UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / November 12, 2026 / The Government is asking how Awaab’s Law should work for private landlords. The UK-wide trade body, Federation of Damp says one question deserves far more attention: who is going to carry out the required damp and mould investigations?

The Government consultation, which closes on 18 December, proposes extending Awaab’s Law to private rented tenancies. It also asks whether supported housing, temporary accommodation and care-leaver accommodation should be covered, and more than five million additional households could ultimately be affected.

Its starting point is the social housing model, where landlords must investigate a potential significant hazard within 10 working days. The consultation itself asks how hard it would be to find enough suitably competent people to do that work.

It’s a fair concern. The consultation notes that 82% of private landlords own fewer than five properties and assumes very few have repair teams of their own. Most would be hiring contractors one job at a time.

According to Sam Fitzgerald, founder of the Federation of Damp, the pressure is already visible.

“The Government’s own review of social housing found surveyor shortages were holding delivery back. Now you’re talking about adding millions of private tenancies to the same pool of people. Damp surveying isn’t a regulated profession - so when demand jumps, anyone can step in to fill the gap.”

Speed is the other risk. A deadline may reward whoever can turn up quickest, and that isn’t always the person best placed to work out what’s wrong.

“Fast wrong answers are worse than slow ones,” Fitzgerald said. “Condensation gets treated as rising damp, or a genuine defect gets written off as lifestyle, and the mould comes back worse a few months later. Diagnosis must come before treatment.”

Social landlords have had a year of Awaab’s Law to learn this. “Response times get measured and accuracy doesn’t, so all the pressure pushes one way,” Fitzgerald added. “Private landlords and agents can learn from that now, before the law reaches them.”

The consultation’s starting position is that a landlord can use anyone who, in their own judgement, has the right skills and experience. It also asks whether more should be required. Nothing has been decided, and the Federation is not suggesting that any particular qualification is a legal requirement - but landlords who want to show they chose well will need something to point to.

“Ask what damp training they’ve done, whether they answer to an independent body with a complaints process, and whether you can see a report they’ve written,” Fitzgerald said. “The report tells you most of what you need to know.”

The Federation of Damp is encouraging landlords, letting agents and others in the sector to respond before the consultation closes.

For more information, please visit federationofdamp.co.uk.