Awaab's Law and private landlords: what's confirmed, what's coming
By Jordan Valentine-Dunn, Gas Safe registered engineer · 9 July 2026
Awaab's Law does not apply to private landlords yet. It sets strict, legally binding timescales for investigating and fixing serious hazards like damp and mould, and it has been in force for social housing since October 2025. The Renters' Rights Act contains the power to extend it to the private rented sector, but no start date has been set.
What is Awaab's Law?
It's named after Awaab Ishak, who died from prolonged exposure to mould in his home. The law's job is to replace vague reasonable-time obligations with hard deadlines, so a landlord can no longer let a hazard report drift for months while calling the response reasonable. Findings must be put in writing and safety work done to a clock rather than at leisure. That shift, from judgement calls to fixed timescales with a paper trail, is the whole point of it.
What does Awaab's Law require?
For social landlords, phasing in from October 2025: emergency hazards must be addressed within 24 hours, and damp and mould must be investigated within set working-day timescales, with written findings and any safety work done on a deadline. The duty has teeth: investigate fast, write down what you found, and act by a date. A vague plan to get to it eventually no longer counts, and the written record matters as much as the repair, because it's what proves the clock was met.
Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords yet?
No, not yet, but it's coming. The Renters' Rights Act includes the legal hook to extend Awaab's Law to the private rented sector, and the government has said it will consult on the detail and the timescales in due course. Any date you may have seen quoted for private landlords is speculation, not confirmed policy. So there is nothing to comply with today, but the direction of travel is clear, and the consultation is the thing to watch on gov.uk.
What should private landlords do while they wait?
Treat every damp or mould report as if a clock were running
Acknowledge it, inspect promptly, and deal with it. That's good practice today, it protects tenants, and it builds the habit before any rules land.
Keep a written trail
Note the date a problem was reported, what you found, and what was done. A written record is exactly what Awaab's Law demands of social landlords, and it's useful in any dispute right now, rules or no rules.
Fix causes, not symptoms
Wiping mould off a wall without sorting the heating or ventilation behind it invites the same photo six months later. Deal with why the room is cold and damp, not just how it looks.
Don't wait for a date to act like the law applies
If your process already meets a strict timescale, the eventual regulations become a non-event rather than a scramble.
How do gas and heating fit into Awaab's Law?
Directly. Poor heating and ventilation are common contributors to damp and mould, the exact hazards the law targets, so a reliable boiler, working ventilation and an annual gas safety check are part of keeping a home healthy, not just gas-compliant. A boiler that fails in November is a disrepair problem and a damp risk at the same time. Landlords who keep their gas records current and their heating maintained are already most of the way to the standard this law expects.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Awaab's Law is in force for social housing; its extension to private landlords is not yet in force and has no confirmed date. Check gov.uk for the current position before relying on any timescale, and remember only a Gas Safe registered engineer can carry out the annual gas safety check and issue a valid record.