Ventilation


Awaab’s Law Phase 2: F


What changes on 30 November?


Triton Security explains what the law is, what changes on 30 November, and what it means in practice.


rom 30 November 2026, social landlords in England must act on seven more categories of hazard to


fi xed legal deadlines, including fi re, electrical faults, excess cold and structural collapse. For wholesalers, understanding the regulations is key to recommending appropriate ventilation products and damp mitigation measures. Phase 1, in force since 27 October 2025, covered emergency hazards and damp and mould. Phase 2 turns Awaab’s Law from a damp-and-mould rule into a whole-home safety duty.


What is Aw aab’s Law?


Awaab’s Law sets legal deadlines for social landlords in England to investigate and fi x hazards that put tenants’ health or safety at risk. It is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s home in Rochdale. His parents had complained to their landlord repeatedly for three years before his death, and the mould was never treated.


The law was introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. Its detail sits in the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, which Phase 2 amends. It writes a term into every social housing tenancy, so tenants can take their landlord to court for breach of contract if the deadlines are missed. They can also complain through the landlord and the Housing Ombudsman. It applies to almost all social housing let under a tenancy by a registered provider, meaning councils and housing associations. That includes temporary and supported housing let on a tenancy. It does not cover licences, long leaseholds or shared ownership.


What changes on 30 November 2026? Phase 2 adds seven hazard categories to the same fi xed deadlines that already apply to damp and mould. The government confi rmed the date on 13 July 2026 and published updated guidance on 31 July 2026. Phase 3, planned for 2027, will extend the law to every remaining hazard in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) except overcrowding.


From 30 November, the law covers these hazards where they present a signifi cant risk of harm:


30 | electrical wholesalerNovember 2026 •


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Damp and mould (in force since October 2025)


Excess cold Excess heat


Falls, including on the level, on stairs and between levels


Structural collapse Fire and explosions Electrical hazards


Domestic hygiene, including personal hygiene, pests and food safety


All emergency hazards, other than overcrowding, remain in scope as they have been since Phase 1.


What does Phase 2 mean in reality? For housing providers


Phase 2 is a step change in both volume and complexity. Fire, electrical and structural hazards need specialist investigators, and the guidance is clear that an electrical hazard should be assessed by a qualifi ed electrician. Every report must be triaged against the household’s circumstances, tracked against the clock and evidenced. A landlord’s defence is that it used all reasonable endeavours, so records of every contact, access attempt and decision matter as much as the repair itself.


For contractors and managing agents What they see on site can start the landlord’s legal clock. The guidance asks landlords to review contracts so that operatives report any hazard they notice, not just the job they were sent to do.


For boards and senior leadership teams This is a governance and assurance question. Boards will want evidence that triage, escalation and reporting work end-to-end before 30 November, not after the fi rst missed deadline.


For tenants


Phase 2 means a clearer right to safe homes. They are entitled to a written summary of what was found, a timeline for the fi x, and alternative accommodation if their home can’t be made safe in time.


Thomas Hoyle, director of Waking Watch at Triton Security, commented on the upcoming changes: “Phase 2 asks providers to treat fi re, electrical and structural risks with the same urgency as damp and mould, and the fi rst month of the new duty fall in


ewnews.co.uk


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