Awaab's Law & the Renters' Rights Act 2025: what is in force and what is still pending.
Part 1 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect in England on 1 May 2026. The Act provides for Awaab's Law and a Decent Homes Standard to reach the private rented sector, but the official roadmap places both in Phase 3 with the start date still to be confirmed. This page separates those pending measures from the Awaab's Law rules already operating in social housing.
Are you the housing association, not the surveyor?
DampApp Pro is built for the person carrying out the inspection. If instead you're the housing association or council itself — running Awaab's Law compliance across an entire stock, with statutory clocks, work orders, a central management portal and case-management integration (NEC, Civica, MRI, Aareon and more) rather than one report at a time — that's a different job, and it's what our sister platform HousingSurvey Pro is built for.
See HousingSurvey Pro for housing associations & councils →What the Renters' Rights Act 2025 does
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Its measures commence in phases rather than on one universal date:
- From 1 May 2026: Section 21 "no-fault" evictions ended and assured tenancies moved onto a periodic basis.
- Phase 3, date TBC: the roadmap schedules the private-rented-sector Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law requirements for a later phase.
- Separate current position: Awaab's Law Phase 1 has applied to emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards in English social housing since 27 October 2025.
Social landlords must follow the timeframes and process in the current Awaab's Law regulations and guidance. Private landlords should continue to meet their existing repair, fitness and HHSRS-related duties and prepare for the later reforms, without treating the social-housing timetable as though it already applies to them.
Why dated, structured evidence matters
A reliable case record shows when a hazard was reported, when it was inspected, what was observed and measured, what was communicated and when work followed. Loose notes and undated photographs are harder to interpret if a case is escalated.
DampApp Pro supports this structured capture. The app runs natively offline, so you can record an assessment on site and produce a watermarked PDF on the free tier without a signal; Pro adds white-label branding and cloud sync.
Offline psychrometric & dew-point analysis
Enter dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity to calculate dew point on the device, helping you distinguish surface condensation from penetrating or rising damp and record the basis for your diagnosis.
Timestamped photos (EXIF-derived where available)
Every photograph carries its EXIF-derived capture time (or attachment time when EXIF is unavailable), giving you a consistent, date-stamped visual record of conditions at the point of inspection for your audit trail.
Awaab's-Law triage checklists
Grade hazard severity consistently across cases and teams, so the investigation and resolution steps you take are recorded against the same framework every time.
Branded offline PDF reports
Generate a PDF on site; the free tier uses the app watermark and Pro adds your own branding. Reports can be shared with the responsible housing or property team, while the author remains accountable for their contents.
New Zealand Healthy Homes Standards
The UK is not acting alone. Since 1 July 2025, all private rentals in New Zealand must comply with the Healthy Homes Standards, which set requirements across five areas: heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress & drainage, and draught stopping. Two of those — ventilation and moisture ingress & drainage — sit squarely in the damp and mould domain.
DampApp Pro's psychrometric tooling and timestamped photo evidence (EXIF-derived where available) help New Zealand landlords and inspectors document ventilation performance and moisture conditions against those standards in the same defensible way. Across the UK, New Zealand and other markets, the direction of travel is the same: enforceable, evidence-based rental housing-condition standards.
Frequently asked questions
Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords?
Not under the social-housing regulations currently in force. Awaab's Law Phase 1 has applied to prescribed hazards in English social housing since 27 October 2025. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for Awaab's Law to be extended to privately rented homes, but the government's implementation roadmap places that extension in Phase 3 with the start date still to be confirmed.
What does the Renters' Rights Act 2025 change for damp and mould?
The first implementation phase ended Section 21 'no-fault' evictions and moved assured tenancies onto a periodic basis from 1 May 2026. The Act also provides for a Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law requirements in the private rented sector, but the government's roadmap lists both for Phase 3 with timing to be confirmed.
How does DampApp Pro support an Awaab's Law case record?
DampApp Pro supports a structured, date-stamped damp and mould record: offline psychrometric and dew-point calculations, an EXIF-derived capture time when available (otherwise attachment time), an indicative triage checklist and PDF reports generated without a signal. The app does not determine hazard status, deadlines or legal compliance; the responsible person must use the current official guidance.
Can I produce a damp report offline, on-site?
Yes. DampApp Pro runs natively on iOS and Android and performs its psychrometric calculations and PDF generation on the device, so you can complete a full report without cellular reception. Optional Pro cloud sync can resume when connectivity returns.
Does this only apply in the UK?
No. The Renters' Rights Act 2025, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law are part of a wider international shift toward enforceable rental housing-condition standards. New Zealand's Healthy Homes Standards already require all private rentals to meet ventilation and moisture-ingress requirements, and other markets operate habitability and minimum-standards regimes. DampApp Pro is used by surveyors and landlords across these markets.
Build a defensible damp & mould record
Use DampApp Pro to support a structured damp and mould case record with offline diagnostics, timestamped photos and PDF reports. The app does not certify compliance.
DampApp Pro
Native offline damp, timber and mould diagnostics with psychrometric tooling and Awaab's-Law triage.
HousingSurvey Pro
For housing associations and councils managing statutory clocks, work orders and central damp-and-mould cases across a portfolio.