- What’s happening: Awaab’s Law is in effect as of 27 October, forcing social landlords to fix damp, mould, and other hazards within set timeframes. Alongside it, the government’s proposed Decent Homes Standard would, for the first time, extend minimum housing requirements to private rentals.
- Why it matters: The reforms mark the toughest overhaul of England’s housing safety regime in decades, creating enforceable duties for landlords and heavier oversight demands on councils and regulators.
- What’s next: Awaab’s Law is now live; further phases will add new hazard categories through 2027. The government is reviewing consultation feedback before finalising Decent Homes Standard regulations.
In December 2020, two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in Rochdale from prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s flat. His parents had reported the problem repeatedly. No effective action was taken.
The coroner’s verdict shocked Britain: this was a preventable death, the result of unfit housing conditions in one of the world’s richest countries. Awaab’s name has since become shorthand for official failure – and for the urgency of reform.
On 27 October, that reform took legal effect. Awaab’s Law introduces binding deadlines for social landlords to investigate and fix hazards such as damp and mould. Landlords must assess emergencies within 24 hours and significant hazards within 10 working days, with written updates and strict repair deadlines.
At the same time, the government has consulted on extending the Decent Homes Standard – long the benchmark for social housing – to cover private rentals for the first time. Together, the measures amount to the most sweeping overhaul of English housing standards in a generation.
A turning point in housing safety
The government’s consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard closed in September after ten weeks of debate. Ministers propose to end a two-decade disparity by setting “a common minimum housing standard across both private and social sectors”. That would put 4.6 million privately rented homes under the same regime as social landlords, who have been bound by the standard since 2000.
Awaab’s Law, meanwhile, gives statutory force to obligations that were previously vague. It transforms guidance into deadlines, backed by unlimited fines and court enforcement. Social landlords will no longer be able to delay repairs indefinitely or hide behind ambiguous definitions of “reasonable time”.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was blunt in February: “We have a moral duty to ensure tragedies like the death of Awaab Ishak never happen again. Landlords cannot be allowed to rent out dangerous homes and shamelessly put the lives of their tenants at risk.”
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook struck a similar note: “Awaab Ishak’s family have tenaciously and courageously fought to secure justice… Awaab’s Law will help to drive a transformational and lasting change.”
The long legislative path
Neither reform appeared overnight.
The Decent Homes Standard was launched in 2000, with billions spent upgrading council and housing association stock. By 2010, the programme was deemed largely complete, but the standard was never extended to private rentals, where conditions were often worse. Reviews stalled until the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 revived scrutiny of England’s housing safety regime.
The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 laid the foundation for Awaab’s Law. Implementing regulations were laid before Parliament in June 2025, creating the legal framework that came into force this autumn.
Michael Gove, then housing secretary, had promised that “we will update the Decent Homes Standard and apply it to private rented homes for the first time – tackling the fifth of homes which still do not meet basic standards of inhabitability.”
The reforms enjoy broad cross-party support. Few politicians want to be seen resisting measures that emerged from a child’s death. Yet turning legislation into lived reality will demand more than symbolism.
Why it matters
The quality gap is stark. An estimated 13% of privately rented homes – nearly 600,000 properties – fail to meet minimum safety standards. That compares to 10% of owner-occupied homes and 5% of social housing. The National Audit Office has estimated the NHS spends £340m each year treating conditions linked to poor housing.
Despite the existing Decent Homes Standard, one in ten social homes still fail to comply. The Housing Ombudsman’s 2023–24 review recorded 5,465 determinations, with property condition the top complaint category. Seventy-three per cent of cases were upheld. Complaints about damp and mould have surged since Awaab’s death.
For tenants, the reforms create enforceable rights where before there were only expectations. For landlords, they transform discretionary duties into legal obligations. And for regulators, they herald an expanded, more intrusive role in housing oversight.
What regulators face
The Regulator of Social Housing gains sharper teeth under the 2023 Act. It can now levy unlimited fines, order repairs, and enter properties with 48 hours’ notice in emergencies. While the regulator does not resolve individual complaints, failure to comply with Awaab’s Law could be deemed “material failure” of regulatory standards, triggering intervention.
The Housing Ombudsman Service continues to handle individual complaints, with Awaab’s Law cases likely to dominate. Its caseload has risen sharply, creating pressure to speed determinations without sacrificing quality.
Local authorities face the steepest climb. They will be responsible for enforcing the reformed Decent Homes Standard across millions of private rental homes. The Local Government Association has warned councils already “struggle to enforce current standards within the private rented sector” and will need new resources to cope. Without funding, capacity risks becoming the reform’s Achilles’ heel.
A shift in regulatory philosophy
The reforms do more than add rules. In a way, they change the philosophy of housing oversight.
For decades, the system relied on local councils to identify hazards and act. Landlords could wait until they were caught. As the consultation put it: “This creates an environment where some landlords are not proactive.”
Now the burden shifts. Awaab’s Law imposes proactive duties: landlords must inspect, respond, and document action within strict timeframes. Regulators will assess compliance against those standards, not just against outcomes.
There is also a methodological shift at play. Awaab’s Law requires “person-centred” assessment. Under the traditional Housing Health and Safety Rating System, a Category 2 hazard might be tolerable. But if it affects a vulnerable tenant – a child, an elderly person, someone with respiratory illness – it may now trigger statutory duties. This reorients the law from abstract categories to individual risk.
That is innovative but uncertain. Courts will have to interpret the new “reasonable social landlord” test. Early case law will shape how far obligations extend. The risk is that ambiguity leads to inconsistent enforcement, or that landlords seek to challenge requirements in court.
Risks and unfinished business
The most obvious risk is enforcement capacity. Councils vary widely in resourcing and expertise. The National Audit Office has long warned of patchy enforcement in the private rented sector. Unless government funds local authorities to take on new duties, the reforms could falter at the frontline.
Legal challenges may follow. The subjectivity of person-centred risk creates scope for dispute. Landlords may contest obligations, particularly in cases where hazards are marginal or costly to repair.
Political sustainability is another question. Today there is consensus, but if a future government prioritises deregulation or budget cuts, momentum could stall.
The reforms are also phased: Awaab’s Law covers damp, mould, and emergencies from October; it will extend to hazards such as excess cold and fire from 2026, and to most others by 2027. Each step requires political will and administrative competence.
And there is the wider housing crisis. Poor conditions are only part of the picture. Shortages of affordable homes, rising rents, and the cost of retrofitting for energy efficiency will continue to test regulators and landlords alike.
An international lens
England’s approach stands out internationally. Canada’s provinces impose repair duties on landlords but lack a standardised national framework. Australia focuses on building codes and energy efficiency but has limited oversight of the rental sector. Seven million existing Australian homes are projected to miss efficiency standards by 2050.
The European Union leaves housing to member states. Belgium has detailed housing codes, while other countries rely more on local practice. Few apply a unified standard across both private and social rentals.
New Zealand has piloted a housing “warrant of fitness” scheme, but it applies mainly to social housing. Extending it to private rentals has proved politically fraught. By contrast, England is moving toward a single baseline across all tenures – a rare attempt at comprehensive coverage.
For regulators abroad, England’s reforms offer lessons. They show how a tragic case can galvanise legislative change. They also demonstrate the costs of fragmented enforcement and the challenge of resourcing oversight at scale.
The person-centred approach, if it works, may influence other regulatory fields where individual vulnerability matters.
A reckoning ahead
Awaab Ishak’s death has become a symbol of what happens when warnings are ignored and systems fail. His legacy is a law that forces landlords to act, backed by regulators with new powers. Yet success will depend not on statutes alone but on how they are enforced – and whether landlords, councils, and regulators have the capacity to make homes safer.
Rayner has said, “Homes must, above all, be safe. Safety is non-negotiable.” That principle now has the force of law. But making it real will require vigilance, funding, and cultural change.
For regulators, the task is not just to police rules but to rebuild trust in a system that failed a child. England’s housing reckoning is overdue. The question is whether it will endure.
