Haringey Council is taking proactive steps to address damp and mould issues in its housing stock, including preparing for the implementation of Awaab's Law, set to take effect in October 2025. The council's efforts were detailed in a meeting of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel on Tuesday 23 September 2025.

Ahead of the implementation of Awaab's Law, training has been rolled out to all staff and operatives involved in addressing damp and mould issues, to ensure that customer contacts are recorded within the system and follow on works prioritised to avoid delay.

As of 3 September 2025, the council reported 3 Category 1 and 332 Category 2 cases of damp and mould. There has been a reduction of 207 open cases since July 2025. In response, Haringey has established a dedicated damp and mould team, complete with a dedicated telephone line for residents to report issues. The council has also introduced a new team structure that includes teams of dedicated operatives with specific training on dealing with damp & mould related hazards that deal with the immediate hazards and complete associated remedial repairs and root cause. The council is also working to improve communication with residents and stakeholders, and has implemented a new CRM system to track and manage cases.

The council is also preparing for Awaab's Law, which mandates social housing landlords to investigate and remediate damp and mould issues within specific timeframes. Failure to comply with Awaab's Law could result in legal action from tenants, regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and increased scrutiny from the Housing Ombudsman and Regulator of Social Housing.

Key compliance requirements for the first phase of Awaab's Law, include:

  • Investigating damp and mould hazards within 10 working days.
  • Providing a written summary of investigation findings to the tenant within 3 working days of the conclusion of the investigation.
  • Starting relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding if the investigation identified a significant hazard.
  • Completing emergency repairs within 24 hours, regardless of the type of hazard.

The council reports that work is already in progress to introduce a 7-day priority in NEC and Service Connect with a completion date of October 2025. Amendments are also being made to the Damp and Mould and Responsive Repairs policies to reflect Awaab's Law, in consultation with Legal. A meeting is held between relevant Senior Managers every 2 weeks to ensure operational oversight, and the Repairs Board oversees monthly progress in liaison with other stakeholders.

To ensure all tenants are aware of the new requirements, arrangements have been made to raise awareness of Awaab's Law, advising how to report and escalate issues through the Homes Zone Magazine, e-bulletins, and the council website. The council also captures vulnerability and family composition as part of their triage process to ensure tenants receive appropriate support during investigations and remediation.