Awaab Ishak died aged two from prolonged exposure to mould in a social housing flat in Rochdale. The landlord had been notified repeatedly. Nothing was done. Awaab’s Law is the statutory response — binding deadlines, investigative duties, and the principle that no tenant should have to prove the mould’s cause before the landlord acts.
Who Awaab’s Law applies to
Registered providers of social housing — housing associations, local authority landlords, arm’s-length management organisations. Private rental disrepair is governed by the common-law and statutory disrepair framework, which Chris also drafts.
The statutory framework
- Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 — empowers the Secretary of State to impose statutory timescales
- Regulations made under the Act — the binding deadlines
- Parallel Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code — landlord complaints framework
The deadlines (published schedule)
- Report received → 14-day investigation obligation
- Emergency hazards → make-safe within 24 hours
- Damp and mould → defined investigation and repair windows — see current statutory instrument
- Follow-up obligation → landlord must keep tenant informed at each stage
Let Chris draft this for you
Upload the paperwork. Chris stacks the exhibits, maps the statute, drafts the claim or defence to the standard the district judge expects. You sign. You file. £500,000 of lawyer time for the price of a takeaway.
What to do if your landlord breaches Awaab’s Law
1. Document everything
Every report with date. Every response (or absence). Photographs dated. Medical evidence. The deadlines missed.
2. Escalate to the landlord’s formal complaints process
Stage 1 (10 working days response). Stage 2 (20 working days). Insist on written responses at each stage.
3. Escalate to the Housing Ombudsman
After exhausting internal complaints (or after 8 weeks without resolution). Cite the Complaint Handling Code, the Awaab’s Law breach, and the Spotlight on damp and mould report. See the Housing Ombudsman guide.
4. Consider a disrepair claim
Parallel track. Awaab’s Law breach strengthens the disrepair claim. The Pre-Action Protocol applies. Chris drafts both tracks in parallel.
The Ombudsman’s stance
Housing Ombudsman findings routinely treat Awaab’s Law breaches as severe maladministration. Compensation orders, repair orders, and policy review orders have flowed.
Vulnerable tenants
Children, elderly, respiratory illness, compromised immunity — landlords have heightened duties. Document the vulnerability alongside the disrepair. The Ombudsman and court weigh this heavily.
Can Chris draft the Awaab’s Law complaint and parallel disrepair claim?
Yes. Upload correspondence, medical evidence, photographs, landlord responses, council reports. Chris drafts:
- Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints mapped to Awaab’s Law and the Complaint Handling Code
- Housing Ombudsman complaint with Spotlight and Awaab’s Law citations
- Pre-action disrepair letter of claim
- Particulars of Claim if proceedings become necessary
Prepare to win. Plan not to fail.
Awaab’s Law exists because enough tenants did not win in time. The standard now is clear. Chris drafts to that standard.
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