In the news
Damp, mould and disrepair in social housing have been in the news for years, and the law has tightened because of it. These are the reports, rulings and broadcasts worth reading if your landlord has left you waiting.
Reports and rulings
- GOV.UKIn force from 30 November 2026
Awaab's Law Phase 2: guidance for social landlords
The next stage widens the law beyond damp and mould to hazards including excess cold and heat, falls, fire and electrical risks, and structural problems. If your complaint is about a cold, unsafe home rather than mould, this is the change to watch.
Read on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) - GOV.UKIn force since 27 October 2025
Awaab's Law in the social rented sector
The official collection setting out the clock social landlords in England now work to: emergency hazards made safe within 24 hours, significant damp and mould investigated within 10 working days, a written summary to the tenant within 3 working days of that investigation finishing.
Read on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) - Housing OmbudsmanUpdated continuously
Severe maladministration findings
The Ombudsman names the landlords it has found to have failed residents badly, case by case, and publishes what it ordered them to put right. Councils and housing associations both appear. Worth searching for your own landlord.
Read on Housing Ombudsman (opens in a new tab) - Local Government Lawyer16 October 2024
Ombudsman reports on almost 100 severe maladministration cases involving damp and mould
The report that put a number on it: around half the Ombudsman’s caseload at the time concerned damp and mould, and twenty landlords were named. Recurring failures included poor inspections, lost records and repairs that dragged on for years.
Read on Local Government Lawyer (opens in a new tab) - Local Government Lawyer14 October 2022
Two severe maladministration findings over a Manchester damp and mould case
A tenant reported damp and mould caused by rotten window frames and was told to manage the condensation herself. The Ombudsman disagreed, and ordered a survey of whether the flat was fit to live in. A clear example of a landlord treating disrepair as the tenant’s behaviour.
Read on Local Government Lawyer (opens in a new tab) - ShelterAdvice guide
Damp and mould in social housing
Free, independent guidance for council and housing association tenants: what your landlord has to fix, how to report it so it counts, letter templates when you are ignored, and what to do next. Useful whether or not you ever make an enquiry with us.
Read on Shelter (opens in a new tab)
On television
- ITV NewsOctober 2025
Damp and mouldy homes still an issue as Awaab's Law comes in, campaigners warn
Filmed as the first deadlines became law, and asking whether they are being met.
Read on ITV News (opens in a new tab) - Sky NewsNovember 2022
Unliveable social housing: 'The mould is everywhere'
Inside a council home where a family reported breathing problems they blamed on the mould.
Read on Sky News (opens in a new tab) - Good Morning BritainJanuary 2023
Landlords warned about risk to life from damp and mould
A broadcast warning to landlords about how dangerous untreated mould can become.
Read on Good Morning Britain (opens in a new tab) - ShelterAdvice video
How to complain about damp and mould in social housing
A short walkthrough of the complaint process, from first report to the Ombudsman.
Read on Shelter (opens in a new tab) - ShelterAdvice video
Damp and mould in social housing
What counts as disrepair, and what your landlord is responsible for putting right.
Read on Shelter (opens in a new tab)
These links go to other organisations — news broadcasters, the Housing Ombudsman, GOV.UK and Shelter. We do not control what they publish and linking to them is not a partnership with them. Nothing on this page is legal advice about your own home.