From Damp Report To Resolution: What Property Managers Need To Do

A report of damp and mould cannot sit in an inbox waiting for the next routine inspection.

Under Awaab’s Law, the legal clock can begin as soon as your organisation becomes aware of a potential hazard. That might happen through a repairs call, a housing officer, a contractor, a managing agent or a conversation during an unrelated visit.

From that point, your reporting routes, triage process, inspections, contractor instructions, resident communication and record-keeping all need to work together.

This guide takes you through the practical process from the first report to the final follow-up, helping you build a clearer and more consistent Awaab’s Law workflow across your housing portfolio.

AVT UK supports property management companies and social housing providers with ventilation assessments, smart monitoring and building performance testing that can help identify the conditions contributing to damp, mould and cold homes.

Why Awaab’s Law Needs A Clear Property Management Workflow

Awaab’s Law is not simply a repairs deadline.

It affects every stage of the case, including:

• How concerns are received and recorded.
• How risks are assessed.
• How resident circumstances are considered.
• How quickly an investigation is arranged.
• What information is given to the tenant.
• How immediate safety work is handled.
• How the underlying cause is identified and resolved.
• How actions and communications are recorded.
• How the property is checked after work is completed.

A missed handover between teams can use up valuable time before the repairs team even knows a case exists.

Your process therefore needs to cover everyone who may hear about a potential hazard, not just the staff responsible for damp and mould complaints.

What Does Awaab’s Law Currently Cover?

Awaab’s Law is the name commonly used for the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025.

Phase 1 came into force on 27 October 2025 and currently applies to registered social housing providers in England.

It covers:

• All potential emergency hazards.
• Damp and mould hazards that may present a significant risk of harm.

Phase 1 remains in effect until 11.59pm on 29 November 2026.

From 30 November 2026, Phase 2 will extend the fixed requirements for significant hazards to a wider range of risks, including excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, fire, explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene risks.

You can read the latest government guidance and updates on Awaab’s Law on GOV.UK.

Awaab’s Law Deadlines At A Glance

The deadlines are maximum periods. Some cases will require action sooner because of the condition of the property or the circumstances of the household.

If the relevant safety work cannot be completed within the required period, the landlord must secure suitable alternative accommodation for the household at its own expense.

Step 1: Record The First Report — This Is Day Zero

The day your organisation becomes aware of a potential hazard is treated as day zero.

For working-day deadlines, day one will usually begin on the following working day. The 24-hour emergency timeframe begins immediately.

Awareness can begin through:

• A telephone call, email or online repairs report.
• A complaint made to a housing officer.
• A routine tenancy or property inspection.
• A maintenance employee visiting for another reason.
• A contractor or managing agent.
• A support worker, school or medical professional.
• Information received by another part of a local authority or housing organisation.
• A material change to a problem that has already been reported.

This means a potential hazard should not wait until it reaches a specialist repairs queue before it is officially recorded.

Your system should capture:

• The date and time the concern was first raised.
• Who received the information.
• How it was reported.
• What the resident described.
• Which rooms or areas are affected.
• Whether the issue has been reported before.
• Any immediate health or safety concerns.
• Who lives in the home.
• The resident’s preferred contact method and any support needs.

Step 2: Triage The Hazard And The Risk To The Household

Triage is not an extra stage that sits outside the legal deadline. It forms part of the initial response once you become aware of the problem.

You need to consider both:

• The condition reported in the property.
• The potential impact on the people living there.

The same physical issue may present a different level of risk in different homes.

Factors that may affect urgency include:

• The age of the occupants.
• Pregnancy.
• Physical or mental health conditions.
• Respiratory illnesses.
• Disability or reduced mobility.
• The location and extent of the hazard.
• Whether sleeping or living areas are affected.
• Whether the problem is rapidly worsening.
• Previous reports or unsuccessful repairs.

A tenant does not need to provide medical evidence before you act. Information they provide about their health or circumstances should form part of the assessment.

You should also avoid writing the issue off as condensation, poor housekeeping or tenant behaviour before the condition has been properly investigated.

Step 3: Arrange The Right Investigation

A potential significant damp or mould hazard must be investigated within 10 working days under Phase 1.

An emergency hazard needs a much faster response, with the investigation and relevant safety work completed within 24 hours.

The investigation may include:

• Speaking to the tenant about the history of the problem.
• Reviewing photographs and previous repair records.
• Checking earlier complaints or inspections.
• Inspecting the affected rooms and surrounding building fabric.
• Checking for leaks or water ingress.
• Reviewing heating and ventilation performance.
• Assessing cold surfaces and possible insulation defects.
• Looking for uncontrolled air leakage.
• Considering environmental monitoring information.
• Arranging further specialist testing where the cause is unclear.

Some initial investigations may use photographs, videos or other remote information. However, an in-person inspection may still be needed to understand the condition properly.

The person carrying out the investigation should have the knowledge and authority to recognise risk, collect clear evidence and escalate urgent findings immediately.

Step 4: Provide A Clear Written Summary

Following an investigation, the social landlord must usually provide the tenant with a written summary within three working days.

The summary should explain:

• Whether a significant or emergency hazard was identified.
• What the hazard is.
• What action is required.
• Any temporary measures being taken.
• The target dates for starting and completing the work.
• Whether further investigation is needed.
• Whether alternative accommodation will be provided.
• Why no action is required under Awaab’s Law if the investigation did not identify an in-scope hazard.
• How the tenant can contact the landlord.

If all work needed to make the property safe and prevent the issue returning is completed within the three-working-day period, a written summary may not be required. The tenant should still be told that the work has been completed, and the landlord should retain a record.

The written summary should be clear, respectful and available in a format the tenant can understand. That may mean using a different language, larger print or another accessible communication method.

It should not be the only communication the tenant receives. You should keep them updated until the case is completed.

Step 5: Make The Property Safe

If an investigation identifies a significant hazard, the relevant safety work must be completed within five working days of the investigation ending.

For an emergency hazard, the property must be made safe within the required 24-hour period.

Immediate work might include:

• Stopping an active leak.
• Removing hazardous mould growth.
• Providing temporary heating.
• Repairing a broken window or external door.
• Isolating an unsafe electrical supply.
• Improving immediate ventilation.
• Making an affected room temporarily unavailable.

The right response will depend on the hazard and the household.

If the home cannot be made safe within the required period, suitable alternative accommodation must be provided until the relevant work is complete.

Step 6: Find And Fix The Underlying Cause

Making the property safe is only part of the job.

You must also address what is causing the hazard so it does not return.

A mould wash may remove visible growth, but it will not correct:

• A leaking roof or pipe.
• Water entering through external walls.
• Missing or poorly performing insulation.
• Cold internal surfaces.
• Inadequate background ventilation.
• Extract fans that are not working properly.
• Uncontrolled air leakage.
• A heating system that cannot maintain suitable temperatures.
• Structural defects or poor building details.

AVT UK’s ventilation compliance and background ventilation assessments can help establish whether ventilation systems and background airflow are performing as intended.

A Heat3D thermal heat loss survey can provide measured information about where a property is losing heat and where cold surfaces may be contributing to poor comfort or condensation risk.

Our guide to mould around windows explains why visible mould may be a sign of a wider building performance issue.

Step 7: Coordinate Contractors And Managing Agents

Using external contractors or managing agents does not remove the social landlord’s legal responsibility.

Your contracts and reporting procedures should make it clear:

• Which concerns must be escalated immediately.
• Who must be contacted.
• What information needs to be recorded.
• Which response times apply.
• How emergency issues are handled outside normal hours.
• How failed access attempts should be reported.
• Who updates the tenant.
• Who confirms the work has been completed.

A resident may mention mould to a contractor who is attending to repair something completely different.

If that information is not passed on promptly, the landlord could lose valuable time. Depending on the contractor’s legal relationship with the landlord, their awareness may also affect when the legal timeframe begins.

Every contractor who enters residents’ homes should know how to recognise and report a potential hazard.

Step 8: Build A Complete Evidence Trail

Good records help you manage the case, coordinate teams and show what action was taken.

Your evidence trail should include:

• The date and time the concern was first reported.
• The original description of the issue.
• Resident and household information used during triage.
• Photographs, videos and inspection notes.
• Previous reports and repair history.
• Environmental monitoring information where relevant.
• The date and outcome of each investigation.
• The hazard classification and reasons for it.
• Copies of written summaries.
• Contractor instructions and appointment records.
• Access attempts and communication with the tenant.
• Immediate safety work completed.
• Further preventative work required.
• Alternative accommodation arrangements.
• Resident updates.
• Follow-up checks and final outcomes.

Keep records even where an investigation concludes that the issue is not covered by Awaab’s Law. Other repair, safety or fitness duties may still apply.

Step 9: Use Smart Monitoring To Prioritise Properties

Waiting for visible mould or a resident complaint means you may only become involved once the problem has become more serious.

Switchee smart monitoring provides ongoing information about conditions including temperature, humidity and heat loss rate.

This can help you:

• Identify homes showing repeated patterns associated with damp and mould risk.
• Prioritise properties that may need earlier contact or inspection.
• Understand whether a home is consistently cold or difficult to heat.
• Review how conditions change over time.
• Compare risk across a larger housing portfolio.
• Check whether conditions improve following remedial work.

A risk notification from environmental monitoring does not, by itself, confirm that an existing Awaab’s Law hazard is present.

However, consistent readings showing concerning conditions should lead to timely investigation and intervention before the issue escalates.

Monitoring supports earlier action, but it does not replace an investigation, repairs, tenant communication or the legal timeframes.

Read more about how landlords can identify damp and mould risks earlier.

Step 10: Check Whether The Work Has Solved The Problem

A case should not be closed simply because a contractor has marked the job as complete.

You need to know whether the hazard has actually been addressed and whether the conditions that caused it have improved.

Follow-up may include:

• Speaking to the resident.
• Revisiting the property.
• Checking repaired areas.
• Reviewing ventilation performance.
• Confirming leaks or water ingress have stopped.
• Comparing temperature and humidity readings.
• Checking that visible mould has not returned.
• Arranging further investigation where conditions remain concerning.

If a material change is reported or the hazard returns, a new or renewed investigation may be required and the legal timeframe may begin again.

Awaab’s Law Workflow Checklist For Property Managers

Prepare Now For Awaab’s Law Phase 2

From 30 November 2026, the requirements for significant hazards will extend beyond damp and mould.

Phase 2 will include:

• Excess cold.
• Excess heat.
• Falls on level surfaces, stairs and between levels.
• Structural collapse.
• Fire and explosions.
• Electrical hazards.
• Domestic and personal hygiene.
• Food safety.

Your workflow therefore needs to work for a much wider range of risks.

Review your policies, contractor arrangements, triage tools and staff training before the new phase begins. A system designed only for damp and mould may not be enough when further hazards enter the fixed-timeframe process.

Frequently Asked Questions About Awaab’s Law Workflows

When does the Awaab’s Law clock start?

The landlord’s awareness begins when the organisation becomes aware of a potential hazard or a material change to an existing issue. This may happen through a tenant, employee, managing agent, contractor or third party.

Does every report of mould become a significant hazard?

Not automatically. The concern must be recorded and assessed to establish the potential risk. An investigation may be needed before the landlord can determine whether the hazard is significant, emergency or outside the current scope.

Does the tenant need to provide medical evidence?

No. You should consider information the tenant gives you about their health and circumstances without delaying action while waiting for formal evidence.

Can you investigate a hazard remotely?

Some cases can begin with photographs, videos, existing records or a telephone conversation. An in-person investigation may still be required, depending on the condition and the information available.

Does using a managing agent transfer responsibility?

No. The registered social landlord remains responsible for complying with Awaab’s Law. Managing agents and contractors need reporting and escalation processes that support those duties.

Does smart monitoring prove compliance?

No. Monitoring can help identify concerning conditions and prioritise investigations, but it does not replace the required inspections, communication, repairs or records.

Does Awaab’s Law currently apply to private landlords?

The fixed social-housing requirements covered in this article apply to registered providers of social housing in England.

If you manage privately rented properties, read our separate guide on what the latest Housing Committee report could mean for private landlords.

Move From Reactive Complaints To An Evidence-Led Response

Awaab’s Law leaves little room for reports to be passed between teams without clear ownership.

You need to know when the concern was first raised, who is at risk, what is happening inside the property, what work is needed and whether the work has actually solved the problem.

AVT UK can support your team with Switchee smart monitoring, ventilation assessments, Heat3D thermal heat loss surveys and wider building performance testing.

These services can help you understand the conditions contributing to damp, mould and cold homes, prioritise higher-risk properties and build clearer evidence across your portfolio.

Explore our support for property management companies and housing providers or contact the AVT UK team to discuss your requirements.

This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Awaab’s Law guidance and later implementation phases may be updated, so check the current regulations and official government guidance when reviewing your processes.