England: Awaab’s Law confidence gap highlighted as second phase laid before Parliament

Building on the first phase, which came into force in October 2025 and covered damp and mould, Phase 2 extends Awaab’s Law to a wider set of hazards, requiring landlords in England to take more effective and consistent action to keep residents safe.

Set to come into force from 30 November 2026, the new legal duties bring the following hazards within the scope of Awaab’s Law:

• Excess cold
• Excess heat
• Falls
• Fire and explosions
• Electrical hazards
• Domestic hygiene and pests
• Structural collapse.

Alongside the regulations, the government has published updated guidance to support landlords and residents in how the hazards are assessed and dealt with.

The guidance includes a number of additions, including:

• Clearer definitions of what constitutes a significant and an emergency hazard
• An example template for the written summary landlords must provide to residents
• Updated guidance on access to homes and how access issues can be handled
• More on the expectations around communication with residents
• Additional process diagrams to support triage and decision-making
• A significantly expanded set of case studies to help landlords apply the guidance in practice
• A collaborative, test-and-learn approach.

Welcoming the announcement, Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “The extension of Awaab’s Law to these hazards is an important step towards safer, healthier homes for social housing residents. We welcome the collaborative approach government has taken, and the improvements made to the guidance in response to the sector’s input.

“This is a significant and complex undertaking and getting it right in practice will require continued partnership among government, landlords, residents, and sector bodies. CIH is committed to supporting our members to understand and deliver these new duties, and to feeding back openly throughout the test-and-learn phase so the guidance continues to improve.

“As a person-centred piece of policy this is more than compliance; it is also about a culture of listening and acting on residents’ concerns, and that is the work still ahead of us.”

Awaab’s Law confidence gap

The news comes as a sector survey highlighted a confidence gap in sector readiness ahead of the introduction of the wider requirements.

Housemark’s latest Monthly Pulse, collected in May 2026, found that while 46% of landlords consider themselves somewhat prepared, more than a quarter (27%) are unprepared to some degree. Just 4% describe themselves as very prepared for the next phase of the legislation.  

The research also highlights a gap between investment in people and confidence in technology. While 80% of landlords agree they have invested in the skills and capacity needed to deliver Awaab’s Law effectively and 73% believe their processes communicate case details effectively to residents, only 57% agree that their IT systems collect and report Awaab’s Law data effectively.  

Jonathan Cox, chief data officer at Housemark, said: “Landlords are taking the requirements of Awaab’s Law seriously, with many investing in the skills and capacity needed to strengthen their response to housing hazards.

“However, confidence remains relatively low when it comes to Phase 2 readiness. Many organisations are still working through what wider compliance will mean in practice and whether they have the systems and reporting capabilities needed to demonstrate compliance consistently.

“Phase 2 may still be on the horizon, but the time to prepare is now. Landlords should be reviewing their processes, testing the effectiveness of their systems and ensuring they have the data, capacity and assurance needed to manage a broader range of hazards. Those foundations will be critical not only for compliance, but for delivering safer homes and better outcomes for residents.” 

Other findings from Housemark’s latest Monthly Pulse include: 

• Eighty-two percent of landlords reported resolving more than 90% of emergency hazards within 24 hours in May 2026.  
• Seven in 10 landlords (70%) reported investigating more than 90% of significant damp and mould hazards within 10 working days.  
• Sixty-four percent of landlords reported initiating more than 90% of significant damp and mould repairs within five working days. 
• Full gas safety compliance was reported by 31% of landlords in May 2026, down from 36% in May 2025 and 40% in May 2024.  

The findings suggest the sector is making progress in responding to the first phase of Awaab’s Law, but confidence in readiness for future requirements remains significantly lower. Data, systems and reporting capabilities are likely to remain key areas of focus as landlords prepare for the next phase of the legislation.