With families getting ready for winter, social housing tenants often worry about the threat of mould, cold and other life-threatening hazards. Andrew Wilkinson, founder of South West-based health and safety consultancy Secure Safety Solutions, is highlighting new legislation which protects tenants against landlord negligence.
Awaab’s Law, posthumously named after Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 of a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home without landlord intervention or action, is legislation aimed to prevent social landlords from putting their tenants at risk by failing to make repairs in fair time.
Awaab’s Law came into force in 2025. This year sees an extension, protecting tenants from further hazards.
Andrew says he became aware of Awaab’s Law when its first phase was announced.
“It is a really important change because it puts clear deadlines around dealing with serious damp, mould and emergency hazards, rather than allowing problems to drift on for months.”
The hazards included in the 2026 extension include excess cold and excess heat, falls (associated with baths level surfaces, stairs and between levels), structural collapse, explosions, fire, electrical hazards, as well as domestic, personal hygiene and food safety.
Andrew, who founded his business after being a health and safety specialist for 10 years at Heathrow Airport, regularly encounters the need for organisations to understand of health and safety requirements. He believes the 2026 extension to be a necessary and urgent matter.
“Poor housing conditions are not limited to damp and mould. Excess cold or heat, unsafe stairs, electrical faults, fire risks, structural defects and poor hygiene conditions can all seriously affect people’s health and safety,” he commented.
“Extending the law means landlords need to take these risks seriously and act quickly where there is a significant danger.”
He emphasises that Awaab’s Law currently applies to social housing in England, rather than being one single UK-wide law.
Below are Andrew’s three reforms social housing landlords should pay close attention to:
- Emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours.
- Significant damp and mould hazards must be investigated within 10 working days and made safe within five working days of the investigation being completed.
- Landlords must provide a written summary of their findings and planned action, and the focus should be on fixing the underlying cause, not simply cleaning or painting over mould.
“Awaab’s law creates clearer responsibilities for landlords, gives tenants a better understanding of what they can expect, and should improve accountability when hazards are reported,” he said.
“The real test will be how consistently landlords identify issues, communicate with residents and complete effective repairs.”
Awaab’s Law will be further extended in 2027, bringing regulations in line with all remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazards (apart from overcrowding) where they present significant risk of harm.
“The further expansion planned for 2027 should provide a more complete safety net,” he said. “This could include risks such as carbon monoxide, asbestos, water quality, lighting, noise and unsafe access or security.”
Andrew wants renter safety regulations to go further.
“There needs to be stronger prevention duties, better data on repeat repairs and damp and mould cases, more support for vulnerable residents, and clearer consequences where landlords repeatedly fail to act would all help. There is also a strong case for making sure protection is consistently effective for private renters as well as social tenants.”
For Andrew, the focus needs to remain on people and creating safe homes.
“Awaab’s Law is a welcome step, but it needs proper resources, competent people and a genuine willingness to listen to tenants if it is going to deliver the change intended,” he warns.
“Good compliance should not just be about meeting a deadline, it should mean preventing the problem from coming back.”
Secure Safety Solutions is a trusted health and safety consultancy, who support landlords to identify, assess and prioritise hazards. They train staff and contractors, improve reporting and triage, carry out property and risk assessments, check repair effectiveness and keep clear records to ensure responses are complaint with Awaab’s Law. It’s widely believed that this change in law will be rolled out to private landlords in due course. To learn more, visit the website.
