With Child Safety Week taking place from 1st to 7th June this year, Cleankill Pest Control is urging landlords to put pest management and prevention plans in place ahead of the next phase of Awaab’s law that comes into force in October.
The theme of this year’s Child Safety Week is ‘Making Prevention Possible’ and pest controllers hope the new law will force landlords to take pest prevention seriously and improve the lives of their tenants.
Housing standards recently underwent significant changes with the introduction of Awaab’s law in October 2025. The radical law saw landlords being responsible for new legislation designed to ensure the safety and health of their tenants.
The law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died as a result of prolonged exposure to mould while in social housing. The new legislation is being introduced in phases, with the first phase (already in effect) making it a legal requirement for landlords to investigate emergency health hazards within 24 hours and inspect significant damp or mould within 10 working days. A written summary of the findings must then be made available to the tenant within three working days of the investigation’s conclusion.
The second phase of the law, due to take effect in October 2026, will significantly widen the scope of legislation. The new strict legal timeframes that were applied to damp, mould and other emergency health hazards will now apply to a broader range of significant hazards including pest control.
Phase 2 mandates that landlords must investigate pest infestations and hygiene hazards within 10 working days. The infestation must then be resolved, and the home deemed safe, within five working days. Once again a written summary of the investigation must be provided to the tenant within three working days. These new timeframes are to prevent irresponsible social landlords from taking a complacent attitude towards, what are often, serious problems in which resolutions are time sensitive.
The compulsory written evidence protects tenants from being misled into trusting that the issue has been resolved when, in fact, it's been botched using DIY attempts. The shift towards proactive proof will demand the landlord provides documents containing detailed reports, photographs and treatment deadlines. This thorough documentation will assure tenants that their landlord is compliant with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). This evidence-based approach for housing providers will result in a higher demand for pest control professionals.
Emphasis on a long-term fix will reassure tenants the job has been done to a high standard where not only has the issue been treated, but the root causes have been addressed, such as blocking entry points, to ensure hazards don’t recur.
The extent of the new law doesn’t stop there, with a phase 3 being planned for October 2027 in which almost all remaining hazards under the HHSRS will be included in the legal scope.
Get a pest management plan in place now to make sure your tenants are safe and you stay on the right side of the law. Call Cleankill Pest Control: 020 8668 5477.