The government is consulting on extending Awaab's Law to private rentals. Here's what's proposed, what's undecided, and how agents can prepare and respond.
The Goodlord team
Oct 19, 2026
Awaab's Law has applied to social housing since October 2025, setting fixed deadlines for how social landlords respond to serious housing hazards. Now, the government is consulting with Private Rented Sector (PRS) professionals on how to best extend the same protections to private renters.
The consultation, published on 9 October 2026, is open until 11:59pm on December 18, 2026. The government will use the responses to draft the regulations that set what those requirements look like.
Although the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 provides for Awaab’s Law to be extended to private rented tenancies, none of those requirements have been finalised. This gives letting agents a chance to influence how the proposed rules will work in practice.
This guide covers what is proposed in the consultation, what is still open, and what you should start preparing for now.
Why was Awaab’s Law introduced?
Awaab’s Law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 from a severe respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social rented home in Rochdale. His family had complained repeatedly, but the landlord failed to take the necessary action.
Awaab's Law was introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and sits alongside Decent Homes Standards. It holds social housing landlords accountable for addressing complaints of specified hazards within fixed periods.
Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords already have a legal duty to repair and maintain their properties in a “reasonable time”. Awaab’s Law adds specific timescales and processes for dealing with the hazards covered by the regulations.
How does Awaab’s Law work in social housing?
In its first phase, Awaab’s Law covers significant damp and mould issues and all emergency hazards in social housing.
Since October 2025, social landlords have been following this process:
- Hazard identified: The clock starts when the landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard, whether from a tenant report or a routine visit.
- Investigate: Investigate within 10 working days. This can be done remotely, but the tenant can ask for a physical inspection.
- Written summary: The tenant receives one within 3 working days after the investigation concludes.
- Make safe: Within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, using temporary measures if needed.
- Preventative works: Start, or take documented steps to start, works within 5 working days, and physically begin within 12 weeks.
- Emergencies: For an emergency hazard, the landlord must investigate and make safe as soon as possible, and within 24 hours.
- If deadlines can’t be met: The landlord must arrange suitable alternative accommodation at its own expense until the necessary safety work is complete.
The risk assessment considers the occupants. So the same hazard can be an emergency for a household with a young child or a health condition and not for another.
The second phase of social housing requirements is due to start on November 30, 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. This is intended to bring nine additional hazards into the framework, including excess cold and heat, falls, electrical hazards, fire hazards, and structural collapse. A third phase covering the remaining hazards is planned for 2027.
What does the Awaab’s Law consultation say?
The government’s starting point is to use the social housing rules as a guide, while asking where the PRS might need a different approach.
The consultation says, “The government’s aim here is not to seek to establish stronger or weaker Awaab’s Law requirements for private rented tenancies compared to social housing tenancies. Instead, we wish to make sure that requirements for private rented tenancies are designed in a way that works effectively for the sector.”
The consultation contains 64 questions covering the scope of Awaab’s Law, how hazards should be assessed and the practical impact of the requirements. Some of the key questions include:
- Hazards covered (Q4): Should Awaab’s Law cover all 21 Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards, from damp and mould growth to structural collapse?
- Tenant-caused hazards (Q5): Should hazards resulting from a tenant’s breach of contract be excluded?
- Investigation (Q11-12): Should landlords have five, 10 or 15 working days to arrange an investigation? Who should be qualified to carry it out?
- Written summaries (Q14–16): Should landlords have to provide tenants with written investigation findings?
- Making safe (Q18-20): Should landlords have three, five or 10 working days to make a significant hazard safe?
- Emergency hazards (Q22-24): For emergencies, should landlords have to investigate and make the property safe within 12, 24 or 48 hours?
- Alternative accommodation (Q25-27): Should landlords have to provide temporary accommodation if a property cannot be made safe in time?
These are consultation questions, not a final set of requirements for private landlords.
What’s still undecided?
A lot. The consultation sets out options rather than final rules, and the answers will determine what Awaab’s Law means for letting agents in practice.
The government has yet to confirm whether the PRS rules will cover all HHSRS hazards, let alone settle the deadlines for investigations, written summaries and making hazards safe. The government is also still considering requirements around emergency responses, alternative accommodation, and the circumstances in which landlords may have more time to act.
The consultation closes on December 18, 2026. The government will then consider the responses and make the necessary regulations before confirming the detailed PRS requirements. Until then, treat every deadline in the consultation as an option under consideration, not a final legal requirement.
Why might private rules differ from social housing?
The government recognises that private renting operates differently from social housing. The consultation estimates that England has at least 2.3 million private landlords, 94% of whom let property as individuals.
It also understands that, unlike many social landlords, private landlords generally rely more on external contractors than on in-house repair teams. That makes contractor availability a real constraint.
The government acknowledges that rigid deadlines could pressure landlords into compromising on competence. It is therefore using the social timescales as a starting point, not a settled answer.
When will Awaab’s Law come to PRS?
The government says 2027 is the earliest feasible implementation date for Awaab’s Law in the private rented sector. This is not a confirmed start date.
It is also considering whether to introduce the requirements in phases or bring them in together. The impact assessment accompanying the consultation models a phased rollout across 2028, 2029, and 2030, but these dates are assumptions for assessing the costs and benefits, not a final implementation timetable.
The consultation also asks whether the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman should be operating before Awaab’s Law takes effect. The government expects to establish the housing ombudsman service from 2028.
So there is no settled date for the extension or final set of deadlines that agents can work towards yet.
How would it be enforced?
The Renters’ Rights Act provides for Awaab’s Law requirements to be included as an implied term in private rented tenancy agreements.
Once the relevant regulations are in place, tenants could take their landlord to court for breach of contract if the requirements are not met. Tenants could also complain to the PRS Landlord Ombudsman once it is established.
If the landlord is found liable, the court or the housing ombudsman could order the landlord to carry out repairs, pay compensation to the tenant, or pay some or all of the tenant’s legal fees.
Local authorities would retain their HHSRS powers to take enforcement action against hazards under housing standards legislation, but would not enforce the Awaab's Law timescales.
What should letting agents start preparing for now?
None of this is a legal requirement yet. But to avoid legal disputes later, agents should use the consultation to identify gaps in existing processes and review how their teams handle hazard reports.
1 - Set up triage at the point of report: Decide who receives a damp, mould, or safety report, how quickly it is classed as an emergency or routine, and what you ask tenants for up front, such as photos, video, and a short description. In the social model, the clock starts when the landlord becomes aware, so how quickly reports reach the right person matters.
2 - Decide who investigates, and how: Work out who on your team can make a first assessment, when you would bring in a specialist, and whether you can run a remote first look while attending in person when a tenant asks. That keeps you ready whichever of the three models survives.
3 - Cover emergencies out of hours: Agree with landlords in advance what counts as an emergency, who answers at night and at weekends, and which contractors will attend.
4 - Keep a dated record for every property: Log the report, the investigation, the findings, the work ordered, and any delay, including refused access. In social housing, a missed-deadline defence rests on proof of reasonable steps.
5 - Update your landlord terms of business: Cover response times, a pre-approved spend limit for urgent work, and who carries the risk of a missed deadline, since the landlord stays liable even when you manage the property.
6 - Prepare templates: Draft the written summary (was a hazard found, what happens next, by when, who to contact) and a short tenant update message, so nothing is written from scratch under time pressure.
7 - Build a leasehold register: For flats, record what the lease makes the freeholder responsible for, and how to report problems to the freeholder or its managing agent.
How can agents respond to the Awaab’s Law consultation?
The government is seeking evidence from landlords, letting agents, and other organisations involved in private renting. The consultation is an opportunity to explain how the proposed requirements would work in practice and where changes may be needed.
You can submit a response through the official online survey by 11:59 PM on 18 December 2026. Alternatively, you can email your response awaabslawconsultation@communities.gov.uk, naming the question number each answer relates to.
You don’t have to answer all 64 questions. Focus on the issues where you have first-hand experience. Agents are best placed to answer questions about who can investigate, the burden of written summaries, contractor availability, out-of-hours emergencies, tenant access, and handling tenant data.
It is also worth providing evidence wherever possible. For instance, you could share how long it takes to instruct a contractor, how many out-of-hours calls you get, how long different types of repairs currently take, and what usually causes delays.
How Goodlord can help
While the final requirements for private renting are still being decided, preparing for Awaab's Law starts with having the right processes in place.
Goodlord helps letting agents simplify tenancy management and keep on top of the tasks and documentation involved in letting a property.
Concerned about what Awaab's Law means for your agency? Let’s have a chat. We can help you stay compliant as the rules take shape.
This article is intended as a guide only and does not constitute legal advice. Visit gov.uk for more information.