Awaab’s Law compliance: How social landlords can ensure they’re on the right side of the law

1 Nov 2025 | 5 min read

While Awaab’s Law is about clear guidance on compliance for social landlords and housing providers, at its core, the law is a much-needed response to a national wake-up call.

Understanding Awaab’s Law

Introduced following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who suffered with prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s housing association property, Awaab’s Law is putting into place more stringent rules on dealing with damp and mould.

From October 27, 2025, social housing landlords and providers will be required to:

Investigate ‘emergency’ damp and mould complaints within 24 hours and ‘significant’ issues within 10 working days
Begin repairs within 24 hours if a damp or mould issue is deemed an ‘emergency’ or within five days days if it’s labelled ‘significant’
Complete works within a “reasonable” timeframe

Awaab’s Law: Not just compliance, but ‘prevention’

Meeting the criteria for investigation and repair stipulated in Awaab’s Law is key for landlords and social housing providers to remain compliant.

But the law is also an opportunity to prevent damp and mould occurring in the first place, through preventative measures, including adequate ventilation systems.

Put simply, landlords now have the opportunity, and responsibility, to shift from box-ticking to building prevention into their housing stock.

Going beyond the bare minimum for Awaab’s Law

Social landlords wishing to protect their tenants even further from the harm of damp and mould should:

Carry out proactive inspections and data-led maintenance help spot issues before tenants report them.
Consider ventilation upgrades to ensure air quality in their properties are managed consistently, not just in response to complaints from tenants.
Deliver education and communication to tenants, empowering them to report issues early and manage internal moisture levels effectively through good lifestyle habits.

Damp and mould prevention strategies for social landlords

1. Audit your properties for damp and mould risk

The UK’s housing stock is an eclectic mix of period, post-war and modern homes – and, as such, each property comes with a variable risk of damp and mould.

Older buildings which are less well-insulated and potentially have inadequate ventilation are often the types of properties to suffer more with damp and mould issues.

However, modern ‘new-build’ homes and blocks tend to be so well-insulated that they are essentially ‘sealed’, with no escape for moist air.

Social landlords should look at their property portfolio and map:

Where previous damp complaints have occurred
Aging properties with no mechanical ventilation
Ground-floor and single-aspect flats with poor airflow

2. Upgrade mechanical ventilation in high-risk areas

Installing or upgrading bathroom wall extractor fans, kitchen wall fan extractor units, or window fan systems in problem properties can help reduce humidity at the source and lower the risk of damp and mould causing issues for tenants.

Features social landlords should consider include ventilation products with:

Low-watt EC motors: Improve energy efficiency
Humidity-sensing fans: Automatically activate based on conditions
Quiet operation: Ideal for en-suites or shared accommodation

By prioritising ventilation but also tenant behavioral advice, landlords can create long-term solutions that keep their tenants protected.

3. Align teams and processes

Social landlords and housing associations need to ensure their teams are well-briefed on Awaab’s Law and put processes in place that take an active approach to dealing with ventilation in their properties.

Some key strategies could include:

Creating damp and mould response teams
Including ventilation assessments as part of other device checks, such as smoke alarms
Including ventilation performance in contractor Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Treating residents as partners in Awaab’s Law

The public’s level of astonishment over the death of Awaab Ishak was under-pinned by the fact his family raised their concerns over damp and mould repeatedly, yet nothing was done.

And while Awaab’s Law aims to ensure landlords do better, improving communication and relationships with tenants is down to landlords and housing associations themselves.

Provide clear, multi-language guidance for tenants

Landlords should make sure all their tenants know:

How to report damp or mould
What the landlord will do in response and how long investigation and repair will take
What ventilation systems are in place, how they work and how to report problems

Printed signage and guidance documents should be available to tenants in multiple languages and formats.

Offer responsive repairs, not reactive excuses

The days of labelling damp as a “tenant lifestyle” issue are over.

Awaab’s Law will ensure housing providers now carry the legal and ethical burden to act, regardless of how damp and mould issues occurred.

Landlords should respond to reports of damp and mould with:

Immediate in-person assessments, regardless of the timeframes stipulated in Awaab’s Law
Quick, documented resolutions and effective communication to tenants, as outlined in Awaab’s Law
Transparent updates throughout repair work, in excess of what’s expected via the new legislation

Ventilation as a long-term investment, not a quick fix

Why ventilation matters

The most common cause of damp and mould in residential properties is condensation.

Formed when warm, moist air comes into contact with a colder surface, such as a wall or window, condensation is almost inevitable in properties with poor insulation or a lack of mechanical ventilation.

Mechanical ventilation systems, such as wall extractor fans and window extractor fans for bathrooms, are proven solutions to reduce condensation.

Benefits include:

Lower humidity and reduced condensation, hence less damp and mould
Better indoor air quality, improving health outcomes for tenants
Improved EPC ratings, aiding decarbonisation goals for landlords

Where to prioritise ventilation upgrades in social housing

Bathrooms: Install or upgrade extractor fans in wall, ceiling or window
Kitchens: Fit kitchen wall or ceiling extractor fan units
Communal areas: Use fan wall fan systems in corridors and stairwells

Get ahead of the 2025 Awaab’s Law deadline

With Awaab’s Law coming into effect for social housing in October 2025, time is of the essence for landlords and housing providers.

For the remainder of 2025, landlords should:

Complete damp and ventilation risk audits
Begin work to upgrade ventilation in properties requiring an update
Embark on staff training and set guidance for contractors
Set up a tenant education process, outlining the new law and how tenants should report issues with damp and mould

The benefits of Awaab’s Law beyond compliance

Awaab’s Law means more than landlords avoiding penalties and a proactive approach of prevention can mean:

For tenants

Fewer respiratory illnesses and other health risks
Better relationships with landlords
Healthier, more dignified living environments

For landlords

Reduced repair and legal costs
Improved asset performance and longer life cycles
Easier compliance with other property-related legislation

Conclusion: Raising standards, not just complying with Awaab’s Law

Awaab’s Law sets legal baselines and expectations for how landlords and housing associations should deal with the blight of damp and mould.

But landlords who set best practices and go beyond the legal framework will not only protect themselves further from the law, but they’ll also be delivering safe, healthy and dignified homes for their tenants.

Adequate ventilation is central to that best practice.

Explore Xpelair’s range of ventilation systems to discover how smart, energy-efficient technology can help you remain compliant with Awaab’s Law and set the standard for UK social housing moving forwards.