Awaab's Law deadlines, stated plainly

How the counting works

The working-day clocks begin the day after the day on which the landlord becomes aware — the statutory wording is “the period of N working days beginning on the day after the day on which the lessor becomes aware”. A working day excludes Saturdays, Sundays and England & Wales bank holidays.

The 24-hour emergency clock is calendar hours. It is not adjusted for weekends, bank holidays or office hours.

Awareness, not attention

The trigger is the landlord becoming aware of the hazard, by any channel. It is not the moment the report was opened, triaged, assigned or acknowledged. A report that arrives at 11pm on a Friday starts the clock on the Saturday.

Who it binds

These duties apply to social landlords. Section 10A binds social-housing leases rather than licences, so a supported-accommodation provider granting licences is not automatically within scope for a given occupancy. Private landlords are not currently bound by these clocks.

After the property is made safe

Making safe is not the end of the duty. Where the investigation found work that stops the hazard coming back, the landlord must keep the home safe until that work is done, begin it within 5 working days (or take steps to begin it, where that is not reasonably practicable) and begin it no later than 12 weeks after the investigation, then complete it within a reasonable period. The tenant must be kept informed and told when the work is finished.

If the home cannot be made safe in time, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation at no cost to the household and give written safety advice.

What the written summary must say

Whether the investigation found a significant or emergency hazard and what it is; any further action, with a target date to begin and to complete it — or that no further action is needed, and why; and how the tenant can contact the landlord. A summary is due after every investigation, including one that finds nothing.

No clock pauses

The regulations do not stop a clock when a tenant refuses access or a third party withholds consent. The landlord's defence is to show it used all reasonable endeavours, so the record of each attempt, each notice and each reason for delay is what matters.

Which hazards

From 27 October 2025: damp and mould as a significant hazard, and almost every hazard — gas, electrical, structural, fire, water and the rest — as an emergency. From 30 November 2026, subject to Parliament approving the amending regulations: excess cold and heat, domestic hygiene, falls, electrical hazards, fire and explosion, and structural collapse as significant hazards too.