Awaab's Law: hazard repair timescales for landlords

Why it matters

The change moves disrepair from a judgment about reasonableness to a measurable timetable. Landlords who log reports and responses will comply almost automatically, and those who rely on memory will not.

Legal requirements

• Prescribed hazards must be investigated within the stated period after the landlord becomes aware.
• A written summary of the investigation must be provided to the tenant.
• Repair work must begin within the stated period after the investigation.
• Emergency hazards must be made safe within a substantially shorter deadline.

Common mistakes

• Treating a verbal complaint as not counting because it was not in writing.
• Blaming tenant lifestyle for mould without investigating the building cause.
• Painting over mould rather than treating the source of moisture.
• Keeping no record of when the report was received or when the contractor attended.

Practical guidance

• Log every report the day it arrives, whatever the channel, with a timestamp.
• Investigate properly, including moisture readings and ventilation checks.
• Send the tenant a written summary of what you found and what you will do.
• Keep contractor attendance records and completion photographs against the property file.

Damp and mould done properly

Diagnosis comes first. Penetrating damp from a defective roof, gutter or pointing behaves differently from rising damp and differently again from condensation. Check ventilation provision, extractor performance, insulation and heating adequacy before concluding anything about occupant behaviour. Treat the cause, then the surface. Provide the tenant with a written explanation, because the same mould returning three months later is the pattern that leads to enforcement and claims.

The paper trail that protects you

For each report keep the date and channel of the report, the date of your acknowledgement, the investigation date and findings, the written summary sent to the tenant, the contractor instruction, the works start date, completion evidence and a follow up check. That sequence answers every question an enforcement officer or a judge will ask. Storing it against the property rather than in an email inbox is what makes it retrievable a year later.