Meeting Awaab's Law isn't about buying a "compliance tool" on top of everything else. It's about the workflow your team already uses every day doing the right thing automatically — with the evidence trail to prove it.
The three phases
Awaab's Law is rolling out in three phases through 2027. Each phase widens the set of hazards covered by the statutory timescales.
From 27 October 2025
Damp and mould · Emergency hazards Landlords in England must investigate potential damp and mould within 10 working days of being notified, and make properties safe from any emergency hazard within 24 hours.
From October 2026
Excess cold and heat · Falls · Fire and electrical hazards · Explosions · Hygiene risks The scope expands significantly to cover the most common additional Category 1 hazards under HHSRS. Fixed timescales for investigation and repair apply to every qualifying hazard.
From 2027
All remaining Category 1 hazards under HHSRS By 2027 the full scope of Category 1 hazards is in force. Every social landlord needs a single, reliable system of record by this point — spreadsheets simply won't evidence compliance.
How CHICS helps
Awaab's Law isn't a separate module bolted on — it's how hazard reports work in CHICS from the moment a tenant gets in touch.
When a tenant reports a hazard, CHICS automatically checks the tenancy record for children under 5, elderly residents, respiratory conditions or other vulnerabilities, and escalates the case accordingly.
Each hazard is opened with the correct Awaab's Law clock — 24 hours for emergencies, 10 working days for damp and mould, and the applicable Phase 2 timescales from October 2026. The clock can't be overridden without a documented reason.
Prompts walk your team through acknowledgement, inspection, report to the tenant in writing, remedial works and sign-off. No steps get missed, even with a team of one or two.
Every contact, inspection, photograph, certificate and decision is attached to the case. When the Housing Ombudsman or RSH asks, you can produce a full evidence pack in minutes — not days.
Cases that are at risk of breaching a timescale trigger reminders to the case owner and their manager before the clock runs out. No more "we didn't realise it had been 9 days".
Every status change, every field edit, every comment is logged with a user and timestamp. Critical for defending a complaint or regulatory enquiry months or years later.
If you can tick every one of these, you're in a strong position. If you can't — especially the last three — let's talk before Phase 2 lands.
Awaab's Law is the shorthand for provisions introduced under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 that require registered providers in England to investigate and remedy specified hazards within fixed timescales. It is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, whose death from prolonged exposure to mould prompted the legislation.
Yes. Awaab's Law applies to all registered providers of social housing in England, regardless of size. A 30-home co-op has the same statutory obligations as a 30,000-home association. The difference is that small teams have far less slack to absorb the workload — which is exactly where the right software pays for itself.
For damp and mould reports, investigate within 10 working days and provide the tenant with a written report of findings. For emergency hazards that present a significant risk of harm, make the property safe within 24 hours. Keep tenants informed in writing at each step and retain the evidence.
Phase 2 comes into force from October 2026 and expands the scope to include excess cold and heat, falls, fire and electrical hazards, explosions and hygiene risks. The existing investigation and remedy timescales will apply to each of these hazard categories.
Failure to meet an Awaab's Law timescale exposes the landlord to Housing Ombudsman determinations, RSH enforcement action and tenant civil claims. The cases that go public tend to turn on one thing: whether the landlord can evidence, with dates and timestamps, what they did and when. The system of record matters more than any single process change.
CHICS builds the Awaab's Law workflow directly into your housing management system. Hazard reports open with the correct statutory clock, the system flags vulnerable tenants automatically, each step produces an auditable record, and pre-breach alerts give your team time to act. Your evidence bundle for any future enquiry is effectively assembled as you work.
Yes. We offer a free 20-minute Compliance Health Check where we review your current process against Phase 1 and Phase 2 requirements and show you the relevant parts of CHICS. No slides, no pressure. Book via the button above.
Book a 30-minute walkthrough with our team. We'll show you exactly how CHICS would work for your portfolio — no slide deck, no jargon.