Awaab’s Law for landlords: why the £8.17 bill is just the start

Awaab’s Law is coming for private landlords in England. The government published a formal consultation on 9 October 2026 on how to apply the fast-repair rules for damp, mould and other dangerous hazards to private rented tenancies, and to some homes let under licence. It closes at 11:59pm on 18 December 2026.

Ministers have already decided the law will reach private tenancies. What is still open is the detail that decides your workload: which hazards count, how fast you must investigate and repair, and when it all starts. The earliest date on the table is 2027.

The official impact assessment puts the cost at just £8.17 per property per year. Read the small print and that figure covers paperwork, not repairs. Here is what the consultation proposes, what it could really cost you, and how to have your say before the rules are set.

What the government has announced

Awaab’s Law is named after Awaab Ishak. He was two years old when he died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to damp and mould. The law sets legal deadlines for landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards.

It already applies to social housing. Phase 1, covering significant damp and mould and all emergency hazards, has been in force since 27 October 2025. Phase 2 is due on 30 November 2026, subject to Parliament, and adds hazards such as excess cold, falls and electrical hazards. Phase 3 follows in 2027.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gave ministers the power to extend it. Section 60 covers rented homes, by amending section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and section 61 covers accommodation occupied under licence. Regulations are needed before anything applies, and this consultation shapes them.

The consultation has three parts. Part 1 deals with private rented tenancies. Part 2 deals with licences in supported housing, temporary accommodation for homeless households and care leaver accommodation. Part 3 covers impacts and costs. It does not propose covering every licence, so lodgers in owner-occupied homes are not the target.

What is proposed and what is still open

Most of the timescales are genuinely undecided. For each one, the consultation uses the existing social housing rule as the benchmark and offers faster and slower options. The table below sets them out. The social housing column is the current model only. None of it applies to private landlords yet.

Other open questions matter to many landlords. One is whether to leave out hazards caused by a tenant’s breach of contract (Q5). Another is what happens with leasehold flats where the freeholder is responsible for the repair (Q6). The government says 1.96 million privately rented homes, around 40% of the sector, are leasehold. One option would require you to take “reasonable steps” to get the freeholder to act.

Enforcement would work through the tenancy itself. Awaab’s Law would become an implied term in the tenancy agreement, so a tenant could sue for breach of contract. A court could order repairs, compensation and legal costs. The new private rented sector Landlord Ombudsman, expected from 2028, could also order redress. Councils would not enforce the timescales directly, but they keep their existing hazard powers, including penalties of up to £7,000 for category 1 failures.

The £8.17 figure: what it does and doesn’t cover

The impact assessment puts the business cost at £422.4m over 10 years (range £291.5m to £553.4m, in 2025 prices). That is about £42.2m a year, or £8.17 per property per year.

That total has two parts. Familiarisation is £87.3m: two hours per landlord, valued at £37.54 each across 2.3 million landlords. Letters and emails to tenants about repairs are £335.1m, at £4.69 of time per communication.

What it leaves out is the bit you will notice. The assessment says it “does not count the cost of the actual repairs or the investigation of repairs”. The reason given is that you already have to make those repairs under existing law. It also says it cannot estimate how much more it will cost to do the work faster.

A landlord with older, damp-prone stock will pay far more than one with a single well-kept house. Run your own numbers below.

One more number deserves attention. The assessment says Awaab’s Law would pay for itself in social value if just 0.6% more private renting households were satisfied with their landlord’s repairs. Expect that to be quoted back at landlords who complain about cost.

When it could start, and the bigger picture

Question 30 asks whether the law should start in 2027, 2028 or 2029. The consultation says 2027 is “the earliest feasible implementation date”. Question 31 asks whether to wait until the Landlord Ombudsman is running, which is expected in 2028.

For costing purposes only, the impact assessment assumes a phased rollout. It models emergencies plus damp and mould from 2028, most other hazards from 2029 and the rest from 2030. It is explicit that “no decision had been taken yet”. You will most likely get one to three years’ notice, and damp and mould will very probably come first.

The assessment also expects the sector it regulates to keep growing. It forecasts that private renting households in England will rise by more than half a million over the next decade.

The assessment does accept that some landlords may sell up. It argues those most affected are the ones “offering the poorest-quality accommodation”. Their exit, it says, could make room for more professional landlords.

What social-housing-style deadlines would mean for you

To see what the benchmark would mean in practice, enter a date a tenant reports a problem. The planner applies the current social housing regulations, counting working days and skipping weekends and English bank holidays. It assumes each step finishes on its last permitted day.

How to respond to the consultation: step by step

Landlords who stay silent leave the detail to others. You don’t have to answer all 64 questions. Here’s how to make a response count.

1. Read Part 1 of the consultation document. This is the private rented section, covering scope, thresholds, investigations, repairs and alternative accommodation.
2. Gather your evidence. Pull your last two to three years of repair records. Note how long jobs actually took, what they cost, and how often you couldn’t get access or a tradesperson.
3. Pick your priority questions. For most landlords these are Q11 (investigation time), Q18 and Q19 (repair times), Q23 (emergencies), Q25 (alternative accommodation), Q6 (leasehold flats) and Q30 (start date).
4. Answer the “challenges” questions with facts. Q13, Q21 and Q24 ask how hard things like contractor availability and tenant access would be. Give real examples, such as “In 2025 a damp specialist in my area had a three-week wait”.
5. Use Q64 for your costs. This free-text question is open to everyone and asks for any further information on costs and impacts. Put your calculator figures here.
6. Submit before 11:59pm on 18 December 2026. You can respond online via Citizen Space, by email to awaabslawconsultation@communities.gov.uk, or by post. Online is easiest and lets you skip sections.
7. Keep a copy. Responses may be published or disclosed under freedom of information rules, so don’t include anything you wouldn’t want made public.

If you lease homes to a council for nightly-paid temporary accommodation, read Part 2 as well. The consultation asks whether councils should have to take “all reasonable steps” to make superior landlords like you complete repairs within Awaab’s Law timescales.

Damp and mould checklist: what to do now

None of this is law for private landlords yet. You already have repair duties under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the fitness for human habitation rules, and councils can act on category 1 hazards. Getting ahead now is cheaper than scrambling later.

• Set up one clear way for tenants to report problems, such as an email address or form, and give it to every tenant in writing.
• Log every report with the date and time you became aware. Under the social model, the clock starts then.
• Ask for photos straight away. Book an inspection within 10 working days as a working standard.
• Line up a damp specialist and a general builder who can attend quickly. Agree call-out rates now.
• Arrange emergency cover for evenings and weekends: gas, electrics, water ingress and loss of heating.
• Write a short summary to the tenant after each inspection: what you found, what you’ll do and by when.
• Fix the cause, not the symptom. That means extractor fans, trickle vents, leaks, gutters, insulation and cold bridging.
• Check each property before every tenancy and once a year for condensation, black mould and failing seals.
• Review your agent’s contract. You stay legally liable, so build response times into the agreement.
• Leasehold flats: get the freeholder’s or managing agent’s repair contact and their reporting process now.
• Keep records of every attempt to gain access or book a contractor. Under the social housing rules, landlords have a defence if they took all reasonable steps.

FAQ

Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords now?

No. It currently applies only to social housing in England. The powers to extend it are in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, but regulations are needed first. The consultation asks whether it should start in 2027, 2028 or 2029.

When does the Awaab’s Law consultation close?

It closes at 11:59pm on 18 December 2026. It opened on 9 October 2026 and has 64 questions, which you can answer selectively.

How quickly will private landlords have to fix damp and mould?

That hasn’t been decided. Social landlords must investigate within 10 working days and make significant hazards safe within 5 working days of the investigation. The consultation offers private sector options either side of those, and 12 to 48 hours for emergencies.

Does Awaab’s Law apply in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?

No. This consultation and the powers behind it apply to England only.

What happens if a private landlord breaks Awaab’s Law?

Awaab’s Law would be an implied term of the tenancy, so the tenant could take you to court for breach of contract. A court can order repairs, compensation and costs. The planned Landlord Ombudsman could also order redress. Separately, councils can already fine landlords up to £7,000 over category 1 hazards.

Will I have to pay for a hotel if I can’t fix a hazard in time?

Social landlords must offer suitable alternative accommodation at their own cost. For private landlords, this is still under consultation. The government itself notes it would be harder for the 45% of private landlords who own a single property.