Awaab’s Law for Private Renters: What Could Change in England?

Written by Al Baker | Founder & Editor, The Penny Pincher - Last updated: The 9th of October 2026

You notice a dark patch spreading around the bedroom window, photograph it and email your landlord, but days turn into weeks without a proper inspection.

Private landlords in England already have legal duties to keep homes safe and deal with many repair problems, yet private renters don't currently have the same fixed Awaab’s Law deadlines that apply in social housing.

A new government consultation could change that by bringing legal repair timescales to millions more renters, but the private-renting rules and their start date have not been finalised yet.

What is changing for private renters in England?

The government opened a consultation on extending Awaab’s Law on the 9th of October. It asks how fixed deadlines for investigating and tackling dangerous housing conditions should work for private tenants in England, and when those requirements should begin.

It also considers extending protections to certain temporary, supported and care-leaver accommodation occupied under a licence rather than a tenancy.

Private renters, landlords and other interested people can respond until 11.59pm on the 18th of December 2026. The consultation closing date isn’t the date the new repair deadlines begin. Further regulations are needed before those requirements take effect for private landlords.

Awaab’s Law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 following prolonged exposure to mould in his socially rented home. It already gives social housing tenants in England fixed deadlines for action on emergency hazards and significant damp and mould.

The government is considering how those protections should apply to private renting, so tenants shouldn’t assume every existing social-housing deadline will be copied across unchanged.

Does Awaab’s Law already apply to private landlords?

No, Awaab’s Law’s fixed English repair deadlines do not currently apply to private landlords. Private landlords still have existing responsibilities for major repairs and safety, including the structure and exterior of a property, heating and hot water, electrical wiring and sanitary fittings, and they must keep rented homes safe and free from serious health hazards. If damp or mould is linked to disrepair, poor ventilation, a broken heating system or another problem the landlord is responsible for, the landlord should investigate the cause and carry out the necessary work.

The difference is the clock. Government guidance says private landlords should respond promptly to significant damp and mould, especially where health is at risk, but there is not currently a single Awaab’s Law timetable for private renters in England. That can leave the phrase “reasonable time” doing a lot of work, which is why fixed statutory deadlines could make a practical difference when a serious problem is being ignored.

What repair deadlines could private renters get?

The current social-housing rules give a useful indication of what fixed deadlines can look like, although they are not yet the confirmed private-renting rules. Emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours, while potential significant damp and mould hazards must be investigated within 10 working days and, where a significant hazard is found, relevant safety work must normally be carried out within a further 5 working days.

Social landlords also have duties to keep tenants informed and deal with the underlying cause, rather than relying on a cosmetic clean-up that leaves the problem to return.

What could that mean in a real home?

Imagine a private tenant reports black mould spreading across a child’s bedroom wall after water has been getting in through a damaged roof. At the moment, the landlord already has repair and safety duties, but the tenant may need to chase, complain or involve the council if the response drifts. A future private-renting version of Awaab’s Law is intended to replace that uncertainty for serious hazards with enforceable deadlines, although the consultation still needs to settle the final timetable and scope.

What should you do now if you have damp or mould?

The consultation considers protections against serious housing hazards beyond damp and mould, but the final rules for private renting haven’t been decided. Separately, the next phase of Awaab’s Law for social housing in England is planned for the 30th of November 2026, subject to Parliamentary approval. That date shouldn’t be confused with a start date for private landlords.

The planned social-housing expansion would bring more significant hazards within the fixed deadlines, including dangerous cold or heat, electrical dangers, fire and explosion risks, falls, structural collapse and certain hygiene problems. Emergency hazards already require action under the existing social-housing rules.

Private landlords also have existing repair and safety duties, even though their new Awaab’s Law deadlines haven’t started.

Could the new rules cover more than damp and mould?

The proposed extension is not only about wiping mould from a wall. The government is considering how Awaab’s Law should work for serious hazards in private homes, while the social-housing version is already being expanded from the 30th of November to cover hazards including excess cold and heat, electrical dangers, fire risks, structural collapse, falls and some hygiene problems where they pose a significant risk. The final private-sector scope has not been settled, so renters should not assume every one of those categories already carries a new private-landlord deadline.

Does the same law apply in Scotland?

Scotland has moved separately and its new damp and mould repair regulations came into force on the 6th of October. They apply to both private and social landlords, requiring an investigation within 10 working days of the landlord becoming aware of possible damp or mould, a written summary within 3 working days after the investigation, and required repair work to start within 5 working days where substantial damp or mould is found. The England consultation therefore should not be read as a UK-wide start date, and renters in Wales and Northern Ireland also need to follow the rules that apply where they live.

When will Awaab’s Law start for private renters in England?

There is no confirmed start date yet for Awaab’s Law in England’s private rented sector. The consultation runs until the 18th of December, and the government says the responses will help determine the start date as well as how the protections should operate. If you are a private renter with a problem now, use your existing repair rights rather than waiting for the future rules to arrive.

Frequently asked questions

Does Awaab’s Law apply to private renters in England now?

No. The fixed Awaab’s Law deadlines currently apply to social housing in England, while private landlords continue to follow existing repair and safety duties. The government is consulting on extending fixed deadlines to private renting, but the start date and final rules have not been set.

How long does a private landlord have to fix damp and mould?

There is not currently one fixed Awaab’s Law deadline for private landlords in England. They should act within a reasonable time and respond urgently where health is at risk; if a serious problem is not being dealt with, contact your local council’s environmental health or private housing team.

Can a private landlord blame a tenant for mould?

A landlord should investigate what is causing damp and mould rather than simply assuming it is the tenant’s fault. Structural defects, leaks, heating and ventilation problems can all contribute, and the landlord is responsible where the cause falls within their repair duties.

Can I stop paying rent if my landlord ignores repairs?

Do not simply stop paying rent. GOV.UK says private tenants should keep paying while repairs are outstanding, and withholding rent without proper advice can put your tenancy at risk; use the landlord’s complaints process, the council and specialist housing advice instead.

When could Awaab’s Law start for private renters?

There is no confirmed start date for private renters in England. The consultation closes on the 18th of December 2026 and will help decide both the final private-sector rules and when they come into force.