Beat the Autumn Damp Before Awaab's Law Applies to You

Awaab's Law will soon impose strict timescales on private landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould hazards, and autumn is when the problems begin.

What Awaab's Law means for private landlords

Currently applied to social housing, Awaab's Law is being extended to the private rented sector. It sets mandatory timescales for landlords to investigate reported damp and mould, and to complete remedial works once a hazard is confirmed. The exact deadlines are still being finalised, but the direction is clear: ignoring damp will carry enforcement consequences.

Why autumn is when condensation complaints spike

September to November is the transition period when tenants start closing windows and turning on heating, but properties have not yet been checked for winter. Condensation builds faster in poorly ventilated homes, and small damp patches left over summer become visible mould. By the time complaints arrive in December, the damage is done and costs multiply.

Your pre-winter inspection checklist

Check extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens are working and not clogged. Clear gutters and downpipes so rainwater does not sit against brickwork. Service boilers now, before the rush, and check trickle vents on windows open freely. These small tasks prevent most of the damp and mould complaints that arrive once the weather turns.

Where tenant responsibility ends and yours begins

Tenants are expected to ventilate rooms, report leaks promptly and avoid drying laundry on radiators without opening windows. Landlords remain responsible for structural defects, broken ventilation, leaking roofs and faulty heating. If the property cannot be kept mould-free with reasonable tenant behaviour, the fault lies with the building or its systems, not the occupant.

The cost of ignoring it

A council improvement notice can prevent you re-letting until works are completed. Legal costs, enforcement penalties and extended void periods quickly outstrip the price of a gutter clean and an extractor replacement. More importantly, a tenant living with mould is likely to leave, and properties with a damp history are harder to fill.