Published 11 October 2026. This article reflects the consultation as published on 9 October 2026. Nothing described here is yet law for private landlords.
On 9 October 2026 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government opened a consultation on extending Awaab’s Law to private rented tenancies and to licences. It closes at 11:59pm on 18 December 2026. If you let a flat in London, this is the change most likely to affect how quickly you are expected to deal with damp, mould and other hazards over the next few years.
What is Awaab’s Law?
Awaab’s Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social housing flat in Rochdale. It sets legal deadlines for landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards once they know about them. It has applied to social housing since October 2025, starting with damp, mould and emergency hazards. Further phases for social housing are due on 30 November 2026 (subject to Parliament) and in 2027.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives the government the power to apply Awaab’s Law to private rented homes. This consultation is about how to do that.
What is being proposed for private landlords
The consultation asks for views on most of the detail, but in several places it says there is a case for following the rules that already apply to social housing. Those rules are:
- Investigate a significant hazard within 10 working days of becoming aware of it
- Give the tenant a written summary of the findings within 3 working days of the investigation
- Make the home safe within 5 working days of the investigation concluding
- Start any longer-term repairs within 5 working days, or take steps to start them, and physically begin within 12 weeks
- Emergency hazards investigated and made safe as soon as practicable, and within 24 hours
For private landlords the consultation offers alternatives on each of these, for example 5, 10 or 15 working days to investigate, 1, 3 or 5 working days for the written summary, and 12, 24 or 48 hours for emergencies. It also asks:
- whether the rules should cover every hazard in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) apart from overcrowding, which it suggests there is a case for
- whether the rules should apply only to hazards that pose a significant risk of harm
- whether hazards caused by a tenant breaching their tenancy should be excluded, while making clear that a landlord cannot assume damp and mould is down to the tenant’s “lifestyle”
- how to handle hazards a landlord does not control, such as problems with the structure or common parts of a leasehold building that are the freeholder’s responsibility
- whether landlords should have to provide alternative accommodation, which the government says it has concerns about
No start date has been set for private landlords. The consultation says the earliest feasible date would be 2027, and asks whether the rules should start in 2027, 2028 or 2029.
How it would be enforced
The consultation explains that the Renters’ Rights Act makes complying with Awaab’s Law a term of the tenancy. That means a tenant could take a landlord to court for breach of contract, and the court could order repairs, compensation or costs. Separately, councils can already fine landlords up to £7,000 if they fail to take reasonably practicable steps to remove a category 1 hazard, the most serious kind. The government estimates that around one in ten privately rented homes has a category 1 hazard.
Why it matters for London flats in particular
Much of central London’s private rented stock is in older converted houses and mansion blocks, where condensation, poor ventilation, leaks from the flat above and penetrating damp are common. Many of those flats are leasehold, so the cause of a problem can sit with the freeholder or managing agent rather than the landlord who owns the flat. That is why the question about freeholder hazards matters: if you let a leasehold flat, you may be expected to show you took reasonable steps to get the freeholder to act.
What you can sensibly do now
None of this is law for private landlords yet, and the final rules may differ from what is proposed. But the direction is clear, and the steps that would help you comply are also good practice today:
- Get damp and mould looked at properly. Find the cause, whether that is a leak, a ventilation problem, condensation or penetrating damp, rather than repainting over it.
- Keep a written record. Note when a tenant reported a problem, when it was inspected, what was found and what was done. Dated photos help.
- Make reporting easy for tenants. One phone number or email address, and a quick acknowledgement, means you know about problems early.
- Check ventilation. Extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms that actually work, trickle vents that are open, and window seals in good condition prevent many damp complaints.
- Know who to call. If the deadlines end up close to the social housing ones, you will need someone who can inspect within days and make safe quickly, not someone who calls back next week.
- For leasehold flats, know your freeholder’s process. Keep the managing agent’s contact details, and put reports about the structure or common parts in writing.
Your letting agent or a legal adviser can confirm what applies to your property. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Have your say
The consultation is open to landlords, letting agents, tenants and anyone else with a view, and some questions are aimed specifically at landlords and agents. You can respond online through the consultation page on GOV.UK until 11:59pm on 18 December 2026.
How we can help
We inspect damp, mould and leak problems in rented flats across central London, find the likely cause and carry out the repairs. Where a specialist damp survey is needed first, we tell you before any work starts. The work is carried out by our own team, so the people who inspect the problem are the people who carry out the repairs, and you get a written record of what was found and what was done. For ongoing repairs during a tenancy, see our maintenance and repairs service. For landlords who would rather hand over the day-to-day, landlord property management sets out what we can take on, and our end-of-tenancy checklist covers the jobs worth doing between tenancies.
Talk to us about your property
The site visit and the written quote are free and carry no obligation. Request a free quote and tell us where the property is and what you have noticed. We work across central London, including Westminster, Camden, Islington and Kensington and Chelsea.