Social housing landlords now forced to tackle mould and damp

The government has introduced new laws which protect social housing tenants from emergency hazards, damp and mould.

The first face of Awaab’s Law came into force yesterday, Monday, 27 October. It means that landlords now have a legal duty to fix emergency health and safety standards within 24 hours. They must also investigate significant mould and damp within 10 working days of being notified.

Additionally, landlords must also make properties safe within five working days after inspections, and then write to tenants within three working days of that inspection with the findings.

The government will extend the regulations in 2026 to include:

excess cold and excess heat
falls associated with baths, etc., on level surfaces, on stairs and between levels
structural collapse, and explosions
fire, and electrical hazards
domestic and personal hygiene and food safety

In 2027, they will be extended further, to all 29 Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards.

Awaab’s Law says landlords must deal with mould and damp

The law is named after Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 due to prolonged exposure to black mould.

The family complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the damp and mould in their home for three years, and had asked to be rehoused.

But RBH, the social housing association responsible, failed to take action. The toddler died on 21 December 2020, after the hospital had discharged him only two days prior.

A post-mortem examination revealed fungus in the toddler’s blood and lungs.

Senior coroner Joanne Kearsley said:

Awaab Ishak died as a result of a severe respiratory condition caused due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment.

A pattern

The Canary has previously reported on Greenwich council leaving social housing tenants without running water, in buildings that contravene fire safety laws, and taking a disabled tenant to court for daring to complain.

Similarly, a new report from the housing ombudsman highlights more than 20 social landlords who have failed to deal with damp and mould cases.

The report states:

This report reinforces the need for Awaab’s Law.

These cases involve residents reporting carpets wet to touch, mushrooms growing on a child’s bedroom wall and another child with water running down their bedroom wall when it rains.

The report details multiple social landlords who failed to act even after the conditions of their properties led to hospitalisation with severe asthma and breathing difficulties.

The entirety of the report is damning. It lists many social housing landlords that failed to act on serious and life-threatening complaints. Even when children and toddlers were hospitalised and tenants raised issues repeatedly, they did nothing. Housing associations also failed to pay adequate compensation when they finally resolved issues.

Enforcement

As the Canary previously reported, these requirements are all well and good, but without proper enforcement, they don’t mean much. Rental industry research suggests that authorities are barely enforcing even the current version of the Decent Homes Standard:

According to Inventory Base, in 2013, more than ten years after the DHS was introduced, approximately 593,000 social homes still fell below the standard.

By 2023, that number had fallen by 27.8%, but these latest figures suggest around 428,000 social rented properties in England, more than 10% of the total stock, still failed to meet the required standard.

Inventory Base estimates that by the end of 2025, nearly 405,000 homes will still be classified as non-decent, almost a quarter of a century after the standard was first introduced.

Landlords have always, and probably will always, do whatever they can to circumvent new laws and keep their expenses as cheap as possible. And without some sort of legal recourse for tenants to fall back on to make their homes habitable, landlords will keep getting away with it.

Obviously, it’s good that tenants are getting more protections enshrined in law. But will landlords now hike prices?

Renters rights

This comes only a week after the Renters’ Rights Bill passed through the House of Commons. It aims to improve security and standards for private renters.

Yesterday, it received Royal Assent, which means it is officially law. One of the most important features of the Bill is abolishing Section 21 evictions.

But already, landlords are claiming that the bill is “too much interference” from the government, and landlords are “not making enough money”:

‘If landlords won’t live in the conditions of the homes they rent out, then no one should.’@Kwajotweneboa dismisses concerns that the Renters’ Rights Bill piles too much pressure on landlords. pic.twitter.com/bUQTx16k3N

— LBC (@LBC) October 27, 2025

Have they thought of, you know… getting a job?

If you’re a private landlord who thinks it’s acceptable to rent out slum housing that puts your tenants’ health and safety at risk, you shouldn’t just lose the right to be a landlord – there’s a strong case that you should be behind bars.

The renters rights bill is rebalancing… https://t.co/XyoJI7BGo7

— KWAJO- Social Issues Campaigner (@Kwajotweneboa) October 27, 2025

The Renters’ Rights Bill specifically mentions Awaab’s Law:

In line with the approach taken for social housing, Awaab’s Law will imply terms into private rented sector tenancy agreements. This means all private landlords will have to meet Awaab’s Law requirements – for example, on timescales for dealing with hazards such as damp and mould – when these are set out in regulations.

Basic human right

Safe and secure housing is a basic human right, and whether it’s social housing or private rented accommodation, landlords across the board are still failing to meet basic living standards. And they have been for years. If they cannot do the bare minimum, they should not be a landlord.

Hopefully, now, both Awaab’s Law and the Renters’ Rights Bill will provide tenants with a crucial vehicle for holding both to account. Maybe we will see an end to some of the most pervasive problems in the broken social housing sector.

But until we abolish landlordism once and for all, the problems will continue, just in a different form.

Featured image via Shelter/YouTube