Awaab’s Law marks a significant shift in how damp and mould are managed across social housing in the UK. Introduced following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in 2020, the law places clear legal duties on landlords to investigate, act, and report on damp and mould issues within strict time frames. For housing providers, local authorities, and managing agents, Awaab’s Law raises the bar on accountability, transparency, and proactive building management.
As the requirements come into force, many organisations are asking the same question: what does Awaab’s Law actually require, and how can housing teams comply at scale?
Awaab’s Law is part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act and introduces legally binding timescales for social landlords to respond to hazards such as damp and mould. The law is designed to ensure issues are identified early, investigated quickly, and resolved before they pose serious risks to residents’ health.
This legislative change comes amid mounting evidence that damp and mould are not being addressed consistently or quickly enough. According to the Housing Ombudsman, damp and mould complaints now account for around 50% of its total casework, highlighting how widespread and persistent these issues have become across the sector.
Key elements of Awaab’s Law include faster response times to reports of damp and mould, mandatory investigation and remediation within defined periods, clear communication with tenants, and robust documentation to demonstrate action and compliance.
Damp and mould are not isolated problems affecting a small number of homes. UK government research estimates that over 200,000 social homes in England suffer from notable damp and mould, with around 7% of social housing residents reporting issues overall (UK Government, Damp and Mould in Social Housing: Initial Findings). Rates are often higher in older buildings and homes with inadequate ventilation.
Complaints data tells a similar story. The Mouldy Nation Report 2025 found that 16,098 damp and mould complaints were lodged between 2019 and 2024, with nearly two-thirds originating from housing association properties. These figures reflect both the scale of the issue and the increasing regulatory and public scrutiny facing social landlords.
What makes damp and mould particularly challenging is that they often develop gradually and invisibly. By the time visible mould appears, underlying issues such as excess humidity, poor ventilation, or temperature imbalance may already be well established—raising both health risks and remediation costs.
For housing providers, compliance is not just about fixing visible mould after a complaint is raised. Awaab’s Law requires organisations to demonstrate that they are actively monitoring conditions, responding promptly, and preventing recurrence.
In practice, this means identifying risk factors like high humidity and poor ventilation early, acting before tenant complaints escalate, maintaining auditable records of environmental conditions and actions taken, and ensuring no property or resident is overlooked across large portfolios. With damp and mould representing a significant proportion of formal complaints and regulatory intervention, housing teams must be able to evidence a systematic, proactive approach.
One of the clearest implications of Awaab’s Law is the need for early detection. Continuous monitoring of indoor environmental conditions allows housing teams to identify potential damp and mould risks before they become visible or harmful.
By tracking indicators such as humidity and temperature overtime, providers can move from reactive maintenance to preventative action—improving resident wellbeing while strengthening compliance through clear, data-backed records.
WellStat Air Lite is designed specifically to help housing providers meet the expectations set by Awaab’s Law. By delivering continuous indoor air quality monitoring at scale, WellStat Air Lite provides housing teams with clear visibility into environmental conditions that contribute to damp, poor ventilation, and mould risk.
With WellStat Air Lite, housing providers can detect damp and mould risk early through continuous monitoring, maintain clear and auditable records of environmental conditions, support transparent, evidence-based communication with tenants, and monitor multiple homes across portfolios to ensure timely intervention.
As Awaab’s Law reshapes expectations across the UK housing sector, tools like WellStat Air Lite enable housing teams to move beyond reactive maintenance and toward proactive, data-driven building management—helping protect residents’ health while supporting long-term compliance.
Learn more about WellStat Air Lite.
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