Awaab’s Law for Private Renters: Consultation Could Protect 5 Million More Households

What happened: Awaab’s Law could extend to private renters

The government published the consultation on Thursday 8 October 2026. Awaab’s Law already applies in social housing, where it sets legal timescales for landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards. The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two year old who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home.

The consultation asks how the same legal deadlines should be brought in for private landlords. It also asks whether other types of housing should be covered in future: temporary accommodation for homeless families, accommodation for young people leaving care, and supported housing, where many elderly and disabled people live.

Extending the law in this way could more than double the households protected by the repair timescales, from 4 million homes to around 9 million. The Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook, said the aim is for England’s 11 million private renters to get the same protections that social tenants already have.

This is a consultation, not a new law starting today. The responses will shape how Awaab’s Law is implemented in the private rented sector, including when the new protections come into force. The consultation closes on 18 December 2026.

Key numbers in the announcement

Source: GOV.UK, “Clampdown on dangerous homes to protect more tenants and families”, published 8 October 2026.

The timeline: what is live now and what comes next

One point that many landlord guides blur is worth stating plainly: private landlords are not bound by the Awaab’s Law deadlines today. What binds them today is the existing duty to act on serious hazards, plus the enforcement powers and fines that the Renters’ Rights Act has already brought in.

What it means for your money

If you rent privately: nothing about your legal deadlines changes today, but you are not powerless while you wait. Landlords already have to act when a hazard seriously threatens your health and safety, and around 1 in 10 private rented homes have a hazard at that most serious level. Report damp, mould or other dangers to your landlord in writing, keep dated photos, and keep copies. The Renters’ Rights Act already gives councils fines of up to £7,000 for the worst conditions, and it has already made no fault eviction illegal and made above market rent rises open to challenge in court.

Your rent and your bills: faster repairs do not put money in your pocket directly, but a home with severe damp or excess cold costs more to heat and can damage furniture, clothes and health. A fix that actually happens, rather than one that waits for months, protects both your budget and your deposit, because you have a written record that you reported the problem promptly.

If you are a landlord: the direction of travel is set, even though the private sector start date is not. The consultation will decide the deadlines you will have to meet, so the practical step now is to treat serious hazard reports with the same urgency social landlords already face, and to budget for repairs rather than delays. You can also respond to the consultation itself before 18 December 2026.

If you are in temporary or supported housing: this consultation is the first time your type of home has been named for these protections. Nothing changes today, but responding to the consultation, or asking the charity that supports you to respond, is how the case for covering your home gets heard.

For more ways to find money you may be missing, including help with housing costs, see our guide to making money and claiming what you are owed.

Awaab’s Law for private renters: your questions answered

Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords now? No. It applies to social housing landlords now. The government is consulting on how to extend it to private renters, and no start date has been set.

What can I do now if my rented home has severe damp or mould? Report it to your landlord in writing and keep dated evidence. Landlords already have a duty to act on hazards that seriously threaten health and safety, and councils can already use Renters’ Rights Act enforcement powers, including fines of up to £7,000 for the worst conditions.

When does the consultation close? On 18 December 2026. Its responses will inform how the law is implemented for private renters, including the timescale for the protections to start.

Who else could be covered? The consultation also looks at temporary accommodation for homeless people and families, accommodation for young people leaving care, and supported housing. Together with private renting, that could take coverage from 4 million households to around 9 million.

What happens in social housing next? Subject to parliamentary approval, phase 2 starts on 30 November 2026 and extends the protections to further serious hazards such as electrical hazards, excess cold and falls. Phase 3 follows in 2027 for the remaining hazards, except overcrowding.

Source: GOV.UK (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), “Clampdown on dangerous homes to protect more tenants and families”, 8 October 2026.