New Emergency Repair Law: What It Means for You

From Monday 27th October 2025, a new law will make sure damp and mould problems, as well as other emergency hazards in social housing are dealt with quickly and properly.

It’s called Awaab’s Law, named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who sadly died in 2020 because persistent mould issues in his home weren’t adequately addressed. This law exists to make sure that never happens again.

What Awaab’s Law means for you

There will be clear deadlines for us to act:

• If the problem is an emergency and could seriously affect your health, we’ll visit within 24 hours and make safe.
• If it’s a significant hazard relating to damp and mould, but not an emergency, we’ll investigate within 10 working days, give you an update within 3 days of our visit, and if follow on works are required, take steps to start work within 5 working days.

The government are proposing other significant hazards will also come under Awaab’s Law over the next 2 years, but for now it relates to damp and mould only. A ‘significant hazard’ poses serious risk to a resident’s health or safety. Risk is assessed based on the resident’s circumstances, the nature of the hazard, and the condition of the home. Guidance like Awaab’s Law and HHSRS will inform decisions, alongside up-to-date information about the resident and property.

We will still respond to all reports of damp and mould that are not considered a significant hazard. These will fall into our routine repairs time frames.

We need your support to keep your home safe

We want to ensure your home is safe and healthy. To help us do that, please report repairs including any damp and mould as soon as you’re aware of them. No matter how big or small the issue is, tell us about them – don’t wait for them to get worse. It is also very important that you allow our colleagues and contractors access to your home. Without access, repairs work can be delayed.

What is classed as an emergency hazard?

An emergency hazard can be anything where there is an imminent risk or injury to someone or major damage to your home, such as;

• Flooding or a major leak, with the possibility of ceiling collapse
• A total loss of water supply to your home
• A gas leak
• Fire
• Unsafe electrics or a total loss of power to the property
• Certain doors or windows not being secure
• No heating or hot water in winter (or all year round for older or vulnerable residents)
• Sewage overflowing into the home
• Prevalent damp and/or mould that is having a material impact on your health, for example, your ability to breathe
• Significant structural damage to the home

If you are experiencing any of the above, please contact our Head Office on 01454 411172 between 9:00am and 4:30pm Monday to Thursday, or between 9:00am and 4:00pm on Friday.

If you have an urgent repair outside our office hours, please contact 0808 169 2910.

What do I do if there is damp and/or mould in my home?

If you find damp and/or mould in your home, the first thing you need to do is let us know. You can either report it online, email us or call us on 01454 411172.

There are things you can do to reduce the risk of damp and/or mould appearing in your home.

You can find more information on preventing damp and mould here.

We take reports of damp and mould extremely seriously and would urge any resident who has concerns to contact us immediately.

How to report damp, mould or a repair:

Book a repair using our online form

Call us on 01454 411172

Email us on info@elimhousing.co.uk