Digital solutions for safer homes: How Awaab’s Law is driving tech-enabled compliance

Awaab’s Law has quickly become one of the most important pieces of legislation in social housing. Coming into force on 27 October 2025, it marks a major shift in how landlords must identify, manage and prevent hazards such as damp, mould, cold and other safety risks. At its core, the law is simple – no one should ever be put at risk by the conditions in their own home.

To meet the new, legally binding deadlines at scale, landlords need more than faster repair processes, they need the right digital tools, reliable data and smart technology embedded into everyday operations.

What Awaab’s Law requires

From October 2025, social landlords in England must meet strict timeframes for responding to hazards:

• Emergency hazards: Investigate and make safe within 24 hours.
• Significant hazards (e.g., damp and mould):
  - Investigate within ten working days.
  - Provide a written summary within three days.
  - Complete repairs or make safe within five working days.
• Recurrence prevention: Begin additional work within five days and complete within 12 weeks.
• Alternative accommodation: Must be offered – and paid for – if a home cannot be made safe in time.
• Record keeping: Clear, accurate, accessible records for every case.

These expectations demand speed, transparency, evidence and coordination. This is where digital and data-led approaches become essential.

How digital, data and technology can underpin compliance

1. Digitised reporting and triage systems

The compliance journey starts with fast, accurate hazard identification. Mobile apps, online forms and automated phone systems make reporting simple for tenants, ensuring that issues are captured instantly.

They help by:

• Prioritising and classifying hazard reports automatically.
• Triggering alerts for 24-hour emergency risks.
• Reducing delays caused by manual processes.

2. Real-time case management and workflow automation

Digital case management platforms track every action and deadline across investigations, communications, repairs and follow-up actions.

They allow teams to:

• Automate reminders as deadlines approach.
• Maintain an auditable timeline of every action.
• Escalate high-risk cases automatically.
• Produce compliance reports instantly.

This reduces the risk of breaches caused by missed emails or fragmented information.

3. IoT sensors for early detection

Prevention is just as important as response. IoT sensors monitoring humidity, temperature, ventilation and indoor air quality can detect potential damp and mould conditions long before they’re visible.

Sensors help by:

• Alerting landlords to damp and mould risk before tenants report it.
• Providing data to prioritise preventative visits.
• Supporting evidence-based prioritisation.
• Reducing emergency cases entirely.

IoT monitoring shifts operations from reactive firefighting to proactive safety management.

4. Remote inspections and digital evidence capture

Video inspections, smartphone photo uploads and remote assessment tools allow landlords to investigate issues quickly, often within hours.

They also:

• ·Support the 24-hour and ten-day deadlines.
• Create verifiable, time-stamped evidence.
• Reduce unnecessary visits.

5. Mobile workforce management

Repairs teams need to act faster than ever. Mobile scheduling tools can:

• Automatically allocate the nearest available operative.
• Provide real-time updates and navigation.
• Capture before/after photos as evidence.
• Sync instantly with case management systems.

This ensures repairs are completed within the required five day (or emergency) timeframes.

6. Predictive analytics for risk profiling

Data-driven insights allow landlords to forecast where hazards are most likely to occur. By analysing property age, building materials, historical repairs, environmental data and sensor readings, organisations can:

• Identify homes at highest risk.
• Prioritise planned works before hazards emerge.
• Allocate resources more effectively.
• Demonstrate proactive hazard prevention.

Predictive approaches show regulators that landlords aren’t just reacting; they’re anticipating.

7. Centralised, audit-ready record keeping

Awaab’s Law requires comprehensive evidence: dates, photos, communications, reports, inspections and repair logs. Digital record-keeping platforms provide:

• A single, accurate version of the truth.
• Faster responses to tenant queries.
• Transparent documentation for legal protection.
• Reduced administrative burden.

Good data governance becomes a strength rather than a compliance challenge.

Looking ahead: tech-enabled readiness for 2026 and 2027

More hazards will fall under Awaab’s Law in 2026, with full coverage (except overcrowding) by 2027. This will significantly increase the volume and complexity of cases.

Investing in digital, data and tech now gives landlords:

• Scalable systems ready for future requirements.
• Strong analytics foundations.
• Greater operational resilience.
• Consistent, measurable compliance across the whole stock.

Navigating the path ahead

Awaab’s Law is a defining moment for the social housing sector, but with the right digital tools and processes, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Technology offers a clear, practical path to meet the law’s requirements, reliably, transparently and at scale.

Ultimately, compliance is about more than deadlines. It’s about protecting people, preventing harm, and proving that safety is non-negotiable.

By embedding digital, data and tech into everyday practice, housing associations can go beyond simple compliance and create safer, healthier homes for the long term.

If you’d like to learn more about how digital solutions can support your compliance journey under Awaab’s Law, contact your Softcat Account Manager or our Sales team for advice and next steps.