Compliance · Social Housing
Awaab's Law Compliance — 24-Hour Damp & Mould Response
Since 27 October 2025, social-housing landlords in England have been under a statutory duty to investigate damp and mould hazards within 24 hours and complete significant works within 7 days. Local Property Group operates a London-wide pipeline that meets every checkpoint of the regime, with PCA and BDMA certified surveyors, full photographic evidence packs, and pre-action documentation suitable for Tribunal use.
The four statutory checkpoints
- Within 24 hours of tenant report — investigate. Attend, inspect, produce a written report identifying hazard severity under the HHSRS framework.
- Within 24 hours of identification — complete emergency works for any Category 1 hazard. Mitigate immediate danger first; full remediation can follow.
- Within 7 days — complete any "significant works" identified by the investigation. Significant works are defined in regulation 5(2) of the implementing instrument.
- Throughout — keep contemporaneous records suitable for evidence: timestamps, photos, attendees, work orders, sign-offs.
Why "evidence pack" is the load-bearing word
Tribunals rule on documentation, not intent. A landlord who attended within 24 hours but cannot prove it, by paper, will lose. Our standard delivery is a single PDF bundling the tenant-report timestamp, surveyor attendance log, hazard report, photographic evidence with geotags and EXIF, materials and work-order records, and tenant-signed completion. Stored against the property file. Ready for the Tribunal day-one.
Frequently asked questions
What is Awaab's Law?
Awaab's Law (Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, Section 42) places a statutory duty on social-housing landlords in England to investigate hazards within 24 hours of tenant report, complete significant works within 7 days, and emergency works within 24 hours of identification. It came into force for damp and mould on 27 October 2025 — named after Awaab Ishak, who died at age 2 in 2020 from prolonged mould exposure in a Rochdale Borough Council property.
Which landlords does it apply to?
Registered providers of social housing in England — local authorities, housing associations, ALMOs and TMOs. Roughly 4 million homes are in scope. Private rental sector landlords are not in scope of Awaab's Law itself, but Disrepair Protocol obligations under the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims (England) 2020 remain.
What evidence does a landlord need to keep?
A defensible response file requires: tenant-report timestamp (call recording, email, portal entry), attendance dates with named attendee, written investigation report identifying hazard severity, photographic evidence with EXIF timestamps and geotags, work-order records, completion sign-off signed by tenant where possible. We bundle this into a single tribunal-grade evidence pack per job.
What if works can't be completed in time?
If the statutory timeframe cannot be met, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation at the landlord's cost until the property is safe. Failure to do so is the trigger for tenant remedy under the Act — including damages and Tribunal proceedings.
Will the law expand beyond damp and mould?
Yes. Government has consulted on extending Awaab's Law to a wider set of HHSRS Category 1 hazards including excess cold, electrical hazards, falls on stairs, and fire/explosion. The wider regime is expected to phase in across 2026–2027.
What does Local Property Group provide for housing associations?
A pre-arranged 24-hour callout pipeline for damp and mould reports, PCA + BDMA + RICS-aligned surveyors, photographic evidence packs, statutory-timeframe tracking dashboards, and Disrepair Protocol pre-action documentation. Available across all London boroughs and Essex with same-day attendance.
Set up a pre-arranged response pipeline
For housing associations and local authorities: a named contractor pipeline, agreed SLAs, fixed evidence-pack format, monthly compliance reporting. Reduces median statutory-timeframe risk to under 12 hours from tenant report.
Discuss a pipeline arrangement