The countdown to Awaab’s Law implementation in October 2025 has begun, and recent findings from the Housing Ombudsman have revealed critical failings in social housing inspections. These findings come at a crucial time, as Awaab’s Law will soon require social landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould issues within strict timeframes.
The legislation, named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak who tragically died from exposure to mould in 2020, represents a watershed moment for social housing safety standards. However, the Ombudsman’s latest report highlights systemic inspection failures that must be addressed before Awaab’s Law takes effect.
The report reveals distressing cases where inspection failures have directly impacted residents’ health. In one instance, a baby required an inhaler due to exposure to damp and mould after a landlord failed to conduct proper inspections. Another case saw children sleeping on the floor for two years because their bedroom had become uninhabitable.
Incomplete or Missing Inspections
The Ombudsman identified that many properties either weren’t inspected at all or received inadequate assessments. Our HomeHub system addresses this fundamental requirement of Awaab’s Law by conducting environmental assessments every five minutes. This continuous monitoring ensures housing providers maintain constant oversight, identifying potential issues before they become hazardous.
Conflicting Inspection Results
With Awaab’s Law implementation approaching, conflicting inspection results present a significant compliance risk. Our Surveyor Cube eliminates this issue by providing consistent, accurate data that can’t be misinterpreted. This standardised approach ensures all stakeholders work from the same reliable dataset, crucial for Awaab’s Law compliance.
Disconnect Between Recommendations and Actions
Under Awaab’s Law, housing providers must act promptly on identified issues. Our integrated platform ensures recommendations are properly logged, tracked, and acted upon within the timeframes that Awaab’s Law will mandate. The system maintains a clear audit trail of all identified issues, recommended actions, and completed works.
Poor Communication with Residents
Awaab’s Law emphasises the importance of resident communication. Our HomeHub interface revolutionises this aspect by providing transparent, real-time data access. This aligns perfectly with Awaab’s Law requirements for clear, timely communication with residents about property conditions and remedial actions.
As the October 2025 deadline for Awaab’s Law approaches, the social housing sector must embrace solutions that address these systemic failures. The tragic case of Awaab Ishak demonstrates why traditional inspection methods are no longer sufficient to ensure resident safety and wellbeing.
Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway emphasises that under Awaab’s Law, “communication with residents must be open, specific and accurate.” Our solutions are specifically designed to meet these Awaab’s Law requirements, facilitating unprecedented transparency and accountability.
The seven-month countdown to Awaab’s Law implementation means housing providers must act now. By implementing comprehensive monitoring solutions, they can ensure compliance with Awaab’s Law while protecting residents’ health and wellbeing.
The implementation of Awaab’s Law represents more than just new legislation—it’s an opportunity to transform how we approach social housing safety. Our technology provides the tools needed to not only comply with Awaab’s Law but to exceed its requirements, creating safer homes for everyone.
Don’t wait for Awaab’s Law to highlight the importance of proper property monitoring and maintenance. The solutions for comprehensive Awaab’s Law compliance are available today—let’s use them to prevent future tragedies and create better living conditions for all residents.
To learn more about Awaab’s Law or discuss how our secure IoT solutions can benefit your organisation, contact our team today on 01242 582 555 or email [email protected]
In a landmark announcement yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, outlined the government’s detailed implementation plan, marking a transformative moment for social housing safety standards in England.
The announcement comes at a critical time, with recent English Housing Survey data revealing that 7% of social rented homes suffered from damp problems and 4% contained the most dangerous ‘category 1’ hazards in 2023. These statistics underscore the urgent need for systematic change in housing safety management.
The government has outlined a clear, three-stage implementation timeline for Awaab’s Law:
Under Awaab’s Law, social landlords will be required to address damp and mould hazards presenting significant health risks within fixed timescales. Importantly, emergency repairs – whether related to damp and mould or other hazards – must be addressed within 24 hours.
The scope will expand to encompass additional critical hazards, including:
Full implementation of Awaab’s Law covering all remaining hazards as defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
For housing providers and property management organisations, this phased approach offers a crucial window to adapt and enhance their systems and processes. At Vericon Systems, we understand that technology will play a pivotal role in helping social landlords meet these new requirements efficiently and effectively.
The legislation mandates not just repairs within set timeframes but also emphasises the need for proper investigation, documentation, and communication with tenants. Our property management solutions are designed to support housing providers in:
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “We welcome these new measures to provide further protections for renters living in hazardous conditions and its extension to private landlords.
“It is a basic human right to live in a safe and decent home. This law is an important step towards helping the millions of people who do not – including 1 million children”
The Deputy Prime Minister’s statement also outlined additional forthcoming reforms, including:
Whilst October 2025 may seem distant, the complexity of these requirements means housing providers should begin preparing now. The government’s emphasis on existing duties remains clear – social landlords must continue meeting their current obligations regarding property safety and habitability.
For organisations managing social housing portfolios, now is the time to evaluate current systems and processes. The right technology infrastructure will be crucial in meeting these new regulatory requirements whilst maintaining efficient operations.
At Vericon Systems, we’re committed to supporting social housing providers through this transition. Our solutions are being enhanced to align with the specific requirements of Awaab’s Law, ensuring our clients are well-positioned to meet their new obligations effectively.
The implementation of this new regulation represents more than just regulatory compliance – it’s about ensuring safe, healthy homes for millions of residents. As we move towards these significant changes, we stand ready to partner with social housing providers in creating better, safer homes for all.
For more information about how Vericon Systems can help your organisation prepare for Awaab’s Law implementation, contact our team today on 01242 582 555 or email [email protected]
Together, we can make a significant impact in combating fuel poverty and ensuring a better future for social housing.
Housing providers must implement robust monitoring and response systems to meet Awaab’s Law requirements. Vericon offers a complete solution to achieve and maintain compliance whilst protecting both properties and residents.
Our technology provides:
Awaab’s Law, part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, requires stringent measures to address damp and mould issues in social housing. This legislation demands immediate action to ensure tenant safety and property integrity.
Under Awaab’s Law, social housing providers must:
Failure to act promptly can lead to regulatory penalties and resident health risks.
Vericon Systems offers cutting-edge solutions tailored to meet the damp and mould compliance needs of Awaab’s Law. Our technology ensures you can efficiently manage and mitigate these issues across your housing portfolio.
Our IoT-connected sensors continuously monitor humidity and temperature levels, providing early warnings of potential damp and mould conditions. This real-time data allows you to act before minor issues escalate.
Our IoT devices transform your approach to damp and mould management from reactive to proactive, ensuring you stay ahead of potential issues whilst maintaining full compliance.
By partnering with Vericon Systems, you gain:
For more information about how Vericon can benefit your housing projects call 01242 582 555 or email [email protected]
Together, we can make a significant impact in combating fuel poverty and ensuring a better future for social housing.
Managing damp and mould is an ongoing challenge for landlords. This problem is often exacerbated by the reliance on unstructured and fragmented data from multiple systems. The lack of integration makes it difficult for landlords to obtain a comprehensive view of the problem, hindering their ability to understand the data and prioritise repairs effectively.
Social landlords typically collect environmental data from various sources to monitor the condition of their properties. However, these data sources are often isolated in different systems, providing only a partial view of the issue at hand. This fragmentation leads to inefficiencies in identifying and addressing damp and mould problems, as it is challenging to pinpoint the most critical areas requiring attention.
Vericon offers a solution to this problem. By integrating environmental data from multiple devices across an entire property portfolio into a single online portal, Vericon provides a unified view of the property conditions.
This comprehensive approach allows social landlords to monitor their properties in real-time, analyse, and act upon environmental data efficiently.
Vericon’s online portal leverages powerful data analytics to help housing providers make sense of the vast amount of information collected by their sensors. The platform identifies patterns, pinpoints problem areas, and generates easy to understand actionable reports. This data-driven approach ensures that housing providers can address issues promptly and effectively.
Integrating all damp, mould, and environmental data into a single online portal offers social housing providers a multitude of benefits that streamline property management and enhance the living conditions for residents.
Having all environmental data, including damp and mould information, in one online portal provides a unified view of the property portfolio’s conditions. This integration breaks down data silos and allows for a holistic understanding of various environmental issues across different properties. Additionally, incorporating boiler telemetry into this centralised system can help identify issues such as fuel poverty, which has a direct link to the risk of damp and mould. By monitoring boiler performance and usage patterns, housing providers can detect signs of fuel poverty early and take proactive measures to mitigate its impact, thereby reducing the likelihood of damp and mould development.
Vericon’s online portal leverages powerful data analytics to help housing providers make sense of the vast amount of information collected by their sensors. The platform identifies patterns, pinpoints problem areas that require immediate attention, and generates actionable reports. For instance, it can detect if ventilation fans are being turned off, working ineffectively, or even if they need cleaning. This level of detailed monitoring ensures that housing providers can address issues promptly and effectively, preventing small problems from escalating into larger, more costly repairs.
With all relevant data accessible in one place, decision-makers can more effectively prioritise repairs and maintenance. This ensures that resources are allocated to the most critical areas, improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of property management.
Centralised data enables advanced analytics and predictive maintenance strategies. Using Community Learning and AI, Vericon can identify patterns and trends in environmental conditions meaning housing providers can take proactive measures to prevent issues before they escalate, reducing long-term repair costs. For example, Vericon can highlight ineffective fans or fans that have been turned off. Addressing these issues promptly can cost around £100, whereas waiting for the problem to escalate can result in repair costs running into thousands of pounds. This proactive approach ensures that minor issues are resolved before they become major, costly problems.
Maintaining a historical record of environmental data in one portal allows for trend analysis over time. This historical perspective is invaluable for identifying recurring issues, assessing the effectiveness of past interventions, and planning future maintenance strategies.
Having a comprehensive and easily accessible record of environmental data supports compliance with regulatory requirements. Housing providers can demonstrate a proactive approach to maintaining property standards, reducing the risk of penalties associated with poor living conditions.
With comprehensive data in one portal, housing providers can allocate their repair and maintenance resources more effectively. By focusing on the most severe and problematic areas, they can maximise the impact of their efforts and ensure that resources are used where they are needed most.
A centralised portal provides a clear audit trail of actions taken to address environmental issues. This accountability ensures that all stakeholders are aware of the steps being taken to improve property conditions and can track progress over time.
When a surveyor or operative visits a property with reported damp and mould issues , by scanning the QR code on the device an audit log is created showing the person along with the date and time of their visit. They also have the ability to attach photographs to the room, again date and time stamped to show the actual condition pre and post any work activities.
As the property portfolio grows, the centralised portal can easily scale to accommodate additional data and new properties. This ensures that housing providers can continue to manage environmental conditions effectively, regardless of the size of their portfolio.
Having all damp, mould, environmental, and heating telemetry in one online portal empowers social housing providers with a comprehensive, efficient, and proactive approach to property management. This leads to improved health and safety for residents, optimised resource allocation, regulatory compliance, cost savings, and ultimately, higher resident satisfaction.
Contact Vericon today to learn more about our damp & mould monitoring products and how they can benefit your portfolio.
Complete the form on this page and we will be in contact, alternatively please get in contact us by calling 01242 582 555.
Social housing tenants deserve homes that are safe and of a decent standard. However, the tragic death of toddler Awaab Ishak demonstrates the very serious harm that can come from living with untreated damp and mould.
In December 2022, all large social housing landlords were asked to set out the extent of damp and mould in the homes they manage and how they are tackling this issue.
The report, which was commissioned by the government, found that there are significant problems with the identification and management of damp and mould in social housing. It highlighted a lack of consistent data collection and analysis, as well as weak responses to complaints and poor conditions.
According to the report, there are lessons to be learned about tackling damp and mould effectively. The report sets out the features of better and weaker responses to damp and mould issues. Boards, councillors, and management teams are encouraged to read the report carefully and ask themselves challenging questions about how they could make improvements to what they currently do.
As well as tackling damp and mould issues, it is vitally important that landlords look at how they manage the condition and quality of their tenants’ homes in the round. How landlords ensure the safety of their tenants against the full range of requirements will continue to be a key focus of regulations as new inspections are carried out from April 2024.
It is crucial that landlords deliver an effective response to complaints of damp and mould and wider issues of poor conditions of tenants’ homes. Landlords must ensure that they address issues of damp and mould appropriately and make improvements in how they handle damp and mould cases.
Vericon offers a range of products and services to help housing providers identify the root cause of damp and mould issues.
Sensors and monitoring devices:
These advanced tools detect changes in moisture levels, temperature, and airflow in real-time. By providing detailed data, they help housing providers understand the underlying conditions that lead to damp and mould growth.
Data analysis and reporting:
Vericon provides powerful data analytics to help housing providers make sense of the information collected by their sensors. This includes identifying patterns, pinpointing problem areas, and generating reports for further action.
Consulting and advisory services:
Vericon offers expert guidance to help housing providers interpret their data and develop effective strategies to address damp and mould issues. This includes advice on proactive maintenance, targeted repairs, and regulatory compliance.
Improved resident health and safety:
By quickly identifying and addressing damp and mould problems, housing providers can create healthier living environments for their residents. This is particularly important for vulnerable populations like the elderly, children, and those with existing health conditions.
Enhanced property condition:
Vericon helps maintain the quality and safety of social housing stock. By proactively detecting and addressing damp and mould issues, providers can prevent further deterioration and costly repairs down the line.
Efficient resource allocation:
The data-driven insights from Vericon enable housing providers to allocate their repair and maintenance resources more effectively. By focusing on the most severe and problematic areas, they can maximize the impact of their efforts.
Regulatory compliance:
The use of advanced technology like Vericon demonstrates a proactive and responsible approach to property management. This can help housing providers meet regulatory requirements and avoid penalties associated with poor living conditions.
Improved resident satisfaction:
By providing healthier and better-maintained homes, housing providers can enhance resident satisfaction and loyalty. This can lead to lower turnover rates and reduced costs associated with tenant acquisition and relocation.
Our products and data give social housing providers a powerful tool to proactively identify and address the root causes of damp and mould problems. By leveraging advanced sensors and analytics, providers can create healthier, safer, and more efficiently managed properties. The benefits of this technology extend to residents, who experience improved living conditions and greater satisfaction, as well as to housing providers, who see cost savings, regulatory compliance, and enhanced reputation.
As the tragic case of Awaab Ishak reminds us, the consequences of untreated damp and mould can be devastating. By embracing innovative solutions like Vericon, social housing providers can take proactive steps to prevent such tragedies and provide their residents with the safe and healthy homes they deserve.
Complete the form on this page and we will be in contact, alternatively please get in contact us by calling 01242 582 555.
