Awaab's Law Timeline Explained
The deadlines are now law. Here's exactly what they mean for your team.
Since October 2025, Awaab's Law has been in force. The legislation creates strict, legally binding timescales for how social landlords must respond to damp and mould hazards. Miss these deadlines, and you're not just risking tenant health—you're breaking the law.
This guide cuts through the legal language and gives you the practical timelines your team needs to follow.
The Three Key Deadlines
Awaab's Law establishes three distinct response windows. Each starts from the moment a hazard is reported or identified.
| Deadline | Requirement | What This Means |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Hours | Investigate the hazard | Assess the property, identify the issue, determine severity |
| 7 Days | Begin repairs (Category 1) | Works must start for serious hazards posing imminent risk |
| 14 Days | Begin repairs (Category 2) | Works must start for hazards posing less immediate risk |
What Counts as "Investigation"?
The 24-hour investigation requirement isn't satisfied by a phone call or a note in the system. You need to actually assess the property and the reported hazard.
- Physical inspection: A qualified person visits the property
- Hazard assessment: Determine whether it's Category 1 or Category 2 under HHSRS
- Root cause identification: Condensation, penetrating damp, or building defect?
- Documentation: Record findings with photos and measurements
If you can't get access within 24 hours, document your attempts. The clock doesn't pause, but evidence of reasonable effort matters.
Category 1 vs Category 2: Which Deadline Applies?
The repair deadline depends on the HHSRS category. Get this classification wrong and you may miss the legally required deadline.
Category 1 Hazards (7-Day Deadline)
These pose a serious and immediate risk to health. For damp and mould, this typically means:
- Extensive visible mould growth (multiple rooms, large areas)
- Mould in bedrooms or living spaces used by vulnerable tenants
- Structural dampness affecting habitability
- Any damp/mould where a tenant has a respiratory condition
Category 2 Hazards (14-Day Deadline)
Still serious, but lower immediate risk:
- Localised mould in bathrooms or kitchens with extraction
- Early-stage condensation issues
- Minor penetrating damp not affecting living spaces
When Does the Clock Start?
The timeline begins when you become aware of the hazard. This includes:
- Tenant report: Phone, email, portal, or in-person complaint
- Routine inspection: Hazard identified during scheduled visit
- Contractor report: Tradesperson notices an issue during unrelated work
- Sensor alert: Monitoring system flags high-risk conditions
That last point matters. If your monitoring system detects conditions likely to cause mould, the clock arguably starts then—not when visible mould appears or a tenant complains.
What "Begin Repairs" Actually Means
The 7-day and 14-day deadlines require you to start works, not complete them. But "starting" needs to be meaningful.
- Ordering materials doesn't count
- Scheduling a contractor doesn't count
- Actual physical remediation work on site does count
If repairs will take weeks (e.g., a roof replacement), the initial works might be temporary measures: mould treatment, dehumidifiers, alternative accommodation if needed.
Documentation Is Everything
If you can't prove you met the deadlines, you didn't meet them. Every step needs a timestamp:
- When the hazard was reported (or detected)
- When investigation was completed
- HHSRS category determination and reasoning
- When works commenced
- Completion date and follow-up verification
This audit trail is what the Regulator of Social Housing will ask for. It's also what you'll need if a disrepair claim lands on your desk.
What Happens If You Miss a Deadline?
The Regulator of Social Housing can take enforcement action. This ranges from regulatory notices to, in serious cases, intervention in your organisation's governance.
Beyond regulatory risk, there's the reputational damage. Housing providers who miss Awaab's Law deadlines will face media scrutiny. After Awaab Ishak's death, the public has little patience for landlords who fail to act on damp and mould.
How Monitoring Changes the Equation
The traditional model is reactive: wait for complaint, then respond. Awaab's Law timelines make this risky. By the time a tenant reports visible mould, you're already behind.
Continuous monitoring flips this:
- Early warning: High humidity alerts flag risk before mould appears
- Automatic timestamps: Sensor data proves when conditions changed
- Prioritisation: Focus resources on properties with worst conditions
- Evidence: Objective data supports your HHSRS categorisation
Build Your Compliance Timeline Into the System
DMS Smart Monitor tracks environmental conditions against Awaab's Law timescales. When humidity crosses risk thresholds, your team gets alerted—with a timestamped audit trail from day one.
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