Private landlords in England could face statutory deadlines for investigating serious housing hazards and making properties safe under proposals to extend Awaab’s Law beyond the social rented sector.
A consultation published on 9 October by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government asks which hazards should be covered, what steps landlords must take and how quickly investigations and repairs should be undertaken.
Responses are invited until 11.59pm on 18 December 2026. The consultation is not the introduction of binding repair deadlines for private rented homes. Regulations will be needed to establish the final requirements and determine when they start to apply.
Awaab’s Law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social rented home. Requirements introduced for social landlords in October 2025 already cover significant damp and mould hazards and emergency repairs.
Further types of hazard, including excess cold and heat, falls, electrical risks and structural collapse, are due to be brought within the social housing regime from 30 November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval of the relevant regulations. That timetable relates to social housing, not the proposed private rented sector rules.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 established powers to extend the framework to private tenancies. The government is now seeking evidence about how those powers should work in a market containing many individual landlords and smaller property portfolios.
Private landlords already have obligations to maintain their properties and ensure that homes are fit for human habitation. The consultation explains that the proposed extension is not primarily about creating entirely new categories of repairs, but about setting clearer processes and timescales for carrying out existing duties when serious hazards arise.
The government estimates that 10% of private rented homes contain a category 1 hazard, the most serious classification under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. That assessment provides context for the proposed reforms, but does not mean every private property has a qualifying hazard.
The consultation considers the circumstances in which a landlord should investigate a reported problem, the information that should be provided to tenants and the period allowed to make a dangerous situation safe. It specifically asks whether a significant hazard should be made safe within three, five or ten working days, or another period.
These are options on which views are being sought, not deadlines that private landlords are currently required to observe under Awaab’s Law. A separate question asks about follow-up work intended to prevent a hazard recurring.
The distinction between private and social housing matters operationally. Larger social landlords may employ maintenance teams or have continuing contracts with repair providers, while private landlords can be more dependent on individual tradespeople and access arrangements.
Letting agents and property managers may therefore need to review how complaints are logged, who assesses urgency and how instructions are passed to contractors. Where an agent arranges maintenance, the landlord would remain responsible for meeting the eventual statutory obligations.
The proposals could affect the documentation of inspections and repairs, particularly when problems recur or there is disagreement over access and the steps taken. A clear record may help establish when a complaint was received, how its seriousness was assessed and whether appropriate action followed.
The government is also considering extending protection to certain accommodation occupied under licence rather than a conventional tenancy. It specifically seeks views about supported housing, temporary accommodation for homeless households and accommodation for care leavers.
Those settings can involve different providers and management arrangements. The consultation asks whether the same rules should apply or whether modifications are required to account for the nature of each type of accommodation.
Implementation timing remains unsettled. The government says 2027 is the earliest feasible date for bringing Awaab’s Law into effect in private rented homes, but consultation questions also consider 2028, 2029 and a phased approach.
Its impact assessment uses a phased implementation scenario for modelling costs. That scenario is not a confirmed timetable, nor should it be used as evidence that the government has selected particular start dates.
The consultation also considers the relationship with a future Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, currently expected from 2028. Such a body could offer tenants another route to pursue complaints, but its planned introduction does not establish when Awaab’s Law will apply to private homes.
Landlords, managing agents, tenant representatives and accommodation providers can submit evidence about likely costs and practical delivery. The government will review responses before publishing its next steps and making any necessary regulations.
Until those decisions are taken, property businesses should maintain compliance with existing safety and repair obligations while distinguishing potential new response deadlines from the law already in force.
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