Damp and mould can affect the health and wellbeing of everyone in the household. New legislation called Awaab’s Law has been introduced this autumn. It makes reporting damp and mould in your property simpler and means landlords like Derby Homes have stricter deadlines for investigating and responding to these issues.
What is Awaab’s Law?
Awaab’s Law is a new piece of legislation that requires social housing landlords to address hazards like damp and mould within strict timeframes. Named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died after prolonged exposure to mould, it provides rigid guidelines for investigating a hazard, completing repairs and providing feedback to tenants.
Phase One came into force in October 2025, it requires all social housing landlords to:
- Investigate and make safe any emergency hazards within 24 hours.
- Investigate any potential significant hazards relating to damp and mould within 10 working days of becoming aware of them.
- Provide a written summary of investigation findings within 3 working days.
- Carry out any relevant safety work or repairs within 5 working days following an investigation, if a significant hazard is identified.
- Begin work to prevent a significant or emergency hazard recurring within 5 working days. If steps cannot be taken to begin work in this time, it must be done as soon as possible and must be physically started within 12 weeks.
- Offer temporary accommodation if the safety work cannot be completed within the specified timeframe.
- Keep the tenant updated throughout the process and provide information on how to keep safe.
Phase one focuses on damp and mould issues, in 2026 the legislation will be extended to include further hazards such as excessive cold and heat, fire and electrical hazards, structural collapse, domestic and personal hygiene and food safety.
We recently updated our Damp and Mould policy and webpages to make sure they reflect the new legislation. We have also rolled out a programme of staff training to make sure all employees in customer-facing roles are able to provide advice and support when issues are reported.
What does this mean for you?
When damp and mould is reported to us, we will investigate all reports of damp and mould within these timescales and when possible, aim to investigate significant cases within 24 hours.
We will also provide you with a written summary of our investigation, letting you know what we are going to do to fix the issue and when work will be carried out and check in with you after 3-months to make sure the problem is resolved.
It’s really important you allow our operatives access when they visit so they can carry out a thorough inspection of the problem and get it resolved for you as soon as possible.
Preventing damp and mould
Minimising condensation in your home - Condensation is not the same as damp, but both can cause mould to grow on walls. Things like not leaving kettles or saucepans boiling for longer than necessary, opening a window when drying clothes inside and keeping your home warm and well-ventilated, can help reduce condensation.
Minor mould problems can be treated – Use a special mould spray available at most supermarkets, make sure the area you are treating is well ventilated and belongings are covered.
Report issues to us - If you are concerned about damp or mould in your property, get in touch with us as soon as possible.