Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law enters into force
As of 27th October, Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law has now come into effect, marking an important step forward in improving health and safety standards across the social housing sector.
Phase 1 of the regulations place legal duties on landlords to investigate and address all emergency hazards and all damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants within strict timeframes.
The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published final guidance for landlords on 17th October, confirming specific requirements for housing providers in areas such as identifying and categorising hazards, rectifying and making safe identified problems, providing a written summary of any problem and required works to tenants, finding suitable alternative accommodation where appropriate and more. This guidance can be found here.
The requirements laid out in Awaab’s Law are currently set to be extended to the below list of hazards in 2026, where they represent a significant risk of harm:
- Excess cold and 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
Following this, regulations will be extended to all remaining hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), where they present a significant risk of harm, in 2027.
The government have committed to taking a “test and learn” approach to the implementation of Awaab’s Law and to implementing lessons learned between phases.
The Northern Housing Consortium will continue to engage with members and officials at MHCLG on the implementation of Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law and further clarification of requirements for Phases 2 and 3.
