On 6 February 2025, the government announced that, from October 2025, social landlords will be forced to investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould in set time periods and repair all emergency hazards within 24 hours.
The proposed regulations are to be contained within the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, a law which was introduced in July 2023 following a petition by the parents of baby Awaab Ishak, the Manchester Evening News and Shelter.
The legislation will insert a new implied term into every social housing tenancy to comply with the proposed new requirements.
In 2026, the new proposed regulations will widen the scope of the provisions to include excess cold and excess heat; falls; structural collapse; fire, electrical and explosions; and hygiene hazards. The government intends to widen mandatory electrical safety checks to include electric appliances that have been provided by the landlord.
Then in 2027, the requirements of will expand to the remaining hazards found in schedule 1 to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005.
The government will use the Renters’ Rights Bill to extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector. In order to achieve that, the government has proposed a consultation so that the provisions are implemented “in a way that works for the sector and is fair and proportionate for tenants and landlords”.
In addition, the government intends to consult on a new Decent Homes Standard and minimum energy efficiency standards, “to ensure tenant’s homes are made safe, warm, and free from disrepair”.
The Housing Ombudsman responded to the government announcement in its own press release, saying;
“We have seen some progress 2 years after the inquest into Awaab Ishak’s death. We can see landlords investing more into repairs, using new technology and changing the culture of housing management. Those landlords should be recognised for the steps they have taken to make homes better in this vital sector.
“Despite this progress, we still repeatedly find significant and preventable failings in handling potential health hazards in homes. We find some landlords not taking full responsibility, communicating poorly and making basic errors. Around half of our casework still concerns damp and mould.
“Therefore, it is right that government has prioritized action on mould, but also committed to introducing Awaab’s Law to other hazards. These hazards have been in statute for 20 years but our casework repeatedly shows that some landlords have been far too slow to remove potential hazards, with risks remaining for months or even years.
“The expectations are clear and landlords should not wait until the last moment to make changes but extend the discipline of Awaab’s Law to other hazards as soon as possible, especially when handling mould alongside other hazards in the same home or block. This would avoid the shocking conditions we see in some cases, including children living with bedroom windows boarded up for years, older people experiencing broken boilers in winter and dead rats making homes uninhabitable.
“The social housing sector’s audit of its housing will also reveal the extent of the challenge with conditions. While some landlords are prepared for this, we can see from our casework that others will face significant challenges. This law should be a catalyst for landlords to get back on top of managing hazards, modernising their repair services and adopting a zero tolerance culture towards hazards.
“The Ombudsman will continue to share lessons from its casework to support landlords to meet the expectations of this law as well as using it to provide redress where we find failings.”
The government has indicated that detailed guidance will be published in due course so that landlords know exactly what their obligations are, and will be.
Elizabeth England