Staying compliant with Awaab's Law - webinar two
Awaab's Law: Practical Guidance for Compliance
Webinar recap – June 2025
Helping housing providers prepare for October and beyond
Following our introductory webinar earlier this year, our June session focused on practical readiness for Awaab's Law, which comes into effect in October 2025. This time, we explored the how with clear advice, lived experience and real solutions to help housing providers stay compliant and protect residents.
A collaborative session with cross-sector expertise
Hosted by Francesca Brady (Frankie), Bellrock's in-house Indoor Environmental Quality expert, the session brought together a panel of professionals from across the sector:
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Frankie Brady – Expert Advisor at Bellrock, specialist in housing health and IoT monitoring
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Steve Rudge – Head of Housing Quality at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
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Shahban Aziz – Director of Policy and External Affairs, Housing Ombudsman Service
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Stephen Battersby – Independent Environmental Health Expert and HHSRS specialist
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Craig Allen – Head of Estates Compliance at Citizen Housing
Together, they shared what the new legislation means in practice from regulation and risk, to data and tenant experience.
What Awaab's Law means
The new legislation follows the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020, due to prolonged exposure to mould in a social housing property. The law is designed to prevent that ever happening again by mandating faster, clearer, and more accountable responses to hazards in the home.
From October 2025, all social housing landlords will be legally required to:
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Investigate complaints within 14 days
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Share findings within 48 hours
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Start work within 7 days
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Act within 24 hours if there's a serious risk to health
What landlords need to do now
The session broke down the practical steps providers can take today:
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Audit your stock
Prioritise high-risk properties and those with a history of damp and mould. -
Set up a fast-response process
Ensure complaints are logged, tracked and resolved within legal timeframes. -
Proactively maintain and monitor
Use sensors and environmental data to spot issues early before they become a risk. -
Train teams and contractors
Equip everyone, from call centres to trades, with clear expectations and processes. -
Keep everything documented
Track inspections, repairs, tenant communication and outcomes transparency will be essential.
Data-led compliance: From firefighting to foresight
Sensor technology, like IoT loggers for humidity, temperature and CO₂, is fast becoming a best practice. Several speakers, including Craig Allen from Citizen Housing, shared how early adoption has helped create a more proactive, evidence-based approach to damp and mould.
This not only improves tenant outcomes. It strengthens compliance and defends against legal risk.
Key questions raised during the session
Attendees asked some of the most pressing questions facing housing providers today:
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What happens if tenants block access for inspections?
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What should be done if residents ignore advice?
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How do responsibilities shift when issues result from tenant behaviour?
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What about extending Awaab's Law to the private rented sector and public buildings?
Panellists emphasised the importance of documentation, tenant education, and a joined-up approach across housing, health and enforcement services.
Final takeaways
- October 2025 is a firm deadline
- Timeframes will be enforceable and non-compliance risks legal and reputational consequences
- Data and transparency are your strongest defences
- Education of tenants and teams is essential
- We're stronger when we work together
What's next?
Our next webinar in this series will focus on real-world case studies and system implementation showcasing what's working, what's scalable and how to build a robust, proactive response to indoor environmental quality.
If your team is piloting solutions, we'd love to feature your work.
Need help building a compliance plan?
Bellrock's experts can support you with:
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Risk identification
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Data strategy and sensor rollout
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Process design and reporting workflows
Get in touch we're ready to support.
Let's prepare together.
