Danny Bird has worked in social housing for 17 years. He specialises in Awaab’s Law, repairs and resident safety. He has led large-scale transformation programmes and Awaab’s Law task forces, helped landlords achieve three C1 gradings from the Regulator of Social Housing, and runs system health checks and training for repairs, contact centre and leadership teams.
Phase one of Awaab’s Law has been in force for a year. On 30 November 2026, phase two extends the same legal timescales to a much wider set of hazards. In this article, I share what I’ve seen change in practice, where providers still struggle, and what I’d prioritise now to be ready.
1. What has changed for landlords since Awaab’s Law phase one?
Landlords have moved from handling individual repairs to managing whole cases, and the conversation is now about residents’ outcomes, not just targets. That, to me, is the real legacy of Awaab’s Law.
More providers have built more structured infrastructure. A damp report is no longer a one-off job ticket. It is tracked as one journey, from the first report through to the fix and the follow-up. It is reassuring to see more landlords are shifting from individual repairs resolution to a case management mindset.
However we organise our teams, systems and resources, they should put residents first. We’re in the people business, not the housing business. Success means making more homes healthier, not just hitting targets.
Housing teams are more aligned on when a landlord was made aware, what counts as notice, and who is acting as an agent or a third party. Go back to 2021 and the key issue was that no one owned the problem. That has changed and there is an observed shift towards a higher degree of accountability.
2.What do regulatory inspections and C1 gradings show about providers?
Gradings show whether a provider has a real grip on its operations. The regulator wants assurance that you know where every case sits, can evidence each stage and have the resources, systems, processes and culture to deliver.
When a resident reports an issue, you should know exactly where it sits in the process. Different teams should be able to see the same journey, ideally from the resident’s point of view, not just theirs. Ask at any stage and someone should be able to say what is happening and what comes next.
Good delivery means you can explain a case from start to finish. If something didn’t go to plan, you say so and apologise. If someone asks you for evidence, you should be able to put your hands on it straight away. If you can’t, that’s when things go wrong.
We often treat the regulator like Darth Vader walking in with the music playing. It isn’t that. The regulator is there to make sure these failures don’t happen again. A C1 is incredibly hard work, but the preparation itself makes you a better landlord.
3. Why does Awaab’s Law phase two need joined-up hazard management?
Phase two moves well beyond damp, mould and emergency hazards. From 30 November 2026, the legal timescales also cover hazards such as electrical dangers, fire, falls, excess cold and heat, structural failure and hygiene problems including pests. These cut across teams, so separate systems will no longer hold up.
Many providers run siloed teams on standalone systems. Even where systems are linked with APIs, the data mapped across systems often don’t serve different teams as well as they should. Add contractors to the mix and the picture fragments further. Compliance, gas and electrical, mechanical and electrical (M&E), tenancy, estates, contractors and the contact centre will all come across phase two hazards. A tenancy officer may find pests, or a home affected by hoarding or poor domestic hygiene. The idea that Awaab’s Law is “a repairs problem” should never have existed, and phase two ends it for good.
One system, one view of the case: It’s Lord of the Rings time: you need one ring to rule them all. That means one connected process where everything sits together. Whether you work in tenancy, M&E or customer service, you should see where a case is and what happens next, rather than adding more information to something that doesn’t work.
When information leaks between teams, you lose the chance to act early. That matters most for vulnerable residents who may never report a problem. Sharing what each team sees lets you intervene before a hazard becomes a much larger issue.
4. Why is record keeping still the biggest Awaab’s Law risk?
A system is only as good as what goes into it. You can have a system that would put you on the moon, but without accurate records of every action, decision and conversation, your compliance is a house of cards. You need the right system, and you need people and contractors to use it properly every time. Neither works without the other.
What every case record should show:
- When you were made aware of the issue
- When you investigated
- When you made it safe
- When further works were done
- What you told the resident, and when
- When you checked in and closed the case
- Whether you reviewed it later, for example at six or twelve months
Making safe is one of the most important steps, because it takes the risk away. But the operative might get a flat tire on the way, a contractor might be involved, there might be no access, or follow-on works might be needed. Unless all of that is logged, you can’t show when things happened or whether you met the timescales.
When a resident rings the contact centre, the adviser should see what’s happening. If they can’t, they have to call another team. That creates avoidable work and makes the case harder to piece together later. Cases are only now reaching the Housing Ombudsman, often with a six to twelve month wait. You may need to explain a case 18 or 24 months on. You’ll need to show not just what you did, but why: the hazard, the resident’s vulnerability, what was proportionate, and what a reasonable landlord would have done.
5. How can housing teams embed new systems and work across silos?
Progress is mixed. It starts with awareness, training and support, and a culture where people can learn from mistakes rather than act out of fear.
Start with why, and never blame the people. Explain what you’re trying to achieve and why the new process matters. Training and support need to go deeper than we’re used to in housing.
A better system isn’t enough on its own. Imagine waking up to find a Formula One car on your drive. It’s a better car, but I wouldn’t know how to start it, when to brake or how to take a corner. The best system in the world needs people who know how to use it and can see its benefits.
Train for proportionate decisions. Think of an ambulance dispatch team. Send an ambulance to every call and you’ll run out quickly. Staff need the training and confidence to judge each case, apply the test of reasonableness and send the right response.
Build a learning culture. Awaab’s Law is a good thing, and nothing to be scared of. But there is fear in the sector. People need room to get things wrong, learn and improve. I am seeing teams come together more, though not yet as much as I’d like before 30 November. It isn’t “them and us”. Internal teams, contractors and partners all want the same outcome, and often the barriers are in our minds.
How should social landlords prepare for 30 November 2026?
Get your systems and processes right first, then train every role in the resident journey, and keep supporting people after go-live. You can train people all you like, but without a solid process they will still make mistakes.
Process first: The next set of hazards is more human, and so more subjective. Around 95% of the time, staff should follow the process. The other 5%, when it really matters, is where training and judgement come in.
Every role knows its part: Winning is a team sport. Each of these people is part of the same journey:
- The contact centre adviser who takes the call
- Whoever triages the report
- The person who investigates
- The operative who makes it safe
- Whoever sends written updates after the investigation
- The person who signs the case off
- The team that reports on it
Training is never one-off: Keep it regular, so staff understand which hazards are in scope, what to do when the phone rings and how to act proportionately.
Plan for aftercare: After a new system goes live, someone should check it’s being used properly and that automation hasn’t been switched off. It’s like Excel: I can add things up, but someone who really knows it can make it sing and dance. Ongoing support is how you unlock what you’ve paid for.
See it through the resident’s eyes: Walk your process as a resident would. You’ll find gaps, and small tweaks that improve the whole experience, alongside the bigger changes needed to turn silos into one team.
Your phase two action plan
☐ Integrate systems: connect hazard workflows across repairs, tenancy, compliance, M&E and the contact centre so every team sees the same case journey.
☐ Audit record keeping: check records capture notice, investigation, make-safe, follow-on works, communications, closure and review, including contractor and no-access events.
☐ Train every role: give ongoing, role-specific training to everyone who receives, triages, investigates, makes safe, communicates, signs off and reports on hazards.
☐ Own aftercare: name someone to monitor system use, keep automation running and close adoption gaps after rollout.
Phase two is less than five weeks away. If you want one view of every hazard case, automatic statutory clocks and records that stand up to the regulator and the Ombudsman, explore RepairSense and Mobysoft’s hazard compliance tools, or see how other providers use them on our customers page.
About the author: Danny Bird is Director of SurePlus Solutions, an Awaab’s Law, damp and mould and repairs transformation consultancy. He also works with Awaab Comply, PfP Thrive and NHMF Frameworx.
