Vent-Axia Welcomes Government Setting Date for Awaab’s Law

Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has welcomed the UK Government setting a date of October 2025 for Awaab’s Law to be introduced across the social housing sector.

The law was initiated following the tragic death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, due to mould in his home. Awaab’s Law is part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act and is set to impose strict requirements on social housing landlords to investigate and resolve issues of damp and mould within specified timeframes, helping residents gain faster repairs and reducing health risks.

It marks the biggest change in social housing rules in a decade, aiming to prevent future tragedies and improve tenant safety.

In a statement entitled ‘Improving the quality of social housing and strengthening tenant voice’ by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, published on 6 February 2025, it was revealed that from October 2025 social landlords will be required to address damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants, within fixed timescales.

From the same point in time, they will also have to address all emergency repairs, whether they relate to damp and mould or any other hazard, as soon as possible and within no longer than 24 hours. Other hazards, apart from damp and mould will not be introduced until 2026 at the earliest. The Government is set to shortly publish further detail on Awaab’s Law and guidance to support implementation. 

The statement follows the latest English Housing Survey which recently revealed in 2023 5% of dwellings in England had a problem with damp, higher than in any of the last 5 years (3-4%). But serious condensation was more prevalent in homes (3%) than rising damp (2%) and penetrating damp (2%). Within the social rented sector, local authority dwellings were more likely to have serious condensation (7%) than housing association dwellings (4%). The data reveals that there is still a significant damp and mould problem in social housing in the UK which needs to be solved. 

Natasha King, Product Manager at Vent-Axia, comments: “We welcome the Government setting a date to introduce Awaab’s Law since it gives clarity for social housing landlords. No one should live in a home with mould and damp and landlords have a duty of care to their residents to help ensure they live in a healthy environment. Addressing mould and damp is not only about complying with regulations but crucial for safeguarding residents’ well-being.

“Effective ventilation is vital to improve indoor air quality and tackle condensation and mould. At Vent-Axia we have been advising on ventilation since 1936 and we work with landlords to help them choose the right ventilation for their individual property so they meet their duty of care.”

Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, landlords already have a legal requirement to provide rental properties that are fit for human habitation, including the need for effective ventilation and freedom from damp and mould. Vent-Axia can help landlords meet their duty of care with the right ventilation solution for each property. There are different types of ventilation available depending on the property type and whether there is already a mould problem, with Vent-Axia able to offer a range of effective, energy efficient ventilation solutions.

The Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution from Vent-Axia has been specifically designed for easy, lower cost retrofit of heat recovery to save maximum energy and emissions and comply with the requirements of PAS 2035 in the social housing sector. The Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution range consists of three different Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery units, which can be used together to help improve IAQ and maximise energy savings by introducing heat recovery to the property.

The range comprises: the Lo-Carbon Heat Save, and the Lo-Carbon Tempra which are both wall-mounted through-the-wall units and the Lo-Carbon Calido, which utilises a simplified ducting system that can run within the home to supply heat recovered fresh air to a different room. 

Another ventilation option for landlords is the intelligent Lo-Carbon Revive 7, a filter-less unitary fan that features an adjustable trickle speed option, advanced humidity sensing and controls, as well as a raft of useful original features to provide powerful, quiet and efficient ventilation, all with a 7-year guarantee. Alternatively, the intelligent Lo-Carbon Response 7 is a filter-less unitary fan that features an ultra-low profile for discreet installation; increased airflow performance; a digital control menu; as well as a 7-year guarantee. Ticking all the right boxes for social housing the Revive 7 and Response 7 both boast powerful, quiet and efficient ventilation, helping provide good indoor air quality and comfort for residents, while being quick and easy to install, low maintenance and reliable. 

For properties with hard-to-treat mould, Vent-Axia’s PIV units, the Lo-Carbon PoziDry Pro™ and Lo-Carbon PoziDry™ Compact Pro are the ideal solutions. Designed to improve IAQ and prevent moisture build-up within social housing properties, the PoziDry range provides a highly effective solution to help households and landlords control condensation and mould, as well as offering high levels of air filtration.

Providing fresh, tempered air into the home the PoziDry range creates an indoor environment where condensation and mould find it hard to exist, benefiting occupants and avoiding the damaging effects on the building. The PoziDry Pro™ is designed for properties with loft space to install the unit in whilst Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon PoziDry™ Compact Pro is the ideal solution for properties, such as flats, without a loft. 

For social housing landlords requiring further ventilation advice visit Vent-Axia’s social housing hub: https://www.vent-axia.com/social-housing. 

Vent-Axia will be publishing an eBook, ‘Ensuring Safe Housing Conditions: Focusing on Mould and Damp Conditions’ to give guidance to social housing landlords on Awaab’s Law and how to tackle condensation and mould. The eBook has been created using Government guidance: ‘Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home’.

For further information on all products and services offered by Vent-Axia, telephone 0344 856 0590 or visit www.vent-axia.com.