply with an Improvement Notice, management transfers, and in serious cases referral for prosecution. Tenants may also bring civil claims for breach of the implied tenancy term in section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

Which hazards do these deadlines apply to?

Under Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law, in force since 27 October 2025, the deadlines apply to two categories: damp and mould as significant hazards, and emergency hazards (any HHSRS hazard capable of being classed as an imminent and significant risk to the health or safety of the occupants, except hazards associated with a lack of adequate space for living and sleeping). Phase 2 is planned for 2026 and extends the significant-hazard track — per the MHCLG Written Ministerial Statement — to excess cold; excess heat; falls; structural collapse; fire; electrical hazards; explosions; domestic and personal hygiene hazards; food safety hazards.

Can I request a physical inspection if the landlord didn’t do one?

Yes. Where the original investigation did not include a physical inspection of the property and preventative works have not yet begun, Regulation 7 of SI 2025/1042 gives the tenant the right to request one. The landlord must then secure a renewed investigation — including a physical inspection — within 10 working days of the request. The renewed investigation can confirm or extend the original findings and may trigger fresh make-safe and preventative-works clocks if it identifies new relevant safety or preventative work.

What if I reported the damp or mould before 27 October 2025?

Awaab’s Law came into force on 27 October 2025. Regulation 21 of SI 2025/1042 is a transitional provision: where the landlord became aware of a relevant matter before that date, the regulations and their statutory clocks do not apply unless the concern is first reported again after 27 October 2025 or there has been a material change in the situation. If you reported a longstanding damp or mould issue before then and it remains unresolved, re-report it in writing, dated, after 27 October 2025 to put the landlord on notice for Awaab’s Law purposes. A re-report restarts the statutory awareness clock and the deadlines apply in the ordinary way.

Stay ahead of the deadlines

Every statutory deadline. One audit-ready compliance pack.

Our SI 2025/1042Compliance Pack gives social housing landlords the templates, checklists, and worked examples needed to meet every Awaab’s Law deadline — the 24-hourinvestigate-and-make-safe obligation, the 10-working-dayinvestigation, the 3-working-day written summary, the 5-working-daymake-safe, the 5-working-day preventative-works default, and the 12-weekpreventative-works backstop — with a defensible evidence trail at every stage.

View the Compliance Pack →