Paul Smith, Head of Frameworxs

Damp, Mould and Condensation in homes is one of the biggest challenges the housing sector is facing and we’re undergoing a significant transformation with the introduction of Awaab’s Law in October 2025, a landmark piece of legislation designed to protect tenants from unsafe living conditions. Prompted by the 2020 death of Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who tragically died due to prolonged exposure to damp and mould, this law imposes strict requirements on social housing providers to address such hazards promptly. Damp, mould and condensation are all going to be firmly under the scrutiny of the Social Housing Regulator who as we speak, is aggressively growing its team for capacity to enforce the new safety standards.

While the law is a crucial step toward improving housing safety, it presents several challenges for providers, particularly in terms of compliance, financial burden, and operational efficiency.

1. Stricter Compliance Requirements

Under Awaab’s Law, social housing landlords must:

• Emergency repairs must be investigated and actioned within 24 hours.
• Significant hazards must be investigated within 10 working days of a landlord becoming aware of them.
• A written summary of findings must be given to the tenant within 3 working days of the investigation concluding.
• If a hazard presents a significant risk of harm, the property must be made safe and remedial works must begin within 5 working days of the investigation concluding or, if for some reason they cannot be begun within that time frame, there is a long-stop of 12 weeks within which works must commence.
• If the property cannot be made safe in the above timescales, tenants must be decanted at the landlord’s expense until the repairs are completed.
• Landlords must keep tenants updated throughout the process and provide information to them on how to keep safe.

2. Financial Burden

The cost of damp and mould remediation can range from £500 to £10,000 per property, while legal disrepair claims now average £5,000 per case. For those with extensive portfolios, these expenses can quickly add up, making compliance financially challenging. Additionally, non-compliance could result in fines, court action, and reputational damage.

3. Increased Regulatory Pressure

The Housing Regulator will have greater enforcement powers, ensuring providers who fail to act face legal consequences. This means as well as full compliance with the rules, detailed records of inspections, repairs, and tenant communications must be maintained to avoid disputes.

Under pressure

The new legislation is causing significant pressure on the sector to step up to ensure the legal requirements for healthier and safer homes across the UK. These are real challenges that impact people’s lives so the entire supply chain needs to work together to ensure change. But rather than waiting until legislation comes into force, we all need to act sooner rather than later.

Public Health Threats: the clock is ticking

What’s important to note is that damp and mould are not cosmetic issues – they are public health threats with physical and mental impacts, especially for vulnerable groups, younger children and the elderly. Proactive repair and maintenance strategies and fast implementation are required now in order for housing providers to navigate this new landscape effectively.

Procurement that’s fit for purpose

This is where the new 2025 NHMF Frameworx Damp, Mould & Condensation framework can help. A brand-new schedule of rates has been specifically created (https://www.m3h.co.uk/products/schedules/modules/m3nhf-specialist-modules) as part of our offering to help clients and contractors solve the damp and mould challenge together through a simple, compliant and value-driven solution.

Cost effective and flexible solution

Benefitting from the 1.5% maximum fee, clients can procure for remediation works, surveying and monitoring services through this new agreement. Approved Providers, who have been carefully selected for their proven expertise and commitment to delivering a high-quality service, have been through a rigorous evaluation process so we’re confident they can deliver effectively and efficiently.

We offer a flexible approach as all works – remediation, surveying and monitoring – can be procured through Direct Award and Mini-Competition call off options.

To support your procurement, our team of fully qualified CIPS procurement professionals is on hand to provide end-to-end assistance. From helping clients navigate the call-off process to drafting bespoke contracts, we ensure a simple, compliant, and genuine value for money route to market – enabling you to focus on delivering vital improvements to the homes and lives of your residents.

We also have a handy guide to procuring through Frameworx which helps you understand the best procurement option for your works: https://www.nhmfframeworx.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Frameworx-Procurement-PDF-Digital.pdf

Webinar: Are you ready for Awaab’s Law?

In partnership with Housing Executive, we’re hosting the From Crisis to Compliance: Are You Ready for Awaab’s Law? Webinar. Bringing together industry experts to examine the legislation, the requirements and the challenge from all sides, this is a not-to-missed event. Follow us on LinkedIn for more information: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nhmf-frameworx/

Find out more

The full details of the new Damp, Mould and Condensation agreement can be found on the NHMF Frameworx website, and each provider has a profile to help you understand more about their service offering and the information is also listed in our brochure, where you will also find information about all our current agreements:  https://www.nhmfframeworx.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Frameworx-Brochure-2025_digital.pdf

NHMF Frameworx is here to help you tackle the damp, mould and condensation challenge head on and help you act swiftly and effectively ahead of Awaab’s Law implementation in October.