Renters Rights Act Awaab’s Law

Awaab’s Law will come into force in the private rented sector as part of the Renters Rights Bill which was enacted into law on the 27 October 2025 and brings new rules around how landlords must deal with certain hazards. The law has already been introduced in the social housing sector and now private landlords will also be required to follow the new legislation.

What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaab’s Law is a new piece of legislation that requires landlords to rectify reported damp, mould and emergency repairs within a set timeframe. The initial roll out of the legislation is aimed at tackling damp and mould issues, while there are plans to introduce additional housing hazards within the legislation from 2026 under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

The law was named after a child who sadly lost their life as a consequence of mould exposure, highlighting the importance of stricter rules for protecting tenants from health hazards.

New timescales for Landlords

The legislation sets out that landlords must inspect reports of damp and mould within 10 working days, and the property must be made safe within five days of the inspection. If damp and mould have affected a tenant’s health, then the issue must be investigated within 24 hours.

Reports of emergency issues including broken boilers or gas leaks must also be looked at within 24 hours. If the repairs cannot be made by the required timescale, the landlord must provide alternative accommodation to the tenants until the issue is resolved.

Guidance for landlords on Awaab’s law

Private sector landlords should take a proactive approach to ensuring that their properties are free from health hazards, with steps such as:

Property checks

Conducting regular property health checks are recommended, with details of the checks documented. Landlords should look for any signs of damp, mould and ventilation problems. In winter, mould and damp are most likely to be a problem, so doing a check before and during the winter period will help to identify potential issues and rectify them. Look for potential risks such as blocked gutters, water leaks and poor extractor fan performance. If you do identify damp and mould issues, you can use a specialist damp and mould investigator to locate the source of the problem and recommend the correct course of action.

Advise tenants of the reporting process

Explain to your tenants what the best way to contact you is to report any hazards and provide details of what is an emergency. Provide a contact for reporting emergency situations, with a contact number that will be available in the evenings and at weekends as well as office hours.

Establish your contractors

It is imperative that emergency repairs and the resolution of mould and damp is completed swiftly, so you should have a list of trusted and reliable contractors who will be available for emergency call outs. Make sure that you have a contractor for fixing every type of potential hazard.

Where to find further information

As an experienced letting agent, we can support you with your landlord compliance obligations, including Awaab’s Law and the additional new rules that are introduced under the Renters’ Rights Bill. Get in touch with our team to find out more about how we can help.