Is Awaab's Law in Force? Key Dates

Yes. Awaab's Law Phase 1 has been in force since 27 October 2025 for registered providers of social housing in England. If you are a housing officer, compliance lead, or director of property, the statutory repair timeframes for damp, mould, and emergency hazards are live — and missing them now carries regulatory consequences.

If you need the short version and a timeline, you are in the right place. If you need the full framework, see The Complete Guide to Awaab's Law.

Quick Answer: Current Status

Scope	Status	In force from
Social housing (England) — Phase 1: damp, mould, emergency hazards	In force	27 October 2025
Social housing (England) — Phase 2: excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosions (excluding FSO-regulated communal fire hazards — see below), electrical, domestic hygiene	Not yet in force	30 November 2026 (confirmed)
Social housing (England) — Phase 3: all remaining HHSRS hazards except overcrowding	Not yet in force	No date set (Phase 1 guidance said 2027)
Private and social tenancies (Scotland) — equivalent under SSI 2026/173	Not yet in force	6 October 2026
Social housing (Northern Ireland)	No equivalent	Not announced
Social housing (Wales)	No equivalent	Not announced
Private rented sector (England)	Not yet in force	Phase 3 of Renters' Rights Act 2025 — subject to consultation

Phase 1: In Force Since October 2025

Section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, implemented through the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, which came into force on 27 October 2025. Since that date, every registered provider of social housing in England has been required to meet the following timescales:

• Emergency hazards — investigate and make safe within 24 hours of becoming aware.
• Significant damp and mould — investigate within 10 working days, provide written summary within 3 working days of investigation, complete safety works within 5 working days of investigation, begin supplementary preventative works within 5 working days of investigation with physical start within 12 weeks.

"Working day" is defined in regulation 2 as "any day other than— (a) a Saturday or Sunday, (b) Christmas Day or Good Friday, or (c) a day which is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 in England and Wales" — Christmas Day and Good Friday get their own limb because they are common-law holidays in England and Wales rather than 1971 Act bank holidays. The GOV.UK guidance is the authoritative reference — always check it for any recent updates.

Use the deadline calculator to see the exact dates for any scenario.

Phase 2: Confirmed for 30 November 2026

Phase 2 will extend Awaab's Law to a further set of HHSRS hazard categories, including falls, fire, electrical hazards, excess cold, excess heat, structural hazards, and hygiene-related hazards. GOV.UK guidance now confirms the commencement date — see the next section for the exact wording and the draft-instrument caveat.

The timescales follow the Phase 1 framework (10 working days to investigate, 5 to make safe, 3 for the written summary) — the amending instrument does not change them.

Two scope points the hazard list on its own does not show:

• "Fire and explosions" excludes FSO-regulated communal fire hazards. Draft regulation 3(3) inserts an "excluded fire hazard" definition covering fire risk "aris[ing] from a deficiency in a FSO-regulated part of a building that contains two or more sets of domestic premises", and puts "that is not an excluded fire hazard" into the definition of "relevant hazard". GOV.UK: "Awaab's Law applies to fire hazards within individual flats and homes which are not currently covered by the FSO." For blocks of flats this removes communal fire hazards that are in scope as emergency hazards today.
• The definition of "significant risk of harm" changes. Regulation 3(2) substitutes "make safe within 15 working days" for "take steps to make safe as a matter of urgency". That 15 working days is a scope threshold, not a deadline.

For a breakdown of what Phase 2 covers and how to prepare, see Awaab's Law Phase 2: What's Changing in 2026 and How to Prepare. Use the phase checker to look up any specific HHSRS hazard and see which phase covers it.

Phase 3: No Commencement Date Set

Phase 3 will complete the transition by extending Awaab's Law to the remaining HHSRS hazard categories. The GOV.UK collection says only:

Phase 3 will extend requirements to the remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards, excluding overcrowding.

No commencement date has been set. The Phase 1 landlord guidance said "In 2027, we will extend regulations to all remaining HHSRS hazards (apart from overcrowding)"; the Phase 2 guidance replaces that with "In phase 3" and gives no year. Treat 2027 as a stated aim, not a commencement date.

England: Phase 2 from 30 November 2026

Phase 2 has a confirmed commencement date. The GOV.UK Phase 2 guidance states that "From 30 November 2026, Awaab's Law will be extended to the following hazards where they present a significant risk of harm", and the amending regulations carry the same date.

One caveat worth carrying into any formal document: the amending instrument was still in draft and had not been made as a UK Statutory Instrument at the time this section was updated, so confirm the current status on GOV.UK before relying on it in a board paper. The date itself is a firm government commitment published alongside full guidance.

Scotland: 6 October 2026

Scotland's equivalent is made law. The Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/173) were made on 24 March 2026, and regulation 1 provides that they "come into force on 6 October 2026".

They are broader than the English regime in one important respect. The Explanatory Note describes them as introducing "time-limits for the investigation and commencement of repairs to damp or mould in private tenancies, Scottish secure tenancies and short Scottish secure tenancies" — so Scottish private landlords are in scope from commencement, not deferred to a later phase.

For a side-by-side comparison of the English and Scottish versions, see Does Awaab's Law Apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland?.

Private Rented Sector: Subject to Consultation

Awaab's Law does not yet apply to private landlords in England. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 includes provisions to extend similar requirements to the private rented sector as part of Phase 3 of its implementation roadmap, but the date is subject to consultation and has not been set.

For more on what the private sector extension will likely require and what private landlords can do to prepare, see Does Awaab's Law Apply to Private Landlords?.

Consequences of Non-Compliance (Phase 1)

Because Phase 1 is already live, the enforcement consequences apply now — not in some future phase:

• Housing Ombudsman determinations and severe maladministration findings — the Ombudsman made 7,082 determinations in 2024-25 with 714 severe findings
• Regulator of Social Housing action — regulatory notices, required improvement plans, restrictions on provider activity
• Disrepair litigation — individual and bulk claims from tenants or no-win-no-fee solicitors using statutory breach as evidence

If you are still treating Awaab's Law as a future compliance project, you are behind. The legal test has been live since October 2025. For a practical compliance framework for providers under 5,000 units, see How Small Housing Associations Can Comply Without Enterprise Software.

What to Do Next

• If you manage Phase 1 hazards in spreadsheets or shared calendars, verify that your deadlines are being calculated correctly with the working-day rules using the deadline calculator.
• If you are preparing for Phase 2 in 2026, read the Phase 2 preparation guide and use the phase checker to map your hazard types to the coming requirements.
• If you want automated case tracking, countdown alerts, and audit-ready evidence for every case, join the HazardClock waitlist. We are building an affordable compliance tracker for providers under 5,000 units.

This is general guidance for UK social housing providers, not legal advice. Regulatory dates may shift — always confirm against the latest GOV.UK guidance.

Sources

• Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 (c. 36) — legislation.gov.uk
• Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 — legislation.gov.uk
• Awaab's Law: Guidance for social landlords — Timeframes for repairs in the social rented sector — GOV.UK
• The Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/173) — legislation.gov.uk
• Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, reg 3 — legislation.gov.uk
• Awaab's Law in the social rented sector — GOV.UK
• Renters' Rights Act 2025 (c. 26) — legislation.gov.uk
• Annual Complaints Review 2024-25 — Housing Ombudsman