Government sets out plans to apply strict repair timescales to England’s private landlords for the first time
The government has launched a consultation proposing to extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector in England. The reform would impose legally binding repair timescales on private landlords for the first time. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published the consultation on 9 October 2026, with responses open until 18 December 2026.
The development follows the abolition of section 21 no-fault evictions in May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. For brokers advising buy-to-let clients, particularly smaller landlords and portfolio investors, this represents another layer of compliance.
What is Awaab’s Law?
The legislation is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in 2020 from a severe respiratory condition. Prolonged mould exposure in his family’s social rented home in Rochdale was found to be the cause. An inquest in 2022 concluded that the landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, had failed to act despite repeated complaints from his parents.
Following a campaign by the Manchester Evening News, Shelter, and Awaab’s family, the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 created the legal framework. Phase one — covering damp, mould, and emergency hazards — came into force for social landlords in October 2025. The government is now consulting on how to replicate those protections for private renters.
Scotland moved faster. Binding damp and mould timescales for private landlords there came into force on 6 October 2026.
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What will Awaab’s Law require of private landlords?
The consultation covers 21 hazard categories defined under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). These categories cover hazards from excess cold and electrical faults to fire risk, structural collapse, and damp and mould. The government is proposing the same hazards apply to the private sector, with overcrowding excluded.
| Hazard category |
|---|
| Damp and mould growth |
| Excess cold |
| Excess heat |
| Asbestos and manufactured mineral fibres (MMF) |
| Indoor air pollutants |
| Lead |
| Radiation |
| Crowding and space |
| Entry by intruders |
| Lighting |
| Noise |
| Domestic hygiene |
| Water supply |
| Falls on the level |
| Falling on stairs etc |
| Falling between levels |
| Electrical hazards |
| Fire and explosions |
| Flames, hot surfaces etc |
| Collisions, entrapment and ergonomics |
| Structural collapse and falling elements |
Source: GOV.UK — Extending Awaab's Law to private rented tenancies and to licences
For social landlords, the current model requires a hazard investigation to begin and conclude within 10 working days of a complaint. Safe-making works must follow within five working days.
Emergencies carry a 24-hour ceiling. The consultation seeks views on whether those timescales are workable for private landlords. Unlike social landlords, most rely on one-off contractors rather than in-house maintenance teams.
The consultation also asks whether private landlords who cannot make a property safe in time should be required to fund alternative accommodation. The government acknowledges this is more challenging for smaller operators. Around 45% of private landlords own just one property.
The Renters’ Rights Act embeds the new obligations as an implied term in tenancy agreements. If a landlord breaches them, tenants can take court action for breach of contract. From 2028, tenants will also be able to escalate complaints to the new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman.
The government estimates 10% of private rented homes in England contain a hazard at the most dangerous category 1 level. In 2024, 22% of privately rented homes failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard, compared with 10% in the social rented sector.
Industry: enforcement is the real test
The sector has broadly backed the intent behind the reform, but enforcement questions have surfaced quickly. Isobel Thomson, chief executive of safeagent, said:
“safeagent supports the intention behind the consultation so that tenants in the private rented sector, who perhaps have landlords who have no care for their welfare or wellbeing and let sub-standard housing, are given much-needed protection.
“However, the focus must be on ensuring that there is adequate enforcement to underpin any changes to the law. As we have seen with other standards and regulations already in place, where there is legislation without proper enforcement, very little will change.”
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) echoed that concern in its consultation response, also published on 9 October. Chief executive Ben Beadle said the law must account for the differences between the private and social rented sectors. Enforcement must apply without exception regardless of tenure.
Buy-to-let brokers and Awaab’s Law: compliance conversations that can’t wait
Brokers with landlord clients should begin factoring compliance costs into refinancing and portfolio conversations. As the compliance burden on buy-to-let landlords continues to grow, brokers are being urged to move beyond arranging the mortgage and engage with clients on the broader regulatory picture.
The MHCLG consultation on Awaab’s Law and its application to private landlords closes on 18 December 2026. In having compliance conversations sooner rather than later, brokers make sure that their landlord clients aren’t caught off guard when the rules are implemented.
