Awaab’s Law Written Summaries Updated Guidance

7th August 2026

Awaab’s Law Written Summaries...

When is a written summary required?

On 13th July 2026, the government issued updated guidance on the implementation of Phase 2 of Awaab’s Law. This gave more detailed guidance on written summaries, which we know from Phase 1 of Awaab’s law, are to be issued by the social landlord to the tenant in the following circumstances:

required works (both to make the home safe and prevent the problem recurring) are not completed to address either a significant or emergency hazard before the end of the 3 working day period, or;
an investigation concludes that there is no emergency or significant hazard.

The social landlord must usually provide the written summary to the tenant within 3 working days of the investigation of the potential emergency or significant hazard. Day 1 of this timeline is the day after the investigation concludes.

When is a written summary not required?

A written summary is not required when all required works (both to make the home safe and prevent the problem recurring) are completed to address either a significant or emergency hazard before the end of the 3 working day period. Social landlords must still inform the tenant that the work has been completed and may wish to set out how this has been done. A written summary is also not required if a potential hazard has been triaged as out of scope of Awaab’s Law and no investigation has taken place.

What should the written summary include?

Below is a checklist for what the written summary must include, as specified by the Regulations:

Whether the investigation has identified a significant or emergency hazard.
What the hazard is (unless the investigation is a further investigation).
If action is required under the regulations, what that action is.
If action is required under the regulations, a target timeframe for beginning and
completing that action.
If no action is required, that there is no action required under the regulations.
If no action is required, why there is no action required under the regulations.
Information on how to contact the social landlord.

‘Action’ includes any temporary safety measures, follow up investigations, relevant safety work, supplementary preventative works (other than cladding work) and provision of temporary alternative accommodation in circumstances where relevant safety work cannot be completed to timeframes.

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Below are some further tips to make the most of a written summary:

• They should be clear and easy to understand.

• The information provided should be helpful.

• They do not need to be lengthy or technical.

• They should provide an accurate description of any findings, conclusions, actions and target

timeframes.

• The timeframes stated in the written summaries are not legally binding, but the social landlord must take reasonable steps to keep the tenant informed on timing of works and progression e.g. if an appointment needs to be rescheduled, or new information has come to light while investigating or completing works.

• In relation to timeframes, the social landlord should also consider the tenant’s availability for appointments i.e. whether they have told the social landlord they cannot do certain days/times due to work or other commitments.

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How should social landlords deliver written summaries and communicate with the tenant?

A written summary can be provided in the following ways:

• In person

• By post

• By email

• By text message

• left at the tenant’s home

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IMPORTANT: As with all communications to tenants, landlords should take into account their tenants’ preferences and needs, as well as requirements under the Equality Act 2010 and Consumer Standards when deciding how to communicate with tenants.

Some examples of preferences and requirements are below, but this is not an exhaustive list:

• The letter be in an accessible format e.g. large font, yellow paper, braille.

• The letter be translated into the tenant’s requested language.

• A copy be given to the tenant’s caregiver or tenant’s support group or charity, if they correspond on behalf of the tenant.

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The social landlord is encouraged to keep record/provide evidence of when the written summary was provided to the tenant as this may be needed to evidence compliance. The timeframe of 3 working days is for the summary to be given by landlord, not received by the tenant.

In line with Regulation 14, the social landlord is also encouraged to keep the tenant updated on:

• Timing of works

• Progress of works

• When the work is completed

• If the work is no longer required, the reasons why

• How the tenant can contact the landlord

• How the tenants can stay safe while the property is repaired

Work will no longer be required under Awaab’s Law if:

• the landlord has exhausted all reasonable endeavours to obtain consent for the works, without which it cannot lawfully be undertaken;

• an investigation concludes that a home is not affected by a significant or emergency hazard; or

• an investigation concludes that there is no required work in relation to the hazard in question.

Template

The updated guidance has helpfully provided social landlord with a template for the written summaries, to ensure they are clear and informative.

Whilst the template is not a mandatory format, we would advise all social landlords to adopt it.

The template is below:

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Dear [Tenant Name],

You reported an [issue] at [Property Address] on [date].

Awaab’s Law means that we must:

• Investigate and fix emergency hazards within 24 hours

• Investigate potential significant hazards within 10 working days and then fix significant hazards within 5 working days of the investigation finishing

• Meet other requirements under the Awaab’s Law Regulations

Further information and guidance on Awaab’s Law can be found on the Make Things Right website and the Awaab’s Law Tenant Guidance.

We have investigated your issue under Awaab’s Law and are writing to explain what we found.

1. What we found

The [virtual/in-person] investigation [did/did not] identify a [significant / emergency] hazard.

[If a significant / emergency hazard was identified - Insert further information about the hazard found].

[Optional - If a significant / emergency hazard was not identified – insert further information about any non-Awaab’s Law hazard or disrepair issue identified and any associated timescale for repairs]

[Optional - 2. Safety steps taken

To keep you safe we have:

[Insert measures, e.g. sealing affected areas]

These are to protect your household while we investigate the issue in more detail/ carry out more work]]

[Optional - 3. Staying safe during repairs

While safety works are being done, we ask you to follow these guidelines to help keep your

household safe: [insert information]

We will give extra instructions and support as needed during the repair process.

If you or your household need extra help, for example due to mobility needs, please tell us as early as possible so we can make arrangements.]

4. Follow-up investigations

We have arranged for a [insert suitably qualified professional] to carry out further investigations to better understand the issue. This will help us decide what to do next to fix the issue and prevent it happening again.

As already agreed with you, the [insert investigation type] will take place on [date and time] and is expected to take [time] to complete. Please let us know if things change and these times don’t work for you.

We will aim to look into your issue further on [insert date], and we will aim to have this completed by [insert date]. We will contact you to arrange a suitable time.

5. Fixing the problem

Based on the findings, we will carry out the following safety works: [Insert works, e.g. repairs to damp-affected areas]

As already agreed with you, these works will take place on [date and time] and are expected to take around [time] to complete. Please let us know if things change and these times don’t work for you.

The target timescale for beginning the safety works is [insert date], the target timescale for

completing the safety works is [insert date]. We will contact you to arrange a suitable time.

6. Stopping the problem coming back

We need to do extra work to stop the problem coming back, such as: [Insert works, e.g. drainage improvements]

We will aim to start this by [insert date] and complete it by [insert date]. We will contact you to arrange a suitable time.

7. Somewhere else to stay

If we cannot finish the safety works on or before [insert date that corresponds with the end of the initial remediation period], we will offer you somewhere else to stay until they are completed. We will take reasonable steps to make sure this is suitable for your household’s needs and will contact you to discuss this.

Safety works cannot be completed on or before [insert date that corresponds with the end of

the initial remediation period] and therefore we will be offering you somewhere else to stay until your home can be made safe. We will take reasonable steps to make sure this is suitable for your household’s needs and will contact you to discuss this further. You can accept or refuse the offer of alternative accommodation.

[If needed - 8. No further action required

The investigation found that no further action is needed under Awaab’s Law. [Insert full explanation and any supporting evidence].

[Optional – associated timescale/route for a response to the hazard reported]

[Optional - 9: Complaints process

If you do not agree with this outcome or how this case has been handled, you have the right to raise a complaint. You can find information about the complaints process and the options available to you through the Make Things Right Campaign and in Section 11 of the Awaab’s Law Tenant Guidance.]

We are committed to keeping you informed and keeping your home safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact [Housing Officer Name] at [Phone Number] or [Email Address].

Yours sincerely,

[Officer name]

[Organisation Name]

[Date]

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An example written summary can be found on page 33 and 34 of the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (Awaab’s Law) Guidance for social landlords incorporating guidance on draft Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (link:Awaab_s_Law_Phase_2_Guidance_for_social_landlords.pdf)

If you have any questions on how to implement phase 2 of Awaabs Law, or a query on the written summary, please do not hesitate to contact MSB’s Social Housing and Regeneration team.