Awaab's Law: What it means for the social housing construction sector
Awaab's Law represents a significant change in the way hazards in social housing must be addressed, with important consequences for the construction industry. While the legislation places its primary obligations on social landlords, its practical and financial impact is likely to extend throughout the supply chain, from developers and main contractors to specialist subcontractors, maintenance providers and warranty insurers.
With the second phase taking effect on 30 November 2026, the sector needs to look beyond the immediate requirements of repairing damp and mould. The wider challenge is ensuring that homes are designed, constructed, maintained and handed over in a way that minimises the risk of hazards arising and enables them to be addressed within increasingly demanding timescales.
What is Awaab's Law?
Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who died in 2020 following prolonged exposure to mould in his family's social housing home. Introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and implemented through the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, it establishes mandatory timescales for social landlords to investigate and address specified hazards.
The first phase came into force on 27 October 2025, covering emergency hazards and significant damp and mould. The second phase extends the regime from 30 November 2026 to additional hazards including excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosion, electrical hazards and hygiene hazards. A further phase is planned for 2027, covering the remaining hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
The key requirements
Under the first-phase regime, emergency hazards must be investigated and safety work completed within 24 hours. Significant hazards must be investigated within 10 working days, with relevant safety work completed within five working days of the investigation concluding. The distinction between making a property safe and permanently resolving the underlying defect will be important: an initial intervention may address the immediate danger, but further work may be needed to prevent recurrence.
Impact on developers and housebuilders
Although the statutory duties fall on social landlords, developers and housebuilders face increased scrutiny where hazards arise from design deficiencies, poor workmanship or defective materials. A landlord must address its statutory obligations regardless of whether the developer accepts responsibility and may it then seek to recover its losses from the relevant parties in the supply chain.
The financial consequences may extend beyond rectification costs. Where a landlord arranges temporary accommodation, commissions emergency inspections or undertakes urgent protective works, it may seek to recover those additional costs from a developer or contractor. Whether such losses are recoverable will depend on the relevant contract, causation, remoteness and any applicable liability limitations.
Development agreements
One of the most important implications of Awaab's Law is the potential mismatch between a social landlord's statutory obligations and its contractual rights against the developer. Traditional defects provisions may have been negotiated on the assumption that remedial works can be planned within conventional construction timescales. Awaab's Law introduces a different imperative: the landlord may need the developer to investigate and respond immediately, regardless of whether liability is in dispute.
When negotiating development agreements, landlords should consider whether defect provisions adequately address urgent response obligations, access and cooperation, the distinction between immediate safety measures and permanent rectification, responsibility for consequential costs, record-keeping requirements, and procedures allowing urgent safety work to proceed while liability is determined separately.
Contractors and the wider supply chain
Main contractors, specialist subcontractors and maintenance providers may be required to attend urgent callouts and carry out remedial works long after the original construction is complete. Maintenance and repair agreements should be reviewed to ensure that service levels, out-of-hours arrangements and escalation procedures support the landlord's statutory duties. In particular, attention should be given to situations where a contractor discovers a potential hazard during an unrelated visit, as clear reporting procedures are essential. The time at which the landlord becomes aware may determine when the statutory response period begins.
Building quality and handover
Awaab's Law reinforces the importance of addressing defects at source. For developers and contractors, this places renewed emphasis on design coordination, workmanship, testing and commissioning - particularly moisture management, ventilation and insulation. Accurate as-built information, commissioning certificates and clear handover documentation can help landlords diagnose problems and arrange effective remedial work quickly. The commercial case for prevention is compelling: investment in quality assurance and effective handover will generally be far less expensive than emergency remediation and subsequent disputes.
What should the sector do now?
With Phase 2 approaching, all parties should review their contractual arrangements and operational processes. Landlords should map the route from a tenant's report to investigation and remedial action. Developers should assess their exposure under existing and completed developments and ensure defects teams can distinguish urgent safety interventions from ordinary snagging. Contractors should check response times, out-of-hours cover and reporting obligations. All parties should review their insurance arrangements and evidence-retention practices.
Awaab's Law has the potential to reshape the relationship between landlords, developers and contractors throughout the life of a residential development. The most effective response will be to ensure that homes are built to a high standard, defects are identified early, and the contractual and operational arrangements are in place to deal with hazards promptly when they arise.