Awaab's Law

Awaab's Law came into force on 27 October 2025. It is named in memory of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died in 2020 due to prolonged exposure to mould in his family's social housing property. Despite repeated complaints from Awaab's parents, their landlord failed to take timely action to address the hazardous conditions.

The law sets legally binding timeframes within which registered social housing providers must investigate and remedy specific hazards in tenants' homes. Initially, Awaab's Law applies to all emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards. From 2026, it will extend to include hazards related to excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, fire, and electrical issues. By 2027, it will cover almost all hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), except overcrowding. For landlords, compliance with Awaab's Law is not optional. Failure to meet the prescribed timeframes can result in legal action through the courts, complaints to the Housing Ombudsman, and enforcement action by the Regulator of Social Housing.

Beyond the legal ramifications, Awaab's Law requires landlords to take the individual circumstances and vulnerabilities of tenants into account when assessing whether a hazard is significant or emergency. Rope access companies like RAIL provide rapid, effective solutions that help landlords meet their obligations. Traditional construction methods often cannot deliver the speed required. Rope access allows technicians to reach problem areas within hours, making it an ideal solution for emergency repairs and time-sensitive investigations.

Awaab’s Law establishes strict statutory timeframes. These deadlines are designed to ensure that tenants are not left living in dangerous or unhealthy conditions for extended periods.

The key timeframes are as follows:

• Investigation: Must be completed within 24 hours of the landlord becoming aware of the potential emergency hazard.
• Remediation: Relevant safety work must be completed within 24 hours of the investigation confirming an emergency hazard.

Emergency hazards are those presenting an imminent and significant risk of harm to tenants’ health or safety. Examples include gas leaks, severe water leaks, broken boilers in winter, exposed electrical wiring, broken external doors or windows affecting security, and severe damp or mould actively impacting a tenant’s health.

• Investigation: Must be completed within 10 working days of the landlord becoming aware of the potential significant hazard.
• Written Summary: A written summary of investigation findings must be provided to the tenant within 3 working days of the investigation concluding.
• Remediation: Relevant safety work must be completed within 5 working days of the investigation concluding.
• Supplementary Preventative Work: Landlords must begin, or take steps to begin, any supplementary preventative work (to stop the hazard recurring) within 5 working days of the investigation. If it is not reasonably practicable to begin this work within 5 working days, it must start as soon as possible and within 12 weeks.

Significant hazards are those presenting a risk of harm that a reasonable landlord would take steps to make safe as a matter of urgency. For damp and mould, this may include widespread mould growth affecting bedrooms or living areas, or persistent damp causing structural damage and health symptoms.

1. Roof Leaks and Damage: Damaged, missing, or slipped roof tiles allow rainwater to penetrate the building. Over time, this water ingress causes damp patches, ceiling stains, and mould growth.
2. Faulty or Blocked Gutters and Downpipes: Gutters clogged with leaves, moss, or debris cause water to overflow and run down external walls. This saturation leads to penetrating damp inside the property. Cracked, sagging, or poorly jointed gutters also leak water onto the facade.
3. Chimney Stack Defects: Many older social housing properties have disused chimneys that are no longer maintained. Deteriorating chimney stacks, cracked chimney pots, and failing flaunching (the cement around the base of chimney pots) allow rainwater to penetrate the property.
4. Cracks and Defects in External Walls: Cracks in brickwork, render, or cladding provide pathways for water to enter the building fabric. Poorly executed or deteriorating render can trap moisture behind it, exacerbating damp problems. Failed mortar joints, spalled bricks, and damaged lintels all contribute to water ingress.
5. Window and Door Seal Failures: Perished seals around windows and doors, failed mastic joints, and gaps in weather stripping allow rainwater and cold air to penetrate the property. This can cause localised damp around window frames and contribute to condensation and mould growth due to cold bridging.
6. Poor or Missing Insulation: Lack of cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation can result in cold surfaces inside the property, leading to condensation and mould growth.
7. Defective Parapet Walls and Copings: Parapet walls and copings (the protective caps on top of walls) are exposed to the elements and can deteriorate over time. Cracked or missing copings allow water to seep into the wall structure, causing damp issues in top-floor flats.

Scaffolding is the most common method for accessing high-level areas of buildings, but it is also one of the slowest. The process involves:

1. Obtaining permits and approvals from local authorities.
2. Scheduling scaffolders, who may be booked weeks in advance.
3. Erecting the scaffolding, which can take several days depending on the size and complexity of the building.
4. Conducting safety inspections before work can commence.
5. Dismantling the scaffolding after works are complete, which adds further time and cost.

For an emergency hazard requiring remediation within 24 hours, scaffolding is simply not viable. Even for significant hazards with a 10-day investigation period, scaffolding delays can consume the entire timeframe before any work begins.

Mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), such as cherry pickers or scissor lifts, offer faster deployment than scaffolding but come with significant limitations:

1. They require stable, level ground and sufficient clearance, which may not be available in densely built urban areas or on sloping sites.
2. They are unsuitable for high-rise buildings or complex facades with overhangs, balconies, or other obstacles.
3. Weather conditions, particularly high winds, can prevent their safe use, causing delays.
4. Road closures and traffic management may be required, adding time and expense.

For emergency repairs on tall buildings or in constrained locations, access platforms are often impractical or impossible to deploy within the required timeframes.

Rope access eliminates almost all of the delays and limitations associated with traditional access methods:

1. Rapid Deployment: Our teams can be on-site within hours, often the same day, anywhere in London and the UK.
2. No Permits Required: Rope access does not obstruct public highways, so there is no need for road closures, traffic management, or scaffolding licences.
3. Weather Resilience: Whilst extreme weather conditions (such as high winds or ice) can affect rope access, technicians can work safely in conditions that would prevent other activities.
4. Cost-Effective: Rope access is significantly cheaper than scaffolding or powered access, helping landlords manage budgets whilst meeting legal obligations.
5. Minimal Disruption: Work is carried out from the exterior with minimal noise, no blocking of light, and no need for tenants to vacate or restrict access to their homes.
6. Versatility: Rope access can reach any part of a building, regardless of height, shape, or surrounding environment, making it ideal for complex, high-rise, or heritage buildings.

Awaab’s Law recognises that, in some circumstances, landlords may be genuinely unable to meet the prescribed timeframes despite their best efforts. However, this defence is narrowly defined, and landlords must be able to provide clear evidence that they did everything possible to meet their obligations.

If a landlord anticipates that they will be unable to meet Awaab’s Law timeframes despite their best efforts, they should:

1. Document Everything: Keep detailed records of all actions taken, including contact attempts, contractor enquiries, approval applications, and any obstacles encountered.
2. Communicate with the Tenant: Keep the tenant fully informed of the situation, explaining what steps are being taken and when the issue is likely to be resolved. Apologise for any delays and reassure the tenant that their safety is the priority.
3. Provide Temporary Safety Measures: If permanent remediation cannot be completed within the prescribed timeframes, landlords should implement temporary measures to make the property as safe as possible. This may include providing dehumidifiers, heaters, temporary waterproofing, or mould washes.
4. Offer Alternative Accommodation: If the property cannot be made safe within the required timeframes, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation at their own expense. This is a legal requirement under Awaab’s Law, not an optional gesture.
5. Seek Legal Advice: If the landlord believes they may be in breach of Awaab’s Law, they should seek independent legal advice to understand their position and options.

Failure to comply with Awaab's Law carries serious consequences for social landlords, both legal and reputational. The potential consequences include:

1. Legal Action by Tenants: Awaab's Law creates an implied term in all social housing tenancy agreements, requiring landlords to comply with the prescribed requirements. If a landlord breaches this term by failing to meet the statutory timeframes, tenants can take legal action through the courts for breach of contract. If the court finds in the tenant's favour, it can order the landlord to:
   1. Complete the required works to remedy the hazard.
   2. Pay compensation to the tenant for any loss, harm, or inconvenience suffered.
   3. Pay some or all of the tenant's legal costs.
2. Complaints to the Housing Ombudsman: Tenants can also complain to the Housing Ombudsman Service if they believe their landlord has failed to comply with Awaab's Law. The Ombudsman investigates complaints, and if it finds that the landlord has failed to meet its obligations, it can:
   1. Order the landlord to complete the required works.
   2. Award compensation to the tenant.
   3. Require the landlord to apologise and improve its processes.
   4. Publish a formal determination detailing the landlord's failings, which can damage the landlord's reputation.
3. Enforcement by the Regulator of Social Housing: Whilst the Regulator does not investigate individual complaints, it monitors the overall performance of registered providers and can take enforcement action if a landlord shows a pattern of non-compliance with Awaab's Law or other consumer standards. The Regulator's enforcement powers include:
   1. Issuing regulatory notices requiring the landlord to improve its performance.
   2. Imposing financial penalties.
   3. Appointing managers or board members to oversee improvements.
   4. In extreme cases, transferring the landlord's housing stock to another provider.