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Last updated 15 October 2025
Awaab’s Law is named after a young boy who died in a social-rented home as a result of health problems brought on by prolonged exposure to mould in the property. It is currently applied to the social rented sector and requires social landlords to take swift action when health hazards are recognized.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector. Under this legislation, landlords will be legally required to investigate and begin addressing emergency health hazards within 24 hours, and resolve significant hazards, such as damp and mould within 10 working days.
If landlords fail to comply, tenants will be able to challenge them through the court for breach of contract. This will make sure that all renters in England are empowered to challenge dangerous living conditions.
“Since the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020 as a result of mould campaigners have been calling for landlords in the private rented sector to be held to the same standards as those in the social sector now are, with research indicating that 1.6 million children live in privately rented homes with damp, mould or excessive cold. The Labour Government has confirmed that this legislation will be introduced to private landlords.
The onus is now firmly on the landlord to identify and deal with any problem. It is no longer acceptable to blame issues on the way tenants live and normal life. Instead, landlords and their agents must be sensitive to the needs of tenants and work with them to understand and change behaviour where appropriate."
“They should also thoroughly investigate the underlying causes behind the problems and follow up to make sure things have improved.”
For more information on dealing with damp and mould, read our guide ‘Identify and prevent damp, mould and condensation in your property’, and listen to this episode of The LandlordZONE podcast which contains lots of practical advice.
For more information on Awaab’s Law, read David Smith’s blog, ‘What is Awaab’s law?’
