Clock is ticking for housing associations to comply with Awaab’s Law next month, warns FourNet

Digital tools will be critical to meeting new 24-hour and 10-day health hazard deadlines, say digital transformation and customer experience specialists

Leading digital transformation and customer experience specialists FourNet have warned housing associations that time is running out if they wish to avoid fines, legal action, and reputational damage for failing to comply with Awaab’s Law.

Awaab Ishak – bathroom mould_ Pic – Greater Manchester Police

FourNet, which works with a range of housing providers across the UK, says technology and AI will be crucial to ensure tenants are kept safe and landlords comply with the new laws.

The legislation, which comes into force on 27 October 2025, imposes strict deadlines on social landlords to address health hazards such as damp and mould.

Under the new regulations, emergency hazards must be dealt with in 24 hours, while significant hazards must be investigated within 10 working days. Landlords will also be required to provide written updates to tenants or offer safe alternative accommodation if repairs cannot be made in time.

The new rules represent one of the most significant compliance challenges the housing sector has faced in decades.

Richard Pennington, CEO at FourNet, said: “Awaab’s Law will transform the way housing associations need to operate. The new regulations put tenant health and safety at the very heart of the sector, and demand strict accountability.

“Investigating hazards in ten working days and resolving emergencies within 24 hours simply cannot be managed without digital infrastructure that tracks every tenant interaction and automates every critical step.

“Housing associations and public sector landlords need to be ready, and with the right tools, technology and expertise, FourNet can help keep tenants safe and landlords compliant.”

Tight timescales and mandatory reporting obligations mean that manual processes and outdated systems will not be enough.

Social landlords will need integrated case management, AI-powered analytics, and workflow automation to meet the law’s demands and demonstrate compliance.

For housing associations preparing for Awaab’s Law, FourNet says that means:

Interaction analytics that flag repeat complaints of damp or mould, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
Auto-Summary and Auto-Wrap tools that generate the written updates now required under the law.
Workflow automation to make sure repair requests are prioritised and resolved within statutory deadlines.
Integrated case management that gives staff a single, auditable view of each tenant’s journey.

FourNet already delivers secure cloud-based communications and customer experience solutions to a range of UK housing associations, central government, local authorities and critical national infrastructure organisations with high stakes compliance and security requirements.

James Rowell, Account Director at FourNet, said: “The housing sector has just weeks to ensure it is compliant when Awaab’s Law comes into force. The risk of failing to act is enormous – fines, legal exposure, and most importantly, the health and safety of tenants.

“FourNet’s solutions, ranging from Auto-Summary tools that create the written updates now required, to analytics that flag repeat complaints of mould, are designed to give housing associations complete visibility and control. With the right systems in place, compliance is achievable. Without them, landlords will struggle.”

Awaab’s Law is being introduced in phases following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 in Rochdale, caused by prolonged exposure to mould. The law, part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, will be written directly into tenancy agreements from October 2025.

You can read more about how FourNet can help keep tenants safe and landlords compliant with the new rules, here.