Awaab’s Law is changing the way social landlords identify, investigate and respond to hazards in tenants’ homes. With Phase 2 approaching, read more about what’s changing and how housing providers can prepare.
Awaab’s Law was introduced following the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak and places legally binding timescales on social landlords for investigating and addressing serious hazards within their homes.
Phase 1 came into force in October 2025, initially covering significant damp and mould hazards alongside all emergency hazards. From 30 November 2026, Phase 2 will significantly expand the range of hazards covered and, with it, the skills, resources and processes housing providers need to respond effectively.
While Phase 1 focused primarily on damp and mould alongside emergency hazards, Phase 2 will bring a much wider range of housing conditions within scope.
This includes significant hazards relating to excess cold and excess heat, falls, structural collapse and falling elements, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene. The domestic hygiene category encompasses a range of issues including personal hygiene, food safety, pests and refuse.
The statutory response framework established under Phase 1 will continue to apply. Emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours, while potential significant hazards must be investigated within 10 working days. Where a significant hazard is identified, landlords must make the property safe within five working days of the investigation finishing.
Where required, residents must also receive a written summary of the findings and proposed action within three working days. If the property cannot be made safe within the required timeframe, suitable alternative accommodation must be offered until it is safe to return.
Where further work is required to prevent a significant or emergency hazard from recurring, landlords must begin, or take steps to begin, that work within five working days of the investigation concluding. Where this is not possible, work must begin as soon as reasonably practicable and physically start within 12 weeks, with the works completed within a reasonable timeframe.
For housing providers, the significance of Phase 2 is therefore not simply that more hazards are being added. Awaab’s Law will begin to touch a much broader range of services and areas of expertise, from repairs and surveying to fire safety, electrical compliance, structural expertise, environmental health and housing management.
In July 2026, the Government published official Phase 2 guidance for social housing landlords, providing greater clarity around how hazards should be assessed and categorised as either significant or emergency. This will be particularly important when landlords are triaging reports and determining both the urgency of the response and the action required.
The expansion of Awaab’s Law is likely to create additional operational, financial and logistical pressures for housing providers.
With more types of hazards falling within the legislation, landlords could see a significant increase in both the volume and variety of cases requiring investigation and action within statutory timescales.
This could place additional pressure on surveying, repairs, compliance and customer service teams, particularly where organisations are already managing high workloads.
The requirement to investigate and make emergency hazards safe within 24 hours also means providers need to consider whether their existing arrangements are sufficiently resilient outside normal working hours, including weekends and bank holidays.
Housing providers may therefore need to review their internal resources, contractor arrangements, out-of-hours provision and access to specialist expertise to ensure they can respond appropriately when urgent cases arise.
Another challenge will be ensuring different teams and processes work effectively together. A single case could potentially involve customer services, repairs teams, surveyors, specialist contractors, compliance teams and housing management. Clear communication, accurate record keeping and effective case management will therefore be essential.
For housing providers, preparing for Phase 2 is not simply about responding to a larger list of hazards. Organisations will need to consider whether they have the capacity, systems and skills required to meet their responsibilities consistently.
This may mean reviewing the skills already available within existing teams and identifying where additional training or specialist expertise is required.
Providers will need access to people who can confidently identify, assess and respond to a wider range of hazards. In some cases, organisations may be able to develop these capabilities internally through training and development. In others, additional permanent, interim or specialist external resource may be required.
There may also be an impact beyond frontline property teams. An increase in reported hazards could create additional work for repairs administrators, customer service teams, complaints teams and data or performance professionals responsible for tracking cases and ensuring deadlines are met.
Technology and accurate data will also play an important role. Housing providers need to be able to record when a hazard was reported, track investigations and works, communicate with residents and demonstrate that the required action was taken within the statutory timescales.
Organisations should also consider how they communicate the changes to residents. Tenants need clear and accessible information about their rights, how to report problems and what they can expect from their landlord.
This could include information through websites, emails, newsletters, printed materials and other communication channels to ensure residents who may not use digital services are not excluded.
Clear communication can help build trust between residents and landlords while ensuring serious hazards are identified and addressed as quickly as possible.
Phase 2 could also have an impact on recruitment and workforce planning across social housing.
As the number and range of hazards covered by Awaab’s Law increases, some organisations may find they need additional capacity or specialist expertise across areas such as surveying, repairs and maintenance, compliance, fire and building safety, electrical safety and property management.
However, the impact may extend beyond technical roles.
The administrative requirements associated with investigating, recording, monitoring and communicating cases could also increase demand for people working across repairs administration, customer services, complaints, data and performance.
Housing providers will therefore need to consider not only how many people they have, but whether they have the right combination of skills and experience within their teams.
Recruitment is one option, but it is not the only solution. Organisations may also look at upskilling existing employees, developing internal talent, reviewing processes and technology, strengthening contractor networks and considering transferable skills from people working in other sectors.
Where additional recruitment is required, understanding which skills are genuinely essential and which can be developed will be increasingly important. Looking beyond active jobseekers and considering candidates with relevant transferable experience could help housing providers access a wider talent pool, particularly for specialist or difficult to fill roles.
For recruitment partners such as Dawson Jones Recruitment, this means understanding the changing demands being placed on housing providers and helping organisations identify the permanent or interim skills they need to maintain safe homes and meet their regulatory responsibilities.
In 2027, Phase 3 is expected to extend the requirements to the remaining hazards covered by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), with the exception of overcrowding.
These will include hazards relating to areas such as asbestos, carbon monoxide and fuel combustion products, lead, radiation, lighting, noise, water supply, entry by intruders and other environmental and safety risks.
For housing providers, this makes workforce and resource planning increasingly important. The range of knowledge and expertise required to identify and respond to hazards will continue to broaden.
Awaab’s Law represents a significant change in how social landlords are required to respond to hazards within their homes. While the legislation creates additional operational challenges, its fundamental purpose is clear: residents should be able to live in safe homes and have serious concerns acted upon quickly.
For housing providers, preparing early for Phase 2 by reviewing skills, capacity, systems, contractor arrangements and communication with residents will be key to meeting the new requirements effectively and being ready for the further expansion of the legislation in 2027.
If your organisation is reviewing its workforce requirements ahead of Phase 2, Dawson Jones Recruitment can support with permanent and interim recruitment across property services, asset management, compliance, building safety, housing and wider corporate functions.
