Awaab's Law for Private Landlords: Start Date

Awaab’s Law does not yet apply to private landlords, and no start date has been confirmed. A government consultation on how to extend it to the private rented sector opened on 8 October 2026 and closes on 18 December 2026. Existing repair and fitness duties already apply.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. It describes the position in England. Landlords should take independent legal advice for their own circumstances.

Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords now?

No. It is in force for social housing in England. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives the government power to extend it to the private rented sector, but the detailed rules and the date they take effect will be set by regulations after consultation.

The 8 October 2026 announcement says the consultation will inform how Awaab’s Law is implemented in the private rented sector, including the timescale for these new protections to come into force. That is an open consultation, not a commencement date.

Treat any private-sector start date circulating online as an estimate unless it appears in regulations.

(Source: Clampdown on dangerous homes, 8 October 2026; Renters' Rights Act implementation roadmap)

What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaab’s Law is the name given to section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which inserted a new duty into the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It implies a term into the tenancy requiring the landlord to take action on prescribed hazards within timescales set by regulations.

It is named after Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his social home in Rochdale.

The significance is the clock. Once the duty applies, the date a hazard was first reported matters. That date is often the hardest thing to prove after the event.

(Source: The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025)

Social-housing figures do not bind private landlords. They show the shape a private-sector version might take. The private timescales will be set separately and could differ.

Step	Social-housing timescale
Make an emergency hazard safe	Within 24 hours
Investigate a significant damp and mould hazard	Within 10 working days
Give the tenant a written summary of findings	Within 3 working days of the investigation
Begin to address a confirmed significant hazard	Within 5 working days, or within 12 weeks if work cannot begin in that window
If the home cannot be made safe in time	Offer suitable alternative accommodation at the landlord’s expense

The timescales sit in the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025.

Social housing is being introduced in three phases:

Phase	What it covers	Date (social housing only)
Phase 1	Emergency hazards and significant damp and mould	Autumn 2025. The 8 October 2026 announcement gives 31 October 2025; the social-housing regulations and an earlier government note give 27 October 2025
Phase 2	A wider set of serious hazards, including electrical hazards, excess cold and falls	30 November 2026
Phase 3	Remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazards that present a significant risk of harm, except overcrowding	2027

(Source: Safer homes for 4m tenants, 13 July 2026; Clampdown on dangerous homes, 8 October 2026; Awaab’s Law: Regulations)

How will it reach the private rented sector?

Section 60 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extends the section 42 duty to the private rented sector. The Act provides the power. It does not set the timescales or the start date.

The consultation that opened on 8 October 2026 and closes on 18 December 2026 will look at how the duty is introduced for private renters, and whether other types of accommodation should benefit later, including temporary accommodation, care-leaver accommodation and supported housing.

Until that consultation concludes and regulations are made, the private-sector duty is not in force.

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System methodology was updated on 23 June 2026. That change affects how hazards are scored in all housing, not only social housing. It is separate from Awaab’s Law.

(Source: Clampdown on dangerous homes, 8 October 2026)

What already applies to private landlords now?

“Awaab’s Law does not apply yet” is not the same as “damp and mould can wait.”

Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires landlords to keep the structure and named installations in repair.
Section 9A, inserted by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, implies a term that the dwelling is fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy. Fitness can be engaged without disrepair, including by serious damp and mould.
Councils can assess hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and serve an improvement notice. Failure to comply can attract a civil penalty of up to £40,000 under section 249A of the Housing Act 2004.
The 8 October 2026 announcement also notes that the Renters’ Rights Act introduced fines of up to £7,000 where the most serious (category 1) dangers are found.

A tenant facing a serious hazard already has routes to a remedy. A documented history of unaddressed reports also matters in a Section 8 possession claim.

(Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11; Clampdown on dangerous homes, 8 October 2026)

What should private landlords do now?

Respond to hazard reports quickly and keep a dated record of what was reported, when, and what was done. That habit is useful under today’s law and will map onto fixed timescales if and when they arrive.

The Decent Homes Standard was confirmed, in the government’s policy statement of 28 January 2026, as applying to the private rented sector from 2035. Detailed guidance is still to be published. That is a separate standard from Awaab’s Law.

Watch the consultation outcome. Do not treat social-housing Phase 2 on 30 November 2026 as a private-landlord deadline.

Check where those repair records stand on your property. Check My Compliance

Last reviewed: 8 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords?

It does not yet apply, and no start date has been confirmed. A consultation on how to extend it to the private rented sector opened on 8 October 2026 and closes on 18 December 2026.

Do private landlords already have duties on damp and mould?

Yes. Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the fitness for human habitation duty in section 9A already apply. Councils can also assess hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

What timescales apply in social housing?

Phase 1 has applied to social landlords since autumn 2025 for emergency hazards and significant damp and mould. Phase 2, from 30 November 2026, extends those timescales to a wider set of serious hazards. Those dates do not bind private landlords.

Will the private-sector timescales match social housing?

Not necessarily. The consultation will decide how the duty is applied to privately rented homes, including the timescale for it to come into force. Treat social-housing figures as an indication of direction, not as current law for the private sector.

What should I do now?

Investigate damp and mould reports promptly, keep a dated record of the report and what followed, and watch the consultation outcome. The existing repair and fitness duties already bite.