Preparing Repairs Teams for Awaab’s Law | Awaab Comply
Phase 1 has applied to social housing in England since 27 October 2025. It covers all emergency hazards and damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm. The requirements are triggered by the landlord becoming aware of a potential hazard, including through an inspection or a third party, rather than only by a formal tenant complaint.
Phase 2 comes into force on 30 November 2026. It extends the significant-hazard requirements to further hazards; it does not introduce emergency-hazard duties for the first time. Landlords must continue to meet their existing safety and repairing obligations before that date.
The new legislation has been introduced to address systematic failings which led to the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020. He died in his parents’ social housing accommodation in Rochdale after prolonged exposure to a damp and mould issue that wasn’t attended to and resolved by the landlord. Awaab’s Law now dictates that social landlords respond within a defined and legally binding timeframe, and that also means having repair and maintenance teams ready and available.
Awaab’s Law requirements
Ensuring resident safety has always been a basic duty of a landlord, but Awaab’s Law places new restrictions and demands on landlords, which can be summarised as:
Emergency hazards: investigate and, where an emergency hazard is confirmed, complete relevant safety work as soon as reasonably practicable and within 24 hours of becoming aware.
Potential significant hazards in scope: investigate within 10 working days of becoming aware.
Written findings: give the tenant a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation concluding.
Significant hazards identified: complete relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding.
Further prevention: begin, or take steps to begin, supplementary preventative work within 5 working days. If it cannot start then, it must start as soon as reasonably practicable and within 12 weeks, and be completed within a reasonable period. The 12 weeks is not a deadline for completing every repair.
If safety work cannot meet the deadline: secure suitable alternative accommodation at the landlord’s expense and keep the household informed.
Preparing repairs and maintenance teams
Social housing landlords need to undertake a significant period of learning and understanding in light of these new regulations. This includes their own understanding as well as those who work for them and have responsibilities for maintaining social housing rental accommodation. This largely requires implementing a proactive response whereby repair teams are fully prepared and ready to respond swiftly to repair and maintenance requirements, and to maintain a more professional documentation trail.
Here we have outlined some of the key practices and amendments a landlord must address and make their repair and maintenance teams aware of:
Escalation: ensure staff can pass potential emergency hazards to a responsible decision-maker immediately.
Ownership: identify who investigates, who reviews findings and who arranges safety work.
Records: record awareness dates, inspection findings, decisions, tenant contact and work status.
Competence: train staff to recognise limits to their expertise and seek specialist input.
Evidence: use appropriate measurements and photographs, recording method and limitations.
Phase 2 readiness: extend triage and escalation arrangements to the additional significant hazards ahead of 30 November 2026.
Faster inspection reporting
Training should cover how inspectors gather evidence, use the app and review the generated report. The wider team must also understand who receives the findings and how urgent concerns are escalated.
From on-site evidence to a report in minutes
Awaab Comply helps inspectors capture findings, measurements and photographs on a phone or tablet during a visit, then generate a downloadable report in minutes. The inspector should review the report promptly. This supports evidence gathering and reduces time spent writing up afterwards; the landlord remains responsible for triage, competent assessment, tenant communication, safety work and meeting the applicable deadlines.
Book a free Awaab Comply demo ↗ or contact our team.
Guidance and review date
Regulatory wording checked on 26 October 2026 against GOV.UK’s Phase 2 guidance for social landlords. Read the guidance alongside the regulations when deciding how the requirements apply to a case.
