Awaab's Law for private landlords: what the consultation asks

acrenvo.com/guides/awaabs-law-private-landlords-consultation, last reviewed 18 October 2026

This guide covers England, and it describes proposals, not law. The consultation document, Extending Awaab’s Law to private rented tenancies and to licences, says: “These proposals will apply to England only.” It also gives the dates: “This consultation will last from 9 October 2026 to 11.59pm on 18 December 2026.” Both pages were last updated on 9 October 2026, and we read them again on 18 October 2026.

Tom is fictional. He lets three houses in Nottingham, and a letting agent arranges repairs for him. He has read that Awaab’s Law, which sets time limits for dealing with hazards such as damp and mould in social housing, is coming to private renting. He wants to know what the government is asking, which choices are still open, and how he can give his own view before the consultation closes.

What the consultation is about

The consultation page on GOV.UK opens with this: “As part of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Awaab’s Law will be extended to cover private rented sector tenancies. This consultation seeks views on how to do this in a way that is fair, proportionate and effective for both tenants and landlords.” The document puts the same point plainly: “The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will therefore extend Awaab’s Law to tenancies in the private rented sector.”

So the question for Tom is how Awaab’s Law would work for him, and when. The document says: “In particular, we are consulting on the following aspects of the approach to applying Awaab’s Law to privately rented homes:”

• what types of hazard should be covered by Awaab’s Law
• requirements on landlords for investigating potential hazards
• requirements on landlords to take action to address hazards
• the approach and timescales for implementation

It also explains what the law is for, which helps Tom see what would change for him: “Rather than placing new duties on landlords to carry out new repairs beyond their existing legal requirements, the focus of Awaab’s Law is setting clear timescales and processes to ensure existing repairs obligations are carried out promptly and effectively.”

The consultation has other parts too, about accommodation occupied under licence and about costs. For a private landlord, the page says: “Part 1 is about applying Awaab’s Law to private rented tenancies.”

Where the proposals start from

The consultation does not start from a blank page. It says: “To help explore the best approach, we will use the Awaab’s Law requirements for social housing as a starting point but, recognising that there are significant differences between the private and social rented sectors, we will seek views on whether elements of this approach will need to be modified for the private rented sector.”

That starting point is the set of rules social landlords already follow. These are the social housing rules as the document describes them, and they are not rules for private landlords. For a significant hazard, it says: “When an investigation has determined that there is a significant hazard, a social landlord has 5 working days from the date on which the investigation concluded to make the home safe.” For an emergency, it says: “Social landlords are required to investigate and take action to make emergency hazards safe as soon as practicable, and in any event, within 24 hours.”

The document also explains why private renting may differ, in words Tom recognises from his own repairs: “In particular, private rented sector landlords will, in most cases, be dependent on hiring tradespeople on a one-off basis to carry out the necessary works.”

How quickly a hazard would have to be made safe

The time limit for making a significant hazard safe is one of the choices still open.

Question 18 asks: “How quickly should landlords be required to make safe a significant hazard?” The answers it offers are:

• 3 working days
• 5 working days (in line with social housing requirements)
• 10 working days
• other (please specify)
• don’t know

Each of those answers is an option the consultation puts forward for people to choose between, and Tom can pick whichever fits his own experience of getting work done.

When Awaab’s Law would start for private renting

The consultation sets no start date. It asks three questions about timing instead, starting with whether the law should arrive in stages.

Question 29 asks: “Should all implementation of Awaab’s Law for the private rented sector take a phased approach?” The answers it offers are:

• yes - implementation of Awaab’s Law should be phased
• no - all elements of Awaab’s Law should come into force at once
• don’t know

The document gives a reason on each side: “There is a case for phasing to provide a period of testing and learning to support preparation for full implementation. However, the trade-off is that this will mean that it takes longer to apply the full range of protections to private rented sector tenants.”

Question 30 asks: “When should Awaab’s Law start to be implemented in the private rented sector?” The answers it offers are:

• 2027
• 2028
• 2029
• other (please specify)
• don’t know

On the earliest of those years, the document says: “Given the time requirement to make regulations following this consultation, the earliest feasible implementation date would be 2027.” It gives that as the earliest feasible year, and question 30 still lists all five answers.

The last timing question ties the start to the new ombudsman for private renting. The document describes its role: “In particular, the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman will have an important function, as it will provide an alternative route of escalating complaints about Awaab’s Law that is less adversarial and costly than a tenant challenging their landlord through the courts.”

Question 31 asks: “Should the timescales for introducing the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman (expected to be in 2028) affect when Awaab’s Law begins to apply to the private rented sector?” The answers it offers are:

• yes, the new Ombudsman must be in force by the time Awaab’s Law starts to apply
• no
• don’t know

If a letting agent handles the repairs

Tom’s agent books the tradespeople, so he wondered whether the duty would sit with the agent. The document’s answer, for landlords who use agents, is this: “As Awaab’s Law operates as an implied term in tenancy agreements, the landlord in such cases would remain ultimately liable for meeting Awaab’s Law requirements.”

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Responding to the consultation

Anyone can respond, including private landlords like Tom, and the page makes clear that nobody has to answer everything: “We are not expecting all respondents to answer every question in this consultation. If you want, you can choose to only respond to the parts you are interested in.”

The document sets out two ways to respond: “You may respond by completing this online survey.” The survey is linked from the consultation page on GOV.UK. It goes on: “Alternatively, you can email your response to the questions in this consultation to: awaabslawconsultation@communities.gov.uk” and “If you are responding in writing, please make it clear which questions you are responding to by stating which question number your response, or each part of your response, relates to.” A postal address is given in the document as well.

It also asks for two things to be kept out of a response: “When responding to the consultation, please do not include sensitive personal data such as your name and address within your responses to questions. Personal concerns about repairs and safety issues cannot be resolved through your consultation response.”

What Tom can take from this

Tom now knows that the government says Awaab’s Law will be extended to private tenancies, that the time limits and the start date are still open questions, and that the social housing rules are where the government says it is starting from. If he has a view on any of the questions, he can give it before the consultation closes. In the meantime, the rating system councils already use for hazards in private rented homes is explained in the guide to the revised HHSRS, and the wider changes to letting in England are in the Renters’ Rights Act guide for landlords. If GOV.UK publishes its response or changes the consultation, this guide will change to follow it.

Questions landlords ask about the Awaab’s Law consultation