At ForHousing, we want everyone to live in a home that is safe, healthy and a good place to live.
Awaab’s Law requires landlords like ForHousing to deal with serious issues and hazards in social homes to be dealt with quickly and within clear timescales. The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two‑year‑old child who tragically died after prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home.
From 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law requires social landlords, like ForHousing, to:
- Investigate reports of serious health and safety hazards
- Take action within legally set timescales
- Keep tenants informed about what is happening and what will happen next
This gives tenants clearer rights and expectations when serious issues are reported in their home. Understand which hazards are covered by the law.
Awaab’s Law is being introduced in phases.
Issues covered now
The first phase focuses on:
• Damp and mould
• Emergency hazards that could cause immediate harm to your health or safety
Issues covered in future phases
Over the next two years, the law will expand to include other serious hazards, such as:
• Excess cold or heat
• Fire and electrical safety risks
• Structural safety issues
• Hygiene and sanitation concerns
There are clear timescales for dealing with the most serious issues.
We review risks to your health and safety using a government‑recognised system called the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). This helps us identify any hazards in the home.
Awaab’s Law builds on this by setting clear timeframes for how quickly we need to respond to any hazards, and by taking into account your individual circumstances, including if anyone in your household needs extra support.
The word ‘hazard’ in this system refers to anything that could cause harm or discomfort.
Emergency hazards – that pose an immediate risk to health or safety.
We will:
- Investigate the issue within 24 hours
- Carry out any urgent safety work within 24 hours
Significant hazards – that could harm your health if not addressed.
We will:
- Investigate the issue within 10 working days
- Let you know what we found within 3 working days of the inspection
- Carry out any relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation finishing, if the investigation finds a significant hazard
- Start further repair work as soon as possible, with complex repairs taking longer where needed
Not all repairs fall under Awaab’s Law, but they are still important to us.
Click here for information on timescales for routine repairs, urgent repairs and replacements.
If you notice any hazards in your home that might affect your health or safety, it’s important to let us know straight away.
The quickest and easiest way to report a problem is through our online repairs reporter tool.
If you’re unable to get in touch by completing a form on our website, there are other ways you can speak to us.
When reporting a hazard, it really helps if you can:
• Describe what the hazard is
• Let us know where it is in your home
• Tell us if it is affecting your health or wellbeing
• Share photos
The more information we have, the quicker we can act.
How we are meeting Awaab’s Law
We are committed to keeping your home safe and acting quickly when damp, mould, or other serious hazards could affect your health. That’s why we have already made changes to the way we work, so we already meet the requirements of Awaab’s Law.
What we have already put in place
Ahead of Awaab’s Law coming into force in October 2025, we focussed on damp and mould and emergency hazards, which are the first issues covered by the law.
To make sure we can respond quickly and consistently, we have:
- Set up a dedicated damp and mould team, working closely with our contractors, so everyone understands what’s required
- Made sure we have the right people and resources in place to meet the new legal timescales
- Updated how we prioritise and record repairs, so serious hazards are identified and acted on correctly
- Built the new timescales into our systems, so cases are tracked properly from the start
- Improved colleague training so our colleagues know when Awaab’s Law applies and how to respond
These changes were made in advance, so we were ready from day one and can give you confidence that serious issues will be taken seriously and dealt with as quickly as possible.
What we are doing now
Because Awaab’s Law will expand over the next two years, we are continuing to strengthen our approach and prepare for future phases of the law.
This includes:
- A cross team working group, so repairs, safety, customer services and performance teams are aligned
- Improving how we track, review and report compliance with Awaab’s Law
- Taking a cautious and transparent approach to identifying hazards
- Providing ongoing training and support so colleagues and contractors continue to identify and respond to serious hazards quickly and consistently.
We are committed to:
• Providing safe, well maintained homes
• Taking your concerns seriously
• Acting quickly when health or safety could be affected
• Being clear and open about what we are doing and why
Our performance against Awaab’s Law is regularly reviewed by senior colleagues and our Board, helping to make sure homes remain safe and standards are maintained. We carry out regular reviews of our approach so we are prepared for future phases of Awaab’s Law and continue to meet our responsibilities.
The law also supports our wider commitment to providing safe, well maintained homes and to listening, learning and improving the services we provide.
At ForHousing, we want everyone to live in a home that is safe, healthy and a good place to live.
Awaab’s Law requires landlords like ForHousing to deal with serious issues and hazards in social homes to be dealt with quickly and within clear timescales. The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two‑year‑old child who tragically died after prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home.
From 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law requires social landlords, like ForHousing, to:
- Investigate reports of serious health and safety hazards
- Take action within legally set timescales
- Keep tenants informed about what is happening and what will happen next
This gives tenants clearer rights and expectations when serious issues are reported in their home. Understand which hazards are covered by the law.
Awaab’s Law is being introduced in phases.
Issues covered now
The first phase focuses on:
• Damp and mould
• Emergency hazards that could cause immediate harm to your health or safety
Issues covered in future phases
Over the next two years, the law will expand to include other serious hazards, such as:
• Excess cold or heat
• Fire and electrical safety risks
• Structural safety issues
• Hygiene and sanitation concerns
There are clear timescales for dealing with the most serious issues.
We review risks to your health and safety using a government‑recognised system called the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). This helps us identify any hazards in the home.
Awaab’s Law builds on this by setting clear timeframes for how quickly we need to respond to any hazards, and by taking into account your individual circumstances, including if anyone in your household needs extra support.
The word ‘hazard’ in this system refers to anything that could cause harm or discomfort.
Emergency hazards – that pose an immediate risk to health or safety.
We will:
- Investigate the issue within 24 hours
- Carry out any urgent safety work within 24 hours
Significant hazards – that could harm your health if not addressed.
We will:
- Investigate the issue within 10 working days
- Let you know what we found within 3 working days of the inspection
- Carry out any relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation finishing, if the investigation finds a significant hazard
- Start further repair work as soon as possible, with complex repairs taking longer where needed
Not all repairs fall under Awaab’s Law, but they are still important to us.
Click here for information on timescales for routine repairs, urgent repairs and replacements.
If you notice any hazards in your home that might affect your health or safety, it’s important to let us know straight away.
The quickest and easiest way to report a problem is through our online repairs reporter tool.
If you’re unable to get in touch by completing a form on our website, there are other ways you can speak to us.
When reporting a hazard, it really helps if you can:
• Describe what the hazard is
• Let us know where it is in your home
• Tell us if it is affecting your health or wellbeing
• Share photos
The more information we have, the quicker we can act.
How we are meeting Awaab’s Law
We are committed to keeping your home safe and acting quickly when damp, mould, or other serious hazards could affect your health. That’s why we have already made changes to the way we work, so we already meet the requirements of Awaab’s Law.
What we have already put in place
Ahead of Awaab’s Law coming into force in October 2025, we focussed on damp and mould and emergency hazards, which are the first issues covered by the law.
To make sure we can respond quickly and consistently, we have:
- Set up a dedicated damp and mould team, working closely with our contractors, so everyone understands what’s required
- Made sure we have the right people and resources in place to meet the new legal timescales
- Updated how we prioritise and record repairs, so serious hazards are identified and acted on correctly
- Built the new timescales into our systems, so cases are tracked properly from the start
- Improved colleague training so our colleagues know when Awaab’s Law applies and how to respond
These changes were made in advance, so we were ready from day one and can give you confidence that serious issues will be taken seriously and dealt with as quickly as possible.
What we are doing now
Because Awaab’s Law will expand over the next two years, we are continuing to strengthen our approach and prepare for future phases of the law.
This includes:
- A cross team working group, so repairs, safety, customer services and performance teams are aligned
- Improving how we track, review and report compliance with Awaab’s Law
- Taking a cautious and transparent approach to identifying hazards
- Providing ongoing training and support so colleagues and contractors continue to identify and respond to serious hazards quickly and consistently.
We are committed to:
• Providing safe, well maintained homes
• Taking your concerns seriously
• Acting quickly when health or safety could be affected
• Being clear and open about what we are doing and why
Our performance against Awaab’s Law is regularly reviewed by senior colleagues and our Board, helping to make sure homes remain safe and standards are maintained. We carry out regular reviews of our approach so we are prepared for future phases of Awaab’s Law and continue to meet our responsibilities.
The law also supports our wider commitment to providing safe, well maintained homes and to listening, learning and improving the services we provide.
