Who regulates and enforces, what each body can do, and the routes a complaint or claim can take.
Who does what
RegulatorRegulator expectation
Regulator of Social Housing
Sets the consumer standards that registered providers must meet and holds them to account for the outcomes. It does not decide individual complaints.
From 1 April 2024 the Safety and Quality Standard requires registered providers to meet all legal requirements that relate to the health and safety of tenants in their homes and communal areas. GOV.UK says those requirements include Awaab's Law.
The Regulator looks at a provider's performance as a whole and has a range of tools, including enforcement powers, for providers that are unable or unwilling to meet the standards.
GOV.UK says a provider that considers itself in breach, or a tenant or other party who considers it in breach, should consider whether the breach is a material failure to deliver the outcomes in the standards, and refer it to the Regulator if so.
Investigates complaints from residents of social landlords, including councils and housing associations, once they have been through the landlord's complaints procedure. It can order remedies where it finds maladministration.
Covers property condition and repairs, charges, complaint handling and anti-social behaviour affecting a resident in their home.
Orders are made where there is a finding of some level of maladministration and are enforceable by the Ombudsman. Recommendations are not enforceable.
GOV.UK says the Ombudsman will adjudicate disputes about compliance with Awaab's Law using its usual powers, and can find maladministration where a landlord has failed to comply with, or has not had due regard for, relevant legislation.
The Complaint Handling Code has been statutory since April 2024. If a landlord does not comply the Ombudsman can issue a Complaint Handling Failure Notice.
The Ombudsman's remedies guidance sets a table of indicative financial redress by the level of finding and the impact on the resident: £50 to £100 for service failure with minimal impact, £100 to £600 for maladministration with no permanent impact, £600 to £1,000 for significant impact, and £1,000 or more for severe maladministration with severe long term impact. The guidance describes these as ranges to help consistency, not fixed amounts.
The Ombudsman's separate compensation guidance uses ranges worded slightly differently (up to £600, £600 or more, £1,000 or more). Read both before relying on a figure.
Considers complaints about a local authority's wider housing activities, for local authority landlords. Complaints about a council's role as a social landlord go to the Housing Ombudsman.
Examples of LGSCO housing matters: how a council handles a homelessness application, the operation of its allocation scheme, and assessments of priority or banding.
It also considers other council services such as housing benefit applications, planning applications and social care.
The two Ombudsmen have a memorandum of understanding and a joint working procedure for complaints that span both.
Local authority environmental health and housing enforcement
Local housing authorities enforce the HHSRS under the Housing Act 2004 and deal with statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This is separate from a tenant's Awaab's Law claim.
Housing Act 2004 section 5: a local housing authority must take the appropriate enforcement action where it considers a category 1 hazard exists. Options include an improvement notice, a prohibition order, a hazard awareness notice and emergency action.
Section 40: emergency remedial action where a category 1 hazard involves an imminent risk of serious harm.
Section 7: powers (not duties) for category 2 hazards.
Environmental Protection Act 1990 section 79: premises in a state prejudicial to health or a nuisance are a statutory nuisance, and a local authority must investigate a complaint of one. Section 82 lets a person aggrieved apply to a magistrates' court.
Local authorities also enforce the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations through remedial notices, according to GOV.UK.
Source: legislation.gov.ukJurisdiction: EnglandLast checked: 17 October 2026
A tenant can claim for breach of the covenant implied by section 10A. If the landlord is found in breach, the court can order repairs, compensation and costs. Awaab's Law does not provide for fines.
Court action is described by GOV.UK as a last resort, and a court may ask for evidence that alternative ways of resolving the dispute were considered.
The Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims (England) sets the steps parties should take before a claim. A court will expect both sides to have followed it and may consider non-compliance when it makes orders for costs.
GOV.UK says a landlord's letter of claim is treated as the point of becoming aware of a potential hazard, if it was not already aware, for the Awaab's Law timeframes.
It is for the court to decide whether a landlord is in breach, and whether it used all reasonable endeavours.
The HSE enforces health and safety law and publishes guidance for landlords on gas safety. Its role in housing, as far as Awaab's Law guidance is concerned, is through gas safety.
GOV.UK's fire and explosions guidance links to HSE guidance on the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations and HSE guidance for landlords.
A gas leak is among the examples GOV.UK gives of an emergency hazard. GOV.UK says that if anyone smells gas the National Gas Helpline should be contacted immediately.
Consequences of getting it wrong, in factual terms
Each route has its own consequence. They are separate, and GOV.UK says the outcomes of earlier processes are taken into account so duplicate compensation for the same issue should not be awarded.
Court: orders to do the repairs, to pay compensation, and to pay some or all of the tenant's legal costs.
Housing Ombudsman: a finding of maladministration, and orders such as an apology, compensation, a review of practice or specified actions. Orders are enforceable by the Ombudsman.
Regulator of Social Housing: it can take action where a provider has significantly failed to deliver the outcomes required by its standards.
Local authority: enforcement notices and orders under the Housing Act 2004 for category 1 and 2 hazards.
Coroners: a coroner can issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report. The report on the death of Awaab Ishak was dated 16 November 2022 and is on the judiciary.uk website.
17 October 2026: First version. Every item checked against its primary source on this date.
General information, not legal advice. Check the primary source before relying on any item, and take advice from a housing lawyer on your own position.
Zaviira Assure helps housing providers record and evidence their work against these duties.
