Awaab’s Law and Your Home: What Southway Is Doing to Keep You Safe
By Carl Talbot Davies, Assistant Director Asset Management
At Southway, we believe everyone deserves to live in a home that is safe, healthy, and comfortable. That’s why we’ve taken significant steps over the past year to tackle damp, mould, and condensation - and we’re continuing to improve how we respond to these issues.
From October 2025, Awaab’s Law will come into force. This new legislation is a major step forward in protecting tenants and ensuring landlords act quickly when homes become unsafe.
Awaab’s Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who tragically died in 2020 due to prolonged exposure to mould in his social housing home. His death highlighted serious failings in how housing hazards were handled, and the law was created to ensure this never happens again.
From 27 October 2025, social landlords like Southway will be legally required to:
- Investigate and fix damp, mould, and emergency hazards within strict timeframes.
- Carry out emergency repairs within 24 hours.
- Provide written updates to tenants after inspections.
- Offer temporary accommodation if a home cannot be made safe quickly.
This law introduces clear legal deadlines for repairs, giving tenants stronger rights and holding landlords accountable.
Key changes include:
- Inspection within 10 working days of a report.
- Emergency hazards fixed within 24 hours.
- Written summary within 3 working days of inspection.
- Urgent repairs within 5 working days.
- Work must begin within 12 weeks if full repairs can’t be completed immediately.
- In 2026 and 2027, the law will expand to cover more hazards, including fire risks, electrical faults, and structural issues.
We’ve been preparing for Awaab’s Law for over a year. Here’s what we’ve done and are continuing to do:
- New Damp, Mould & Condensation Procedure: This sets out how we respond to reports based on how serious the issue is.
- Invested in trained staff and trusted contractors to make sure damp and mould issues are dealt with quickly, safely, and to a high standard - giving you confidence that your home is in good hands.
- Customer Contact: All reports are triaged and managed by our dedicated team.
- Clear response times:
Emergency Inspection/Repairs: within 24 hours
Property Care Officer & Surveyor Inspections: within10 working days
Significant Repairs: completed within 5 working days
Routine Repairs: completed within 20 working days
Major Repairs: completed within 40 working days - Prioritisation: We’ll respond more quickly when someone in the home is especially at risk - like young children, pregnant residents, or anyone with specific health conditions that means someone could be more at risk.
- Regular reporting: We track and report on all cases to ensure we keep on top of things.
- Data all in one place: All damp and mould data is added to our housing management and stock condition system to help us plan improvements.
If you’re a Southway tenant, Awaab’s Law means:
- Faster action: We must act quickly and keep you informed.
- Stronger rights: You can hold us accountable if we don’t meet the legal timeframes.
- Better communication: You’ll receive written updates after inspections and know what’s happening.
- Safer homes: If your home poses a serious health risk, we’ll make it safe or offer temporary accommodation.
We’re committed to keeping your home safe, warm, and affordable - but we need your help too.
Here’s how you can support this work:
- Work with us: If we contact you about a survey, inspection, or repair - please respond and let us in. It’s all free, and it’s for your safety.
- Report issues early: If you see signs of damp, mould, or condensation, let us know straight away.
- Allow access for safety checks: We carry out gas servicing to make sure your heating is working efficiently - this keeps you warm and helps keep your bills low.
- Electrical safety: We check your electrical systems and ventilation fans to make sure they’re safe and working properly.
- Insulation upgrades: We’re investing in better cavity wall and loft insulation. This keeps heat in, reduces cold spots, lowers bills, and helps prevent condensation and mould.
All of this work is easy to do, and it makes a big difference !
Heating, ventilation, and insulation are the key to keeping your home safe, warm, and affordable - and we’re investing heavily to make it happen.
At Southway, we’re not just responding to issues - we’re investing in new technology and equipment to help us tackle condensation, damp, and mould more effectively. This includes advanced tools to detect moisture, monitor air quality, and assess insulation performance.
These innovations help us identify problems early and fix them faster.
We’re also updating our internal IT systems to better manage surveys, inspections, and repairs. This means:
- We won’t miss anything.
- We’ll track every case from start to finish.#
- We can keep you informed throughout the process.
- Our goal is simple: to make sure you and your family are safe, and that your home stays warm, healthy, and affordable.
We understand how worrying damp and mould can be. That’s why we’re committed to acting quickly, keeping you informed, and making sure your home is safe.
Awaab’s Law reinforces what we already believe: that your health and wellbeing must come first.
If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help. See our Contact us page for ways to get in touch.
If you’d like to help shape how we respond to damp and mould, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with Maureen Ward, Customer Voice and Community Investment Manager, on 0161 448 4229 or email m.ward@southwayhousing.co.uk - your voice can make a real difference.
