Awaab’s Law — New requirements for social landlords from October 2025

In February, the Government announced its ‘phased approach’ to bring Awaab’s Law into force and introduce new requirements for social landlords from October 2025.

Awaab’s Law was introduced in July 2023 as part of the Social Housing Regulation Act (the Act), which followed the tragic case of Awaab Ishak’s death in a social housing property. The regulations which give effect to Awaab’s law have been eagerly anticipated in the social housing sector and there is a significant drive behind this new law to address issues faced in respect of disrepair to properties in the sector.

Here, Isabelle Carney in our housing law team explores the new requirements for social landlords and how to prepare.

Phased approach starting in October 2025

Under the phased approach, landlords will have greater requirements to address hazards.

From October 2025, social landlords will have to address:

• “damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants to fixed timescales.”
• “all emergency repairs including for damp and mould or other hazards as soon as possible and within no longer than 24 hours.”

In 2026, these requirements will expand to cover a wider range of hazards which may include “excess cold and excess heat; falls; structural collapse; fire, electrical and explosions; and hygiene hazards.”

In 2027, the requirements will cover the remaining hazards defined under Schedule 1 of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005, excluding overcrowding.

At this moment in time, the only clear time limits set are in relation to emergency repairs which have to be addressed as soon as possible and within no longer than 24 hours. Further announcements will follow to provide clarity to the housing sector as to what each stage entails, including specified time limits and how this will affect both landlords and tenants moving forward. 

Further clarification is needed

There are a number of questions surrounding the new regulations. For example, the Social Housing Law Association has highlighted that the Government has not yet provided any guidance as to possible statutory defences that relate to access issues which landlords can expect to rely on if they are prevented from complying with these new statutory requirements.

It’s also yet to be seen how Awaab’s Law will align with the pre-action protocol for housing condition claims as the timescales currently conflict. Will we see a new or amended protocol or will hazards falling within Awaab’s Law be excluded from the protocol?

How can social housing landlords prepare for Awaab’s Law?

The Government makes it clear that there are already pre-existing duties that social housing landlords and registered providers are expected to abide by to ensure that the housing they provide is both “fit for human habitation and to remedy disrepair, and they must also ensure that their homes meet the Decent Homes Standard”. 

At this stage, it’s unclear if there will be further funding for social housing providers who are already facing resource limits to comply with the current duties expected of them. However, it’s now crucial that landlords take accountability to ensure that they are ready to abide by these new statutory time limits that are set to come into play from October 2025. Such preparation will require a robust record keeping system and potentially further resources to action the appropriate cases within the specified time period.

Talk to us

Ahead of October, we expect to see more announcements from the Government to provide clarification on the planned ‘phased approach’ to implement Awaab’s Law. In the meantime, landlords will need to consider how they will ensure compliance once the law is implemented. This will no doubt include a review of resources, processes and procedures.  

Our award-winning housing team provides the full range of legal support to help housing associations build, maintain and manage safe, sustainable communities. 

If you need expert legal advice to manage these issues, talk to us by sending an email to hello@brabners.com, calling 0333 004 4488 or completing the contact form below.