Awaab’s Law deadline checker
Since 27 October 2025, a council or housing association in England must normally investigate damp and mould within 10 working days of finding out about it. After the investigation it has 3 working days to give you a written summary and 5 working days to finish any safety work. An emergency must normally be made safe within 24 hours.
Working days leave out weekends and bank holidays, so the dates are easy to get wrong. Answer the questions below and the checker works them out. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How the dates are counted
- The clock starts the day after your landlord finds out. That is usually the day you report the problem, so report it in writing and keep a copy.
- Working days are Monday to Friday, leaving out bank holidays, Christmas Day and Good Friday. Ten working days is two weeks, not ten days.
- The 12-week period for further work is ordinary weeks, counted from the day after the investigation.
- Emergencies run in hours: 24 hours from when your landlord finds out, weekends included.
- These are the latest dates the law allows. Your landlord can act sooner, and for a serious problem it usually should.
Source: the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/1042, regulations 2, 5, 6, 9, 11 and 13, and the government’s guidance for social landlords. Bank holidays in England and Wales from gov.uk.
Who Awaab’s Law covers
It applies to homes rented from a council or a housing association in England. It does not apply to private landlords, to homes in Wales, or to shared ownership and long leases. Phase 2 is scheduled to come into force on 30 November 2026, bringing in more hazards such as electrical hazards, falls, fire and explosions.
Frequently asked questions
- Do weekends and bank holidays count towards Awaab’s Law deadlines?
- No. The investigation, written summary and safety-work deadlines are in working days, which leave out Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas Day, Good Friday and bank holidays. Only the 24-hour emergency period and the 12-week period for further work run in ordinary time.
- When does the Awaab’s Law clock start?
- The working-day periods begin on the day after your landlord becomes aware of the problem, which is usually when you report it. Report it in writing and keep a copy, so the date is not in dispute. See how to report your landlord for mould.
- What happens if my landlord misses an Awaab’s Law deadline?
- Missing a deadline does not by itself entitle you to compensation. What it gives you is a clear, dated failure — which is what a complaint, an Ombudsman case or a solicitor will want to see. Raise it through your landlord’s complaints process first, and then with the Housing Ombudsman if it is not resolved.