Phase 2 readiness: what to do before 30 November.

Use this list to prompt your own planning. It does not tell you whether you comply, and it is not legal advice. Tick a box when you can answer yes and show evidence for it.

Before 30 November

• Do you know where the amending Regulations have reached, and who will check before 30 November 2026? (Rollout timeline)
• Have you planned to read the Minister’s letter to all social landlords in England, which he said he will send before the Regulations come into force? (Hansard, 19 October 2026 (opens in a new tab))
• Have you checked GOV.UK for the Phase 2 guidance for tenants, which GOV.UK says will be published ahead of 30 November 2026? (Phase 2 guidance (opens in a new tab))

The new hazards

• Can your reporting routes record a report about each Phase 2 hazard: HHSRS Schedule 1 paragraphs 2, 3, 14A, 18A, 21, 22, 23, 23A and 29? (Regulation 3(2) (opens in a new tab))
• Do your teams know crowding and space is not a Phase 2 hazard and is not an emergency hazard? (Regulation 3(2) (opens in a new tab))

The two tests

• Does your triage use the draft definitions: an emergency hazard is one a reasonable landlord would make safe within 24 hours, and a significant hazard within 15 working days but not within 24 hours? (Regulation 3(1) (opens in a new tab))
• Does everyone who decides severity know the test is objective and that the landlord’s own budget and staff availability are not factors? (Phase 2 guidance, section 4 (opens in a new tab))
• Do your triage notes record the risk to the tenant, what you know of their health circumstances, how feasible a fix is within 15 working days, and whether temporary measures were considered? (Hansard, 19 October 2026 (opens in a new tab))
• Do you know what you would do with a hazard that no reasonable landlord could make safe within 15 working days, and will you follow the Government’s response to the point Shelter raised? (Guide to the tests)

Cases you already know about

• Have you listed matters of Phase 2 types that you knew about before 30 November 2026, with the date you became aware of each? (Regulation 21 (opens in a new tab))
• Can you record the date of every report after 30 November and tell whether it is the first report after the relevant time? (Regulation 21(2) (opens in a new tab))
• Do your teams know who decides whether something is a material change to a matter you already knew about? (Phase 2 guidance, section 9.3 (opens in a new tab))
• Have you taken advice on the points regulation 21 leaves open? (Guide to cases known before 30 November)

Fire

• Do your teams know which fire hazards are excluded: those from a deficiency in a part of a building regulated by the Fire Safety Order, in a building with two or more homes? (Regulation 3(2) (opens in a new tab))
• Do you pass reports about those hazards to the Responsible Person for the building, and still handle fire hazards inside individual homes, such as a missing smoke alarm? (Phase 2 guidance, section 8.1.1 (opens in a new tab))

Required work

• Do your investigation records separate required work from work the tenant is liable for, rebuilding after fire, storm or flood, and items the tenant may remove? (Regulation 4 (opens in a new tab))
• Do your teams know that action required under the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 is not “work” for these Regulations? (Regulation 4 (opens in a new tab))

Electrical safety

• Do you have a qualified and competent electrician to investigate and put right electrical hazards? (Phase 2 guidance, section 5 (opens in a new tab))
• Do your electrical inspection records show the date and the next inspection date in each report, so you can tell when a report is still current? (Draft electrical regulations, regulation 4 (opens in a new tab))
• Have you checked your procedures for references to “further investigative work”? (Draft electrical regulations (opens in a new tab))
• Do you know that local councils enforce the electrical safety Regulations? (Hansard, 19 October 2026 (opens in a new tab))

Tenants and the board

• Do you know the Government’s “Make Things Right” information campaign launches in January, and who will handle contact from tenants who have seen it? (Hansard, 19 October 2026 (opens in a new tab))
• Has your board been told what is still a draft? The board briefing template has a section for the legal position. (Rollout timeline)

What happens next

• The Commons has still to approve the Phase 2 draft, and the Regulations have still to be made. The draft says they come into force on 30 November 2026.
• Read what the Commons committee agreed on 19 October for the latest position.
• This list will be updated when the Regulations are made.

Hansard references: Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Sources

1. Regulations as they will apply from 30 November 2026 (GOV.UK PDF)
2. Awaab’s Law Phase 2: Guidance for social landlords (GOV.UK)
3. Phase 2 guidance to support triaging of hazards (GOV.UK)
4. Hansard: First Delegated Legislation Committee, 19 October 2026
5. Draft Electrical Safety Standards amending Regulations 2026 (legislation.gov.uk)

General information, not legal advice. Check the primary source before relying on any statement, and take advice from a housing lawyer on your own position. Last reviewed 20 October 2026.