Cllr Carole Williams reflects on the transformative potential of Awaab’s Law, a landmark policy born from tragedy. The death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, caused by prolonged exposure to mould in social housing, has become a catalyst for change across the housing and public health sectors. Cllr Williams explores how this new legislation reframes housing as a public health issue, introduces enforceable standards for landlords, and demands a cultural shift in how we respond to tenants’ concerns.
The death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 was not just a tragedy; it was a systemic failure. Awaab died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family's flat. His story pierced the public conscience and exposed a brutal truth, that in one of the world's wealthiest nations, a child could die from conditions entirely preventable.
Awaab's Law, is more than a legislative fix. It reframes housing not as a siloed service, but as a determinant of health, equity, and dignity. And it demands that policymakers and sector leaders-respond not just with compliance, but with conscience.
Enshrined in Section 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, Awaab's Law introduces legally binding timeframes for social landlords to investigate and resolve serious hazards reported by tenants. These include damp, mould, and other threats to health and safety. The law mandates:
- 24 hours to investigate and undertake relevant safety work for emergency hazards
- 10 working days to investigate significant hazards and five working days to undertake relevant safety work
- three working days to provide a written summary of investigation findings.
These are not merely guidelines, they are statutory obligations. The phased rollout begins on 27 October 2025, initially addressing damp and mould. By 2026, the scope will expand to include excess cold, overheating, fire risks, and falls. By 2027, all remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards, excluding overcrowding, will be covered.
This timeline is ambitious, but necessary. Public health professionals have argued that housing is health. Damp and mould are respiratory threats. Cold homes exacerbate cardiovascular disease. Poor ventilation fuels asthma. Inadequate lighting and unsafe stairs increase falls and fractures.
These are not abstract risks; they are lived realities, disproportionately affecting children, older adults, disabled people, and those in poverty. Awaab's Law codifies this understanding. It aligns housing regulation with public health urgency. It forces landlords to treat hazard reports not as maintenance requests, but as health alerts. And it empowers tenants with enforceable rights-not just to shelter, but to safety.
Awaab Ishak should be alive today. His death was preventable. His story is a reminder that policy is personal, and that systems must be held to account. Awaab's Law honours his memory-but it is up to us to ensure it delivers change.
Councils are working tirelessly to deliver positive outcomes for tenants and are firmly committed to improving housing conditions for all residents. They believe that everyone deserves a safe, decent, warm, and affordable place to live.
However, the future of council housing finances is increasingly uncertain. Rising costs and mounting pressures are pushing Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs) to the brink. Many councils now face an impossible dilemma: allowing HRAs to fall into deficit or failing to meet statutory repair obligations, including those mandated by Awaab’s Law.
This is the most precarious position council housing has faced in over a decade. Urgent action is needed to ensure local government can continue meeting its responsibilities to provide decent quality homes. Further government investment is essential to support key priorities, from retrofitting existing stock to building new council homes, so that the burden does not fall solely on HRAs and the residents whose rents and service charges fund them.
Awaab’s Law should mark a shift in how we approach housing: not merely as physical infrastructure, but as a key determinant of health and wellbeing. We must ensure that the conditions which contributed to past failures are not repeated.