From 30 November 2026, Awaab's Law extends to seven further categories of significant hazard.

That is the headline, and it is the easier part. The harder part is that every timescale runs from a point most housing management systems do not record, and the guidance is now explicit about where that point is.

The Timescales

Two things in that table catch people out.

1. The 24-hour emergency clock starts as soon as the landlord becomes aware. Every other timeframe begins the day after the triggering event.

2. And the 5-working-day clocks run from when the investigation concludes, not from the end of the 10-working-day investigation window. An investigation completed on day 3 starts the repair clock on day 4.

"Becoming Aware" Is Broader Than A Repairs Call

This is where most systems will measure the wrong thing.

The guidance lists how a landlord can become aware: a tenant raising an issue or someone raising it on their behalf, discovery during a routine inspection or visit, an investigation into a different hazard, notification by a third party including contractors, or notification by a regulator or other body.

Three consequences.

1. A report to any employee counts:
   The guidance's own scenario: a tenant tells a maintenance officer about damp during unrelated works. The landlord became aware at that moment, because the officer is an employee. Internal escalation is the landlord's problem, not the clock's.

2. A managing agent or another council department can establish awareness:
   So can a contractor, depending on whether they are legally acting as the landlord's agent — and the guidance says landlords should take legal advice on the status of their contractors.

3. And triage is not a separate step:
   The guidance is explicit: triage is part of the initial determination, not an extra stage before the clock starts.

Which means a system that timestamps the work order is measuring from the wrong event, sometimes by days.

The Seven Categories Added In November

From 30 November 2026, the Regulations cover all emergency hazards other than overcrowding, and the following significant hazards:

Damp and mould (already in scope since Phase 1), excess cold, excess heat, falls on the level (including falls on stairs and between levels), structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards, and domestic hygiene (including personal hygiene and food safety).

Phase 3 will extend to all remaining HHSRS hazards apart from overcrowding.

The Threshold Test Nobody Expects

Here is the part of the guidance most likely to surprise an experienced repairs manager.

A significant hazard is one posing a risk of harm that a reasonable landlord with the relevant knowledge would make safe within 15 working days.

An emergency hazard is one posing a risk that a reasonable landlord would make safe within 24 hours.

Those are definitions, not deadlines. And they produce a counterintuitive result the guidance states directly: an issue that could only be made safe through large-scale structural work, which a reasonable landlord could not make safe within 15 working days even with temporary measures, falls out of scope of Awaab's Law.

It does not stop being dangerous. It has to be addressed through other mechanisms and other legislation. But the Awaab's Law timescales do not attach to it.

And the test is objective. It asks what a notional reasonable landlord would do, not what you can do. The guidance says landlords should not factor in their own budget or staff availability.

Temporary measures count as making safe. Cleaning mould and providing a dehumidifier. Portable heaters while a boiler is fixed. Restricting access to an unsafe area. All are measures a reasonable landlord would use, and using them does not remove the obligation to address the underlying issue to Awaab's Law timescales.

The Tenant's Circumstances Are Part Of The Definition

The relevant knowledge is defined as the knowledge the landlord has, or reasonably ought to have, about the health and circumstances of the occupier.

So the same defect in two homes can produce different categorisations, and the difference is the household.

Four things the guidance says about that.

1. A tenant does not need to provide medical evidence. Landlords should generally take reports of vulnerabilities at face value, and should take it into account if evidence is provided.

2. A tenant does not need a specific vulnerability at all. Some hazards pose a danger to anyone.

3. The guidance gives prompt questions for front-line staff, including whether there are children, older adults or people with health conditions in the household, whether anyone has mobility needs, and whether the hazard has affected the use of essential rooms.

4. And this is personal data. The guidance points to UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, noting the special restrictions on health data.

The "Lifestyle" Paragraph

Worth quoting the substance, because it is unusually direct.

The guidance says it is unacceptable for social landlords to assume that a hazard such as damp and mould is based on a tenant's lifestyle, and that landlords must not fail to act under Awaab's Law because of such assumptions.

It goes further: everyday activities such as cooking, bathing, washing and drying laundry will unavoidably contribute to indoor moisture, are therefore unlikely to constitute a breach of contract by the tenant, and should not be a reason not to take action.

A landlord making that assumption risks breaching Awaab's Law.

What Is Out Of Scope

Five exclusions worth knowing, because they change what the timescales attach to.

1. Cladding work, which the guidance treats as a longer-term project addressed under the Fire Safety Order and the Building Safety Act. Other Awaab's Law requirements still apply to the reported hazard.

2. Fire hazards in communal areas already covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, such as damaged fire doors, debris obstructing means of escape, or deficiencies in compartmentation. Fire hazards inside individual homes, such as broken or missing smoke alarms, are in scope.

3. The Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan process, introduced from April 2026, which the guidance says should not be rushed to meet Awaab's Law timeframes.

4. Hazards arising from a deficiency in property the landlord is not responsible for.

5. And hazards resulting from a breach of contract by the tenant deliberate damage, blocking ventilation fans, unauthorised alterations. Subject to the lifestyle paragraph above.

Housing occupied under a licence rather than a tenancy is outside Awaab's Law entirely, as are long leaseholds and shared ownership.

The Written Summary, And When You Do Not Need One

Within 3 working days of an investigation concluding, the landlord must usually issue a written summary. The guidance now includes a template.

It must state whether a significant or emergency hazard was identified and what it is; if action is required, what that action is and a target timeframe for beginning and completing it; if no action is required, that fact and the reasons; and how to contact the landlord.

It is not required where all works, both to make safe and to prevent recurrence, are completed within the 3 working days though the tenant must still be told the work is done or where a potential hazard was triaged out of scope and no investigation took place.

One detail that matters for evidencing. The 3 working days is for the summary to be given, not received. The guidance encourages landlords to record when it was given.

Access, And The Reasonable Endeavours Defence

Section 10A(5) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 provides a defence where the landlord has used all reasonable endeavours to comply.

The guidance sets out what that looks like on access, and it is a list of things that have to be evidenced at the time:

Offering a range of timeslots and considering working patterns, childcare and accessibility needs. Multiple contact attempts at different times using different routes. Explaining why access is needed and what to expect. Working with carers, support services or a family member where the tenant needs help. Leaving a notice with contact details where a visit is missed. And ensuring contractors do the same.

The guidance recommends keeping detailed records of all attempted visits, inspections, repair requests and communications, including logged phone calls, emails and visit details.

Whether the defence succeeds is for a court to decide on the individual circumstances. What the landlord controls is whether there is a record to put in front of it.

What To Do Before 30 November

Establish what your system timestamps. If "becoming aware" is not captured — including reports to staff who are not in repairs the timescales cannot be evidenced.

Map all seven Phase 2 categories to repair codes. Fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene are included as significant hazards from November, alongside excess cold, excess heat, falls and structural collapse.

Check the contractor position. Whether a contractor's awareness is the landlord's awareness depends on agency, and the guidance says to take legal advice.

Review the triage prompts. The guidance supplies questions. Front-line staff need them in the script.

Build the access record now. It is the evidence for the statutory defence.

Adopt or adapt the written summary template, and record the date it was given.

And establish the alternative accommodation route. Where relevant safety work cannot be completed within the initial remediation period — 5 working days from the conclusion of the investigation for a significant hazard, or 24 hours for an emergency hazard suitable alternative accommodation must be secured at the landlord's expense, for everyone who normally lives there, including children staying at least one night a week.

Where repairs, tenancy and vulnerability data sit in separate systems, the triage decision is being made without the information the definition assumes the landlord has, or ought to have.

FAQ

1. When does Phase 2 start?
30 November 2026, when the 2025 Regulations are amended by the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

2. Which hazards does Phase 2 cover?
All emergency hazards other than overcrowding, and significant hazards comprising damp and mould, excess cold, excess heat, falls on the level, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards, and domestic hygiene.

3. When does the clock start?
When the landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard or a material change. Day 1 is the following day, except for the 24-hour emergency timeframe, which starts immediately.

4. What are the timescales?
24 hours to investigate and make safe an emergency hazard; 10 working days to investigate a potential significant hazard; 3 working days for the written summary; 5 working days to complete relevant safety work and to begin supplementary preventative work, with 12 weeks as a backstop for beginning that work where 5 days is not practicable.

5. How is a significant hazard defined?
As one posing a risk of harm that a reasonable landlord with the relevant knowledge would make safe within 15 working days. The emergency threshold is 24 hours.

Sources: Awaab's Law Phase 2: guidance for social landlords, GOV.UK, updated 31 July 2026, from which the timescales, the hazard categories, the definitions of significant and emergency hazard, the position on becoming aware, the lifestyle paragraph, the exclusions, the written summary requirements, the access and reasonable endeavours material and the alternative accommodation provisions are drawn; the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 as amended by the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026; the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985; and the Awaab's Law Phase 2 hazards guidance on triaging. The guidance is non-statutory and states that it is not an authoritative interpretation of the law but is intended as a general guide to support implementation. This article describes general concepts and is not legal advice. Confirm your position against the Regulations and with a qualified adviser.