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Every tenant deserves to live in a safe, healthy home, free from hazards such as damp and mould. To help raise awareness of housing rights and changes in the law, East Lothian Tenants and Residents Panel (ELTRP) has created a new information leaflet explaining Awaab’s Law, its purpose and the protections it introduces for social housing tenants. Through this initiative, ELTRP aims to make important housing information easier to understand and help tenants feel informed and confident about raising concerns regarding the condition of their homes.

Awaab’s Law: Helping East Lothian Tenants Understand Their Rights

ELTRP creates a new information leaflet to raise awareness of important changes to housing law

Every tenant has the right to feel safe in their own home. However, problems such as damp, mould and other serious hazards can have a significant impact on people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life. It is vital that tenants know how to report these issues, understand their rights and know what action their landlord is expected to take.

To help raise awareness of these rights, East Lothian Tenants and Residents Panel (ELTRP) has created a new information leaflet to explain Awaab’s Law and what the changes mean for tenants. The leaflet aims to make important information about housing standards and landlord responsibilities easier to understand, helping tenants feel more informed and confident when raising concerns about the condition of their homes.

What is Awaab’s Law?

Awaab’s Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who tragically died in 2020 from a respiratory condition linked to prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s home. Despite repeated reports of the mould to their social landlord, the problem was not resolved.

His death highlighted the serious consequences that can arise when hazardous housing conditions are not addressed promptly. Awaab’s Law was introduced to strengthen protections for social housing tenants and require landlords to investigate and address certain serious hazards within legally defined timescales.

What does the law mean for tenants?

Under the first phase of Awaab’s Law, social landlords must respond to emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards within specified timeframes.

The key requirements include:

• Emergency hazards: Landlords must investigate and make emergency hazards safe within 24 hours.

• Significant damp and mould: Landlords must investigate the reported hazard within 10 working days and make the home safe within five working days after the investigation is completed.

• Written information: Landlords must provide tenants with a written summary of the investigation findings within three working days of the investigation being completed, subject to the rules and exceptions set out in the guidance.

• Further repairs: Where additional work is needed to prevent the hazard returning, landlords must ensure the work is started or planned within the required timescales, with the work physically beginning within 12 weeks at the latest.

Where a home cannot be made safe within the required timeframe, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation until it is safe for the tenant to return, in accordance with the law. (GOV.UK)

These requirements are intended to ensure that serious hazards are not left unresolved and that tenants receive timely information about what is happening in their homes.

Why has ELTRP created a leaflet?

Although changes to housing law can provide important protections, those protections are most useful when tenants know they exist and understand how to act on them.

ELTRP recognises the importance of making housing information accessible and understandable. Its new leaflet has been created to help raise awareness of Awaab’s Law, explain the changes in straightforward language and encourage tenants to take action when they have concerns about hazards in their homes.

By sharing this information, ELTRP hopes to help tenants better understand what they can expect from their landlord, why reporting problems promptly matters and how to seek help if concerns are not being addressed.

The leaflet also reflects ELTRP’s wider commitment to supporting tenants, strengthening their voices and helping people take an active role in improving housing services across East Lothian.

What should tenants do if they have concerns?

Tenants who notice damp, mould or another potential hazard in their home should report it to their landlord as soon as possible. It is helpful to provide clear details of the problem, including where it is occurring, when it started and whether anyone in the household has health conditions or other circumstances that could increase their risk.

Where possible, tenants should keep a record of when they reported the problem, any responses received and photographs showing how the issue develops. Tenants should also explain if the problem is affecting their health or the wellbeing of anyone living in the property.

If the landlord does not respond appropriately, tenants can use the landlord’s complaints process and seek independent advice about the options available to them. Awaab’s Law provides legal protections, but the specific requirements depend on the type of hazard and the circumstances involved. (GOV.UK)

Looking ahead: Keeping tenants informed and empowered

ELTRP believes that informed tenants are better placed to speak up about the conditions of their homes and engage constructively with their landlords. Providing clear information about legal rights and responsibilities is an important part of building confidence, encouraging participation and supporting better housing outcomes.

The new Awaab’s Law leaflet is one way ELTRP is helping tenants understand changes that may affect them. By raising awareness and encouraging tenants to report concerns, ELTRP aims to support a culture in which housing hazards are taken seriously and tenants’ voices are heard.

If you are an East Lothian tenant, look out for ELTRP’s new Awaab’s Law leaflet and share the information with others who may find it useful. Knowing your rights is an important first step towards making sure your home is safe.