Awaab's Law: Response Timescales Every Landlord Must Meet

Awaab's Law — named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died due to prolonged exposure to mould in his family's housing association flat — introduces legally binding timescales for landlords to investigate and fix hazards reported by tenants.

The Timescales

The regulations set clear deadlines that landlords must meet once a hazard is reported:

Emergency Hazards (Within 24 Hours)

If a hazard poses an immediate risk to life — such as a gas leak, structural collapse risk, or complete loss of heating in winter — the landlord must begin remedial action within 24 hours.

Urgent Hazards (Within 7 Days)

Hazards that are serious but not immediately life-threatening must be investigated within 14 days and repaired within 7 days of investigation. This includes:

• •Significant damp and mould
• •Faulty electrical installations
• •Broken heating systems (non-emergency)
• •Serious water leaks

Non-Urgent Repairs (Within 28 Days)

Less critical issues must be resolved within 28 days of being reported.

What Counts as a "Report"?

A hazard is considered reported when the tenant communicates it to the landlord or their agent through any reasonable means — email, letter, text message, phone call, or through a property management platform. Landlords cannot require tenants to use a specific reporting channel.

Record-Keeping Is Critical

Under Awaab's Law, the burden of proof falls on the landlord to demonstrate they met the timescales. This means you need:

• •Timestamped records of when a complaint was received
• •Evidence of investigation (inspection notes, photos, contractor quotes)
• •Proof of remedial action (invoices, completion certificates, follow-up inspections)
• •Tenant communication logs showing updates and responses

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Local authorities can issue improvement notices, and repeated failures can result in civil penalties of up to £30,000 per offence — or criminal prosecution in the most serious cases.

How to Stay on Top of It

The key is having a system that tracks complaint timescales automatically. ResolvPoint's Complaints Centre is built around these exact timescales, with automated deadline tracking, template response letters, and a full audit trail for every complaint.