Awaab's Law phase two comes into force in November 2026, extending social housing landlord safety requirements to include electrical hazards.
The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT) has welcomed the announcement of the second phase of Awaab's Law, which will officially take effect on 30th November 2026. The updated legislation expands the legal safety obligations placed on social landlords, requiring them to investigate and address reported electrical hazards within strict, legally binding timescales alongside existing requirements for damp and mould.
Awaab's Law was originally introduced following the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 due to prolonged mould exposure in social housing. The first phase established clear duties for housing providers to remediate structural hazards quickly. Phase two brings electrical installations and fittings directly under this regulatory umbrella, ensuring tenants are protected from unsafe wiring, faulty consumer units, and associated risks.
For UK electricians, social housing maintenance contractors, and domestic installers, this regulatory shift creates a direct requirement for faster response times and more frequent, rigorous testing schedules across local authority and housing association properties. Landlords will need competent registered electricians to assess, diagnose, and repair reported hazards rapidly to avoid severe legal penalties, driving sustained demand for emergency call-out capacity and remedial works.
What does this mean for a UK tradesperson or DIYer actually buying this kit — does it change what they should pay, buy, or watch out for?
For electrical contractors, this law ensures a steady pipeline of testing and remedial work in the social housing sector, making investments in fast, reliable diagnostic gear essential. Sparkies targeting housing association contracts should review their kit bags now, ensuring multifunctional testers (MFTs), safe isolation equipment, and calibrated voltage indicators are up to scratch before the 2026 deadline. On the materials side, merchants and trade counters like Screwfix and Toolstation are likely to see heightened demand for social-housing compliant consumer units, surge protection devices, and fire-rated accessories. DIYers living in rented properties should note that mandatory repair timelines only apply to qualified trade interventions managed by the landlord, meaning tenants should never attempt high-risk domestic electrical fixes themselves.
Trade bodies are urging social housing providers to audit their current housing stock early to prevent a bottleneck of emergency repairs when the rules take effect. For the electrical trade, keeping certifications up to date and maintaining good supply chains for standard distribution boards and test equipment will be vital for capturing this mandated workload.
Reported by Professional Electrician — original article
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