Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Croydon Council is gearing up for Awaab’s Law, a new national housing standard taking effect on 27 October 2025, aimed at improving living conditions.
The new regulation, which is intended to safeguard tenants, places stringent timelines on landlords to address mold and moisture issues in properties.
The rule gives landlords ten working days to look into complaints, three days to inform residents of the results, and five days to make dwellings safe if there is a significant risk.
Landlords are required to provide safe interim housing if repairs cannot be completed in a timely manner.
Other dangers, like electrical and fire safety, will be covered by the regulations starting in 2026, and all other hazards will be covered starting in 2027.
In order to address urgent issues first, Croydon Council has implemented a new household risk system.
In order to schedule inspections, the council has enhanced communication between surveyors and the call center.
The purpose of the resident liaison position is to provide residents with a single point of contact for complicated circumstances.
The damp and mold policy has also been revised to comply with the new legislation and give people clear instructions, such as reporting issues as soon as possible and permitting access for inspections.
The council’s website also features a video that offers helpful tips for lowering dampness and condensation in the house.
In order to better monitor instances and enable the council to intervene promptly in the event that repairs are delayed, tracking systems have been installed.
In order to prioritize them, joint inspections are being conducted in blocks where mold and damp have been a persistent issue.
Any repairs already raised will still be completed.
These changes are part of Croydon’s wider housing transformation plan, which aims to put residents at the heart of decisions and support the executive mayor’s priority to provide more affordable, safe and well-designed homes for Croydon.
Executive Mayor of Croydon Jason Perry, said:
“Awaab’s Law is an important step forward for housing across the country and here in Croydon.
Everybody deserves a safe and healthy home, and no family should have to live with conditions that put their health at risk.
As part of my drive to raise standards in council homes, we are taking action to protect residents from damp and mould, and to make sure that urgent cases are dealt with swiftly and any recurring issues are properly investigated.”
Perry added:
“By improving how we deal with damp and mould, keeping residents better informed and acting faster on the most urgent cases, we are building a housing service that listens and acts.”
What specific deadlines will Croydon Council need to meet under Awaab’s Law?
When the Council becomes aware of an emergency hazard (immediate risk to health or safety), it must inspect and either remedy the hazard or provide emergency accommodation within 24 hours.
In the case of a large but not an emergency hazard, the Council must investigate the issue notified within 10 working days of becoming aware of the issue and, upon completing an investigation into the issue, must provide tenants with a written summary of the investigation’s findings within 3 working days of that investigation.
If the investigation identifies a hazard that requires action for safety reasons, it must commence (if urgent repairs) and/or completed (if remedial works are required). Where, it must also have reasonable timeframes (e.g., all works must commence within 5 days, all complex works commence within 5 days and on-site work completed within 12 weeks).