Awaab’s Law and Landlord Pest Control Responsibilities: What East London and Essex Landlords Need to Know

Awaab’s Law brings pest infestations within a strict legal timetable for the first time, and landlords who fail to act within the set deadlines can face serious consequences. This guide sets out what the law requires, when the pest obligations take effect, and what East London and Essex landlords need to have in place to stay compliant.

What is Awaab’s Law and when do pest obligations start

Awaab’s Law now sets fixed legal deadlines for social landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards in tenants’ homes, and pest infestations are formally included in this framework from 30 November 2026. Under the confirmed Phase Two rules, social landlords must investigate a significant hazard, including a pest problem, within 10 working days, and must make the property safe within a further 5 working days where a serious risk is confirmed. Where a hazard presents an immediate danger, landlords have only 24 hours to investigate and act.

For letting agents, housing associations and block managers across Romford, Barking, Ilford, Dagenham, Hornchurch, Upminster, Loughton, Chigwell and Woodford, this changes how quickly a reported infestation needs a professional response on record.

The story behind the law

Awaab’s Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two year old boy who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social housing flat in Rochdale. His family reported the problem repeatedly, and no effective action was taken. The case led to the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which introduced legally binding timeframes for landlords to investigate and resolve hazards, starting with damp and mould in October 2025.

Phase Two extends those same binding timeframes to seven further hazard categories drawn from the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, including domestic hygiene, pests and refuse, alongside electrical faults, fire and explosion risk, structural collapse, falls, and excess cold or heat. Phase Three, expected in 2027, is set to bring in the remaining HHSRS hazard categories.

Awaab’s Law implementation timeline

Phase	Date	What it covers	What it means for landlords
Phase One	27 October 2025	Damp and mould, plus all emergency hazards	24 hour response to imminent danger, fixed timescales for damp and mould investigation and repair
Phase Two	30 November 2026	Domestic hygiene, pests and refuse, electrical faults, fire risk, structural collapse, falls, excess cold and heat	Pest reports must be investigated within 10 working days and made safe within a further 5 working days where the hazard is significant
Phase Three	Expected late 2027	Remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazard categories	Near complete coverage of the 29 HHSRS hazard categories under binding timescales

Currently, Awaab’s Law applies to social housing landlords, meaning local authorities and registered housing associations. The government has committed to extending equivalent protections to the private rented sector, and the Renters’ Rights Act carries provision for this extension, so private landlords and managing agents in East London and Essex should treat this as a matter of when, not if.

Are landlords responsible for pest control

In most cases, yes. Where an infestation results from a defect, disrepair or a maintenance failure, the landlord carries responsibility for both diagnosis and treatment. The Housing Ombudsman’s own pest guidance is direct on this point, stating that landlords should not place the burden on the resident to resolve the problem. A tenant’s habits may play a part, but they are not automatically the cause.

The practical takeaway for any landlord, agent or housing association is that assumptions are not enough. Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords already carry repair obligations covering the structure, drains and installations of a property, and neglect of these can be what lets pests in to begin with. A documented, professional inspection is the only reliable way to establish the cause, and it is also the evidence a landlord will need to show that reasonable steps were taken.

What pests are covered under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System

Awaab’s Law does not list specific species. It applies to hazards of a prescribed description, and those are expected to align with the 29 categories set out in the HHSRS Operating Guidance. The relevant category, domestic hygiene, pests and refuse, is concerned with the risk of infection and the mental health impact of conditions that allow infestations to take hold.

The pests typically captured under this category include rats, mice, cockroaches, flies, bed bugs, fleas, lice and mites, all of which are recognised public health vectors or a source of allergic or psychological distress in the home. General wildlife such as squirrels, moles, foxes or pigeons generally falls outside this category, unless that activity compromises the safety or sanitation of the dwelling, for example squirrels causing fire risk by chewing wiring in a loft space.

The cost of delay

Failing to act quickly on a pest report carries consequences well beyond an unhappy tenant. Under the Awaab’s Law and HHSRS framework, landlords who delay may face:

• Formal complaints escalated to the Housing Ombudsman
• Enforcement notices from environmental health officers
• Legal or financial penalties for breach of landlord duties
• Reputational damage where tenants publicise poor conditions

Pest management now sits alongside damp and mould as a core compliance obligation, not a task to be scheduled around other maintenance work.

How landlords, agents and housing associations can prepare

• Build pest control into scheduled property maintenance rather than treating it as reactive
• Keep clear written records of every report, inspection and treatment
• Work with a BPCA accredited pest control provider for documented, industry recognised standards
• Respond to every pest report promptly, with the timescale in mind rather than a general sense of urgency
• Give tenants a simple, clear way to report pest problems

A BPCA accredited pest control provider can support compliance with rapid response, written inspection reports, photographic evidence and follow up documentation, all of which help demonstrate that reasonable steps were taken within the required timeframes.

How Bugwise supports landlords, letting agents and housing associations

Bugwise Pest Control is a family run, BPCA and NPTA accredited business based in Romford, working with landlords, letting agents, block managers and housing associations across East London and Essex. Every visit is backed by a written report and photographic evidence, giving property managers the documentation needed to demonstrate compliance under Awaab’s Law and the HHSRS framework.

Bugwise already supports commercial clients including letting agents and housing associations with contracted, scheduled pest control, covering common infestations such as rats, mice, cockroaches, bed bugs and fleas across residential blocks, houses in multiple occupation and individual tenancies. Full details of this service are available on the housing associations and block management page.