Millions more households could benefit from tougher reform deadlines for landlords, as the government launches a consultation on extending the OAB to private rented homes and other types of accommodation.
The OAP in Social Housing was introduced last year, setting legal deadlines for landlords to investigate and address dangerous damp and mould.
The legislation is named after two-year-old Awab Isaac, who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mold in his family’s social housing home in Rochdale.
The government has now launched a consultation on how to introduce the law to private renters. The move is first mooted in 2024.
The law could also be expanded to include temporary housing for homeless families, accommodation for young people leaving care, and supported housing for elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people.
Expanding the law to include these additional types of housing could double the number of households covered by legally mandated repair schedules, from about four million to nearly nine million.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said all tenants, regardless of the type of tenancy they have, should be able to live in safe and decent homes and landlords are expected to respond to complaints promptly.
“The OAB Act is already helping to raise standards in the social housing sector,” he said. “We are now moving to extend it to private landlords so that the 11 million private renters in England can enjoy the same protection.”
The government said the changes form part of its obligations under the Tenants’ Rights Act and the National Plan to End Homelessness, aiming to ensure dangerous housing conditions are dealt with quickly.
About one in 10 privately rented homes has a Category 1 risk, the most serious classification under the Housing Risk Scheme. Landlords are already required to take action when such risks are identified, and could face enforcement action if they fail to address them.
The Tenants’ Rights Act also imposes fines of up to £7,000 for serious risks. The government says extending the OAB would go further by requiring landlords to act within specific deadlines, rather than allowing dangerous conditions to remain unresolved.
The consultation will run until 18 December 2026 and will help determine how the law will be implemented in the private rented sector, including when new protections should come into force.
Holly Williamson, chief executive of Generation Rent, welcomed the plans but urged ministers to implement the law as soon as possible.
“Homes are the foundation of our lives,” she said. “But too many renters live in homes that are harmful to our health and often wait months for landlords to act on these issues.”
Older renters could also benefit from the proposed changes. Some older tenants reported problems including mice under their floors and mold on their walls, but were too afraid of the consequences to ask their landlords to make repairs, said Morgan Fine, director of policy and impact at Independent Edge.
Vine said tenants of all ages deserve safe and suitable homes and welcomed the opportunity for affected tenants to contribute to the consultation.
She added that 96% of the senior tenants whose opinions the organization surveyed support the AWAB law, stressing that any extension must take into account the needs of tenants and enable them to request the necessary repairs.
