From October 2025, Awaab’s Law changes everything. Landlords must now investigate damp and mould complaints within 10 days, provide written findings within 3 working days, and start remedial work within 5 working days, or 24 hours in emergencies.
For landlords and agents alike, this isn’t just another checklist. It’s a shift in mindset; from reactive property management to proactive risk prevention, supported by evidence, transparency, and trust, and having the right technology makes it achievable.
For many landlords, the challenge won’t be understanding the rules, it will be operationalising them across entire portfolios without increasing risk or cost.
So what should landlords be doing now? Below are three practical priorities and how the right systems can support delivery at scale.
1. Move from reactive response to proactive detection
The days of waiting for a tenant complaint are over. Under Awaab’s Law, speed matters but foresight matters more. Identifying risk before it becomes a legal issue protects tenants, budgets, and reputations.
What proactive landlords are doing:
· Implementing structured inspection schedules with standardised checklists.
· Equipping teams to log early indicators such as condensation or surface moisture.
· Deploying IoT sensors in high-risk areas to track humidity and temperature changes in real time.
How technology helps:
Platforms that manage properties at scale alongside facilities solutions can enable early detection, automate inspection scheduling, and capture photographic evidence during visits. Sensor integrations feed real-time alerts into dashboards, allowing teams to address small problems before they escalate into costly remediation or regulatory breaches.
For portfolio landlords and managing agents, early intervention doesn’t just reduce risk, it can significantly reduce long-term repair spend. When you can see a problem forming before anyone complains, you’re already protecting both your residents and your reputation.
2. Build transparent, auditable workflows
With defined investigation and response timelines, the margin for administrative error is slim. Every inspection, contractor visit, and tenant update must be logged and traceable. Manual spreadsheets and email chains simply won’t hold up under regulatory scrutiny.
What proactive landlords are doing:
· Mapping every stage of the complaint journey, from first report to final repair.
· Assigning clear responsibilities and escalation triggers if deadlines are at risk.
· Storing documentation, from photos to contractor certificates, in one central, secure system.
How technology helps:
Digital workflow and case management tools automate task routing, flag approaching deadlines, and record every action with timestamps. Built-in audit trails provide defensible evidence for compliance reviews, while centralised document storage ensures that nothing gets lost between departments or contractors.
Integrated repair and compliance systems allow landlords and agents to track jobs end-to-end, monitor contractor performance, and demonstrate adherence to statutory timeframes if challenged. In today’s environment, if it isn’t recorded, it didn’t happen. Automation isn’t just about efficiency but also about protection.
3. Create a fast, transparent tenant communication loop
Awaab’s Law introduces clear expectations around tenant engagement: landlords must keep residents informed in writing, within defined timeframes. Beyond compliance, this transparency builds trust which is a crucial factor in long-term tenant satisfaction.
What proactive landlords are doing:
· Offering simple, digital channels for tenants to report issues, which include portals, apps, or web forms.
· Sending automatic confirmations and updates as cases progress.
· Sharing written findings and next steps within three working days, supported by clear, accessible language.
How technology helps:
Tenant portals and CRM tools provide tenants with visibility into their requests while ensuring landlords can respond promptly and consistently. Automated notifications keep everyone updated, while two-way messaging captures communication history, closing the loop between tenants, landlords, and contractors.
Clear, documented communication not only satisfies regulatory requirements but can also reduce complaints, disputes and reputational risk. When residents can see that issues are logged, tracked, and resolved transparently, you don’t just meet regulation, you also strengthen trust.
Building a future-ready compliance framework
The reality is that Awaab’s Law is just the beginning. The framework is expected to expand between 2026 and 2027 to cover other health and safety hazards, including fire risks, asbestos, and excess cold. Landlords who establish digital-first processes today
will be in a far better position to meet new framework requirements as and when they are implemented.
Future-ready landlords are already:
· Training staff and contractors through integrated e-learning and digital checklists.
· Auditing their data quality to ensure accurate tenant information and maintenance histories.
· Using analytics to spot recurring issues across portfolios and prioritising investment.
When compliance is embedded as an operational discipline rather than a one-off regulatory hurdle landlords will be better placed to scale sustainably in a sector that is becoming increasingly regulated.
As compliance, technology, and culture come together, landlords not only meet legal requirements but build safer, smarter, and more sustainable housing portfolios.
From regulatory pressure to operational resilience
Awaab’s Law should be seen not only as a legal obligation but as a catalyst for raising standards across the private rented and social housing sectors.
Implementing the right tools means landlords can detect issues early, document them thoroughly, and communicate clearly. This protects both residents and their portfolios.
Awaab’s Law should remind us all that safe, healthy homes are the foundation of thriving communities. The landlords who take action now to modernise their processes will not only avoid penalties but strengthen their operational resilience in a sector where compliance expectations will only continue to grow.
Regulation may set the baseline, but operational excellence will define the leaders in the UK property market.
