In the noise around 1 May, the property-standards reforms got far less attention than the end of Section 21 - and that's a mistake, because they're the clearest statement of where this is all heading. Two changes are confirmed for the private rented sector: Awaab's Law and a reformed Decent Homes Standard. Neither is in force for private landlords yet. Both are coming, and both turn "the property is fine" from an opinion into a documented, deadline-driven duty.
The timelines are longer than the Phase 1 reforms, which is exactly why this is the easy one to ignore - and exactly why getting ahead of it is cheap now and expensive later. This is the standards counterpart to the registration work in Phase 2: same direction of travel, different obligation.
This is operational guidance for letting agents, not legal advice. The detail will firm up through consultation; where a specific hazard or disrepair claim is live, get professional advice.
What's coming - and what is not live yet
Be precise with landlords on this, because a lot of online coverage isn't.
Awaab's Law currently applies to social housing only. The Renters' Rights Act creates the power to extend it to the private rented sector by implying repair terms into tenancy agreements. The government has confirmed it will consult on the specific timeframes for private landlords before bringing the rules into force. It sits in Phase 3 of the rollout, and there is no confirmed PRS commencement date - realistically 2027 at the earliest.
The reformed Decent Homes Standard is confirmed for the PRS from 2035. Following its consultation, the government published its response on 28 January 2026 confirming that a single reformed Decent Homes Standard will apply to both social and private rented homes by 2035 at the latest, with enforcement by local authorities. Detailed guidance is still to come.
So: nothing here is a duty today. But "2035" and "after a consultation" are not reasons to do nothing - they're a runway, and the smart use of a runway is to walk it before everyone else is sprinting.
The Decent Homes Standard: five criteria
The reformed standard sets five criteria a home must meet. Four are familiar; one is new and aimed squarely at the cases that drove this reform.
- Criterion A - meets the statutory minimum. The property must be free of the most serious (Category 1) hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
- Criterion B - in a reasonable state of repair. Key building components - walls, roofs, windows, heating - in reasonable condition.
- Criterion C - reasonably modern facilities and services. Adequate kitchen, bathroom and the like.
- Criterion D - a reasonable degree of thermal comfort. Effective insulation and heating.
- Criterion E - free from damp and mould (new). A genuinely new requirement that properties be free from damp and mould beyond the mildest levels. A property fails this criterion where a damp-and-mould hazard is assessed in the more serious HHSRS bands.
Criterion E is the one to internalise now. Damp and mould you've been managing as a recurring complaint becomes a standard you can fail against.
Awaab's Law: fixed timeframes for hazards
Where the Decent Homes Standard sets the condition, Awaab's Law sets the clock. In social housing it already requires landlords to act on dangerous hazards - particularly damp and mould - within fixed statutory timescales: acknowledge and investigate a hazard report within a set window, begin remedial work within days of confirming a hazard, and deal with emergencies within 24 hours.
The PRS version is expected to mirror that structure, but the exact timeframes for private landlords will be set by the consultation, so treat any specific number as indicative for now. What is not in doubt is the principle: once it applies, a reported hazard starts a countdown, and missing it invites enforcement, compensation claims and reputational damage. Crucially, this sits on top of duties you already have - the repairing obligations under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the HHSRS - rather than replacing them.
Why prepare now: the deadlines are converging
Look at the calendar landlords are walking into. Minimum energy efficiency standards are pushing privately rented homes toward EPC C by 2030 (the subject of our EPC and Home Energy Model guide). Awaab's Law is expected to reach the PRS around 2027. The Decent Homes Standard applies by 2035. The work these demand - insulation, ventilation, heating, fixing damp - overlaps heavily, and a property brought up to one standard is usually most of the way to the others. Doing it as one planned programme is far cheaper than three panics.
The get-ahead checklist
You don't need the regulations finalised to do the work that matters. Across your managed portfolio:
- Run a stock condition review. Identify properties with known damp, mould, disrepair or thermal-comfort issues. These are your Criterion E and Awaab's Law risks.
- Fix damp and mould properly - and the cause. Remediate, but address ventilation and the underlying source, not just the visible mould.
- Check the building basics. Roofs, windows, heating systems and insulation in reasonable repair and reasonable thermal comfort.
- Stand up a hazard-response process. A clear route for a tenant to report a hazard, an owner assigned, and a target response time - so that when fixed deadlines arrive you're already working to them.
- Document everything, with dates. When a hazard was reported, when you inspected, what you did and when. The audit trail is the defence, exactly as it is for DSAR requests.
Logging every hazard report, repair and tenant message with timestamps is exactly what OdjoAI Property is built to do - so a reported problem and your response to it are both on record. But the principle is process, not product. If you're doing this manually, do it religiously: every hazard report dated, actioned and closed in writing.
A sensible runway
Now
Stock condition review and a triage of damp/mould and disrepair risks across the book. Set up the hazard-report-to-action process and start logging response times.
As consultations land (expected from 2027)
Tighten your response times to whatever Awaab's Law sets for the PRS, and fold the work into your planned maintenance rather than reacting case by case.
Toward 2030 and 2035
Sequence energy-efficiency upgrades (EPC C) and Decent Homes work together, property by property, so you're not retrofitting the same homes twice.
Frequently asked questions
Does Awaab's Law apply to my landlords' properties now?
No. As things stand it applies only to social housing. The Renters' Rights Act creates the power to extend it to the private rented sector, but the timeframes will be set by a consultation that hasn't concluded, and there's no confirmed PRS start date yet.
When does the Decent Homes Standard apply to private rentals?
By 2035 at the latest. The government confirmed this in its January 2026 consultation response; detailed guidance is still to be published.
What's the new part of the Decent Homes Standard?
Criterion E - a requirement that homes be free from damp and mould beyond the mildest levels. A property can fail the standard where a damp-and-mould hazard is assessed in the more serious HHSRS bands.
If none of this is in force yet, why act now?
Because the work overlaps with the EPC C direction of travel and your existing repair duties, the deadlines converge, and a property fixed once for all of them is far cheaper than three separate scrambles. The runway is the opportunity.
The takeaway
Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard aren't live for private rentals yet, but they're confirmed, and they change property condition from a judgement call into a documented, time-bound obligation. The agencies that come through this calmly will be the ones that used the runway: a stock condition review now, damp and mould fixed at the cause, a hazard-response process that already runs to a clock, and a dated record for every report. The deadlines are years out. The preparation isn't.
Be ready when the standards bite
OdjoAI logs every hazard report, repair and tenant message with timestamps - so when Awaab's Law sets fixed deadlines for the private rented sector, you can prove you acted in time.
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