Awaab’s Law Damp & Mould Assessments for Social Landlords

Independent Damp, Mould & Condensation Assessments for Housing Associations, Councils and Social Housing Providers

Social landlords have a responsibility to respond quickly and appropriately when damp, mould or other potentially serious hazards are reported within their housing stock.

Eden Energy provides independent Damp, Mould and Condensation Assessments carried out by an ABBE Level 3 qualified assessor, helping social housing providers investigate moisture-related problems, identify likely causes and determine appropriate remedial action.

We work with housing associations, local authorities, housing providers, property managers and maintenance teams across:

Southport
Sefton
Liverpool
Merseyside
West Lancashire
Lancashire
and surrounding areas.

Our service is designed to provide clear, evidence-based information to support housing providers managing reports of damp and mould and their responsibilities under Awaab’s Law.

Awaab’s Law and Social Housing

Awaab’s Law came into force for the social rented sector in England on 27 October 2025.

The legislation introduced mandatory timescales for social landlords to investigate and address certain hazards within their properties.

Under Phase 1, the requirements apply to:

• damp and mould hazards presenting a significant risk of harm; and
• emergency hazards.

The purpose of the legislation is to ensure serious housing hazards are investigated and dealt with promptly rather than allowing residents to remain in unsafe conditions.

What Are the Awaab’s Law Timescales?

Where a potential significant hazard is identified, social landlords are generally required to complete an investigation within the statutory timeframe.

For potential significant hazards, this is normally:

Investigation – Within 10 Working Days

A potential significant hazard must normally be investigated within 10 working days of the landlord becoming aware of it.

The investigation should determine whether there is a significant or emergency hazard and, where possible, identify the work required to make the property safe and prevent the problem recurring.

Written Summary – Within 3 Working Days

Following the investigation, the tenant will normally need to receive a written summary of the findings within 3 working days.

The summary should explain:

• whether a significant or emergency hazard has been identified;
• what the hazard is;
• what action is required; and
• the target timescales for the required work.

Safety Works – Within 5 Working Days

Where a significant hazard is identified, relevant safety work must normally be completed within 5 working days of the investigation concluding.

The landlord must also begin, or take appropriate steps to begin, supplementary preventative works intended to prevent the hazard recurring.

Emergency Hazards – Within 24 Hours

Where an investigation identifies an emergency hazard, the relevant safety work must be completed as soon as reasonably practicable and within 24 hours.

If the property cannot be made safe within that period, the landlord may need to provide suitable alternative accommodation until the required safety work has been completed.

How Eden Energy Can Support Social Landlords

Eden Energy can provide an independent on-site assessment where damp, mould, condensation or unexplained moisture has been reported.

Our role is to investigate the property and provide evidence that can assist the housing provider in determining the nature of the problem and the appropriate next steps.

Our assessment can include:

• visible damp and mould inspection;
• investigation of condensation risk;
• temperature and humidity assessment;
• surface temperature observations;
• moisture readings where appropriate;
• ventilation assessment;
• extractor fan inspection;
• heating provision;
• insulation concerns;
• thermal bridging;
• building-fabric defects;
• external defects;
• roof, gutter and downpipe observations;
• ground-level and drainage concerns;
• property age and construction type;
• possible retrofit-related moisture issues;
• occupant-related environmental factors where relevant;
• photographic evidence;
• recommendations for remedial action.

ABBE Level 3 Qualified Damp, Mould & Condensation Assessor

Eden Energy has a qualified assessor holding the:

ABBE Level 3 Award in Damp, Mould and Condensation in Buildings

Our assessment methodology considers the building as a complete system rather than relying on a single moisture reading or assuming that every low-level moisture problem is rising damp.

The qualification covers areas including:

• moisture mechanisms;
• damp, mould and condensation;
• building construction;
• traditional and historic buildings;
• building defects;
• heating;
• ventilation;
• insulation;
• retrofit;
• environmental factors;
• inspection;
• analysis;
• reporting; and
• appropriate remedial action.

Eden Energy also has experience in Domestic Energy Assessment and Retrofit Assessment, providing valuable additional knowledge of building fabric, heating systems, insulation, ventilation and thermal performance.

Independent Assessment – Not Damp-Proofing Sales

Eden Energy does not carry out chemical damp-proofing installations or sell damp-treatment systems.

Our role is therefore to provide an independent assessment of the likely cause of the problem.

This can be particularly valuable for housing providers because a damp survey undertaken by a company selling remedial treatments may create an inherent commercial interest in recommending those treatments.

We focus instead on answering:

What is causing the problem?

What factors are contributing to it?

What work is required to resolve it?

What should be done to reduce the likelihood of recurrence?

Identifying the Cause of Damp and Mould

Damp and mould can have many different causes.

These can include:

• condensation;
• inadequate ventilation;
• defective extract fans;
• inadequate heating;
• cold bridging;
• inadequate insulation;
• plumbing leaks;
• roof leaks;
• defective gutters;
• damaged downpipes;
• failed seals;
• damaged render;
• defective pointing;
• high external ground levels;
• penetrating moisture;
• traditional solid-wall construction;
• inappropriate retrofit work;
• internal moisture generation;
• blocked ventilation;
• building defects.

Correct diagnosis is important because different causes require different remedies.

For example, a mould problem caused primarily by cold bridging and insufficient ventilation may not be resolved by chemical damp-proofing treatment.

Likewise, repeatedly washing mould from a wall will not resolve a leaking gutter, defective roof or persistent condensation problem.

Damp, Mould and Condensation Reports for Social Housing

Eden Energy can provide a written report following the assessment.

Depending on the instruction and property, the report can include:

Property Information

• address and property type;
• approximate construction age;
• construction type;
• heating;
• ventilation;
• insulation observations.

Reason for Inspection

A clear record of the reported issue and areas requiring investigation.

Inspection Findings

This may include:

• affected rooms and areas;
• visible mould;
• staining;
• dampness;
• condensation;
• damage to finishes;
• building defects;
• ventilation issues;
• heating concerns;
• thermal-performance concerns.

Environmental Observations

Where appropriate:

• air temperature;
• relative humidity;
• surface temperature;
• condensation risk;
• cold surfaces;
• moisture observations.

Photographic Evidence

Relevant photographs can be included to create a clear audit trail of the condition of the property at the time of inspection.

Likely Cause

Our report can identify the likely moisture mechanism and contributing factors based on the available evidence.

Recommended Action

Recommendations may include:

• immediate safety measures;
• repairs;
• ventilation improvements;
• heating improvements;
• insulation investigation;
• plumbing repairs;
• roof or gutter work;
• further specialist investigation;
• monitoring;
• follow-up assessment.

Supporting Your Awaab’s Law Investigation Process

Our independent inspection can form part of the information available to the social landlord when investigating a reported hazard.

This may help your organisation:

• establish the likely cause of a damp or mould problem;
• document the condition of the property;
• identify defects requiring repair;
• distinguish condensation from penetrating or other forms of damp;
• identify ventilation or heating deficiencies;
• determine whether further specialist investigation is required;
• maintain an evidence trail;
• prioritise remedial work;
• support communication with residents;
• reduce repeat call-outs where the original cause has not been identified.

Important: Responsibility for determining and meeting the landlord’s statutory obligations remains with the social landlord. Eden Energy’s report supports the investigation and decision-making process but does not transfer those statutory responsibilities to the assessor.

Tenant Circumstances and Hazard Assessment

The seriousness of a housing hazard cannot always be determined purely by looking at the physical extent of mould or damp.

Social landlords should consider relevant information about the people occupying the property.

This can be particularly important where the household includes individuals who may be more vulnerable to the effects of damp and mould.

Where information is supplied to us as part of the instruction, it can be recorded as relevant context within the assessment.

Eden Energy does not provide medical assessments or diagnoses.

Emergency Damp and Mould Cases

Some damp and mould conditions may potentially present an immediate and significant risk to an occupant.

Where our inspection identifies a condition that appears to require urgent attention, this will be highlighted to the commissioning organisation.

However, housing providers should continue to operate their own emergency triage and response procedures and should not delay emergency action while awaiting a standard damp survey.

Traditional and Older Social Housing

Older housing stock can require a different approach to damp assessment.

Properties may contain:

• solid brick walls;
• suspended timber floors;
• lime mortar;
• chimney breasts;
• original ventilation systems;
• later cement render;
• gypsum plaster;
• replacement windows;
• cavity insulation;
• internal or external wall insulation;
• historic alterations.

The behaviour of moisture in these properties can differ considerably from modern construction.

An investigation therefore needs to consider the age, materials and construction of the building, rather than applying the same diagnosis to every property.

Retrofit, Insulation and Moisture

Improving the energy performance of housing is essential, but alterations to a building can also change its moisture behaviour.

Problems can arise where heating, insulation and ventilation are not considered together.

For example:

Improved airtightness + inadequate ventilation = increased internal humidity

or:

Insulated wall + untreated thermal bridge = localised cold surface and mould risk

Eden Energy’s experience in retrofit and domestic energy assessment means that we can consider these interactions as part of a wider building-fabric assessment.

This can be particularly useful for housing providers managing older properties that have undergone multiple improvement programmes.

Awaab’s Law Phase 2 – From 30 November 2026

From 30 November 2026, the second phase of Awaab’s Law expands the significant-hazard requirements beyond damp and mould.

Additional hazards include areas such as:

• excess cold;
• excess heat;
• falls;
• structural collapse;
• fire and explosion;
• electrical hazards; and
• domestic and personal hygiene and food-safety hazards.

The expansion further increases the importance of robust inspection, triage, evidence gathering and property-condition management within social housing.

Eden Energy’s current damp and mould service specifically focuses on damp, mould, condensation, building fabric, ventilation and related thermal-performance issues.

Where an inspection identifies concerns outside our professional scope, we will recommend referral to an appropriately qualified specialist.

Social Housing Portfolio Services

We welcome enquiries from organisations managing multiple properties.

Our service can be used for:

Individual referrals

A single property requiring independent investigation.

Multiple-property referrals

Several reported damp and mould cases requiring assessment.

Portfolio programmes

Ongoing inspection requirements across housing stock.

Pre-works investigation

Identifying probable causes before remedial contractors are instructed.

Post-works inspections

Reviewing conditions following completed repairs or interventions where appropriately instructed.

Recurring damp and mould cases

Independent investigation where previous cleaning or remedial treatment has failed to resolve the underlying problem.

Areas Covered

Eden Energy provides social-housing damp, mould and condensation assessments throughout:

Southport

Sefton

Formby

Liverpool

Merseyside

Ormskirk

Burscough

Skelmersdale

West Lancashire

and surrounding areas.

For larger programmes or housing portfolios outside these locations, please contact us to discuss requirements.

Work With Eden Energy

If your organisation requires an independent qualified damp and mould assessor, Eden Energy can provide professional property inspections supported by clear written reporting.

We work with:

• housing associations;
• registered providers;
• local authorities;
• social landlords;
• ALMOs;
• housing management organisations;
• property management companies;
• maintenance teams;
• asset-management teams.

Whether you require a single independent investigation or an ongoing damp and mould inspection service, please contact Eden Energy to discuss your requirements.

Request a Social Housing Damp & Mould Assessment

Contact Eden Energy today to discuss Damp, Mould and Condensation Assessments for your housing stock.