Awaab’s Law came into Force on 27 October 2025 to protect tenants from dangerous housing conditions.
New legal duties will ensure social landlords tackle damp and mould quickly – in memory of Awaab Ishak.
Awaab’s Law – named in memory of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his home – has officially come into force, introducing strict timeframes for social landlords to investigate and resolve dangerous hazards in tenants’ homes.
From today, social housing landlords across England are legally required to attend to:
- Emergency health hazards within 24hrs
- Significant health hazards within 14 days
- Commence repairs within 7 days of identifying a risk
- Resolve issues within a “reasonable period”, depending on severity
These changes are part of the government’s ongoing commitment to improving housing conditions and ensuring that no family has to experience what Awaab’s family went through.
Willow Tree Housing Partnership fully supports these measures.
Awaab's Law: Guidance for Tenants in Social Housing is available on the Government website www.gov.uk
Damp is usually caused by water getting into your home or by a leak. You can also get rising damp where there is a fault with the damp proof course or in some cases no damp proof course at all.
Mould has a variety of causes and is often seen as black marks or patches on walls or ceilings particularly around windows, in the corners of rooms or behind furniture.
Whether you have damp or mould in your property we ask that in the first instance you contact us so that we may discuss what action to take and, where required, arrange for an inspection to be carried out.
If you have an emergency leak or have water coming through light bulbs, light fittings or near other electrical fittings then please report this immediately as an urgent repair by calling us on 01934 750780.
For more details please refer to our Damp and Mould Handbook Leaflet.
