Timeline for next batch of requirements confirmed as Housemark report says only 4% of landlords describe themselves as ‘very prepared’,

The second phase of Awaab’s Law will come into effect on 30 November 2026, the government has confirmed. 

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Phase two of Awaab’s Law will extend to cover electrical faults, risks of falling, structural defects, excess cold and heat, fire risks and hygiene issues like pest infestations.

The new regulations will introduce seven more hazards social landlords must make safe within 24 hours, including electrical faults, risks of falling, structural defects, excess cold and heat, fire risks and hygiene issues like pest infestations.

This is in addition to landlords’ obligations to address serious cases of damp and mould and emergency hazards to fixed timeframes under the first phase of Awaab’s Law, which was came into force on 27 October 2025.

The third and final phase of the legislation will be introduced in 2027, extending to all remaining hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, except overcrowding.

The regulations for phase two have been laid in Parliament (13 July 2026) and the government has published new guidance to help landlords prepare.

However, according to new research by data company Housemark, only 4% of social landlords surveyed describe themselves as “very prepared” for the expansion of Awaab’s Law.

Housemark’s latest Monthly Pulse survey, collected in May 2026, found that while 46% of landlords consider themselves somewhat prepared, more than a quarter (27%) feel unprepared to some degree.

The research also highlights a gap between investment in people and confidence in technology. While 80% of landlords agree they have invested in the skills and capacity needed to deliver Awaab’s Law and 73% believe their processes communicate case details effectively to residents, only 57% agree that their IT systems collect and report Awaab’s Law data effectively.

Jonathan Cox, chief data officer at Housemark, said: “Confidence remains relatively low when it comes to phase two readiness. Many organisations are still working through what wider compliance will mean in practice and whether they have the systems and reporting capabilities needed to demonstrate compliance consistently.”

Awaab’s Law was introduced after two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in 2020 from health complications related to living with dangerous damp and mould in a social home.

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