Awaab’s Law – Compliance, Clarity & Education
A new white paper highlight’s the critical role of fenestration in meeting Awaab’s Law – named after Awaab Ishak, a 2-year-old who died in 2020 from a lung condition caused by mould in his home.
The paper has been produced by Shelforce and is based on a UK-wide survey of private landlords, housing associations and local authority housing providers. It examines current levels of understanding around damp and mould in particular and highlights where meaningful progress must be made.
It also presents a clear opportunity for fenestration to play a more strategic role in supporting social landlords as they respond to evolving legislation and rising expectations around tenant safety.
What Awaab’s Law says
Introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, Awaab’s Law places a legal duty on landlords to act swiftly on health hazards, particularly damp and mould.
Awaab’s parents told their social landlord about the mould many times over 3 years, yet nothing was done to fix the problem.
Emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards must be dealt with by landlords within set timescales.
Emergency repairs must be done within 24 hours. These include dangerous electrical faults, damaged external doors or windows and major leaks.
Significant damp and mould hazards must be investigated within 10 working days and made safe within 5 working days.
Shelforce
The research by the Birmingham based manufacturer and supplier of windows, doors and fire doors for Birmingham City Council reveals that over 73% expect damp and mould to require the greatest increase in investigation and remediation.
Howard Trotter, the business manager at Shelforce, said: “We produced this white paper to not only understand how prepared the social housing sector is for Awaab’s Law but to also highlight how a building’s fabric, especially windows and doors, can help landlords meet their obligations.
“The findings underline the importance of windows and doors in tackling housing health risks. Over 70% of respondents agreed that poor building fabric, including windows, doors and ventilation, contributes significantly to damp, mould and wider hazards.”
Planned replacement
Encouragingly, 33.8% of landlords already have window and door replacement programmes underway, with further projects planned or under consideration for the next two years.
“This is a significant opportunity for our industry,” added Trotter. “Local authorities and housing associations are actively looking for partners who can deliver compliant, high-performance solutions that address both thermal efficiency and ventilation. The sector must be ready to support social landlords with the right products, expertise and guidance.”
Picture: Access Navigating Awaab’s Law: Compliance, clarity and the critical role of education on the link below.
