Awaab's Law and Electrical Hazards: New Response Timescales for Manchester Landlords
Awaab's Law changed the legal landscape for landlords across England. Named after Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died in Rochdale in 2020 from prolonged exposure to mould in his family's housing association flat, the legislation introduced fixed timescales for landlords to investigate and repair hazards reported by tenants. While the initial focus was on damp and mould, the law applies to all categories of housing hazard — including electrical defects.
For private landlords in Manchester and Greater Manchester, Awaab's Law means that reported electrical hazards now carry legally defined response deadlines. Missing those deadlines exposes you to enforcement action, compensation claims and potential prosecution. This guide explains what the law requires, how it applies to electrical hazards specifically, and what systems you need in place to comply.
What Awaab's Law Requires
Awaab's Law was introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and extended to the private rented sector through subsequent regulations. The law establishes mandatory timescales for landlords to respond to hazards reported by tenants.
The core requirements are straightforward. When a tenant reports a hazard, the landlord must acknowledge the report and begin investigation within 14 calendar days. If the investigation identifies a hazard that poses a risk to health or safety, the landlord must begin remedial action within a further 7 calendar days. Emergency hazards — those presenting an immediate risk to the tenant's health or safety — must be addressed within 24 hours of being reported.
These timescales are not guidelines. They are legal obligations with consequences for non-compliance, including Rent Repayment Orders, enforcement notices from local authorities, and potential prosecution for serious or repeated failures.
How Electrical Hazards Fall Under Awaab's Law
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which Awaab's Law uses to define hazards, includes electrical hazards as a specific category. Under the HHSRS, electrical hazards encompass any risk of electric shock or electrical burns from the fixed installation, any risk of fire caused by electrical faults, and any deficiency in the electrical installation that creates a potential health or safety risk to occupants.
In practical terms, the following tenant reports trigger Awaab's Law timescales for electrical hazards.
Emergency Electrical Hazards (24-Hour Response)
These are situations where there is an immediate risk of electrical shock, fire or injury. Examples include exposed live wiring or conductors accessible to occupants, burning smell from the consumer unit or any electrical fitting, sparking from sockets, switches or the fuse board, a socket or switch that has overheated and shows scorch marks, loss of power to circuits that include safety-critical systems such as fire alarms or emergency lighting, and electric shock received by a tenant from any part of the fixed installation.
Any of these reports requires you to arrange an emergency response within 24 hours. In practice, this means having access to an emergency electrician who can attend the same day.
Non-Emergency Electrical Hazards (14 + 7 Day Response)
These are electrical issues that present a risk but are not immediately dangerous. Examples include intermittent power loss on individual circuits, sockets or switches that feel warm to the touch without visible damage, flickering lights that suggest a wiring fault rather than a bulb issue, a consumer unit that trips frequently, absence of working RCD protection reported by the tenant, and damp or moisture visible near electrical fittings.
For these reports, you have 14 days to investigate and a further 7 days to begin remedial work if a hazard is confirmed. The investigation typically involves commissioning an electrician to attend and assess the reported issue, which may include targeted testing of the relevant circuit.
The Investigation Requirement
Awaab's Law does not require you to fix every reported issue within 14 days — it requires you to investigate within 14 days and then act on what you find. This distinction matters because some tenant reports will turn out to be appliance faults rather than installation defects, or the reported symptom may have an innocuous cause.
However, the investigation must be genuine and documented. Sending an electrician to the property who inspects, tests the relevant circuit and provides a written report satisfies the investigation requirement. A phone call to the tenant asking them to check whether the kettle is plugged in does not.
If the investigation confirms an electrical hazard, the 7-day remedial clock starts. If it finds no hazard — for example, the flickering lights were caused by a faulty LED bulb rather than a wiring defect — document the finding and communicate it clearly to the tenant. Keep the electrician's report on file as evidence that you investigated within the required timescale.
What Remedial Action Means
Beginning remedial action within 7 days of confirming a hazard does not necessarily mean completing all work within 7 days. The law requires that you make a start — arrange the contractor, order materials, begin the repair. For complex electrical work such as a partial rewire or consumer unit replacement, the work may take several days or weeks to complete. What matters is that you have demonstrably begun the process within the 7-day window and that the work proceeds without unreasonable delay.
If the remedial work will take longer than a few days, put interim safety measures in place. For a circuit with a confirmed fault, this might mean isolating the circuit and providing temporary alternative arrangements until the permanent repair is completed. Document the interim measures and communicate the expected completion timeline to the tenant in writing.
Systems You Need in Place
Complying with Awaab's Law timescales requires systems, not just good intentions. Most Manchester landlords who fall foul of the law do so not because they ignore tenant reports, but because they lack the processes to respond within the required timeframes.
A Clear Reporting Channel
Tenants must have a clear, accessible way to report hazards. This could be a dedicated phone line, email address, online portal or property management app. Whatever the channel, it must be monitored regularly enough to pick up reports within 24 hours — including weekends and bank holidays for emergency hazards.
Document every report with the date and time received, the tenant's description of the issue, and your acknowledgement. Automated acknowledgement emails or text confirmations provide a clear timestamp.
An Emergency Contractor on Call
For electrical emergencies, you need a contractor who can attend within 24 hours, including evenings and weekends. This is not a contractor you will find by searching online when the emergency arises — it is a pre-arranged relationship with agreed response times and call-out rates.
Agree terms with your emergency electrician in advance. Typical emergency call-out rates in Manchester range from £100 to £200 for an out-of-hours attendance, plus the cost of any work carried out. This is a small cost compared to the consequences of missing the 24-hour deadline.
A Documented Response Process
Create a standard process for handling electrical hazard reports. The process should cover how reports are triaged (emergency vs. non-emergency), who authorises the investigation and any associated costs, how the investigation is scheduled and tracked, how findings are communicated to the tenant, how remedial work is commissioned and monitored, and how the entire process is documented from report to completion.
For portfolio landlords, this process should be written down and shared with anyone who handles tenant communications — including managing agents, maintenance coordinators and on-site staff.
Manchester-Specific Context
Awaab's Law has particular resonance in Greater Manchester. Awaab Ishak's death occurred in Rochdale, and the case prompted intense scrutiny of housing conditions across the region. Local authorities in Manchester, Salford, Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside have been among the most proactive in enforcing the new requirements.
Manchester's older housing stock adds a practical dimension. Victorian and Edwardian terraces across the region are more likely to generate electrical hazard reports because their installations are older and more prone to deterioration. Landlords with properties in these areas should expect a higher volume of electrical reports and plan their contractor arrangements accordingly.
Selective licensing schemes operating in several Greater Manchester boroughs add another enforcement mechanism. A landlord who repeatedly fails to meet Awaab's Law timescales risks having their selective licence revoked, which prohibits them from letting the property at all.
The Cost of Non-Compliance
The financial consequences of missing Awaab's Law timescales are significant. Rent Repayment Orders can require landlords to repay up to twelve months' rent to the tenant. Local authority enforcement notices carry their own penalties. And if a tenant is injured by an electrical hazard that you were aware of and failed to address within the required timescale, the civil liability and potential criminal prosecution costs are far greater.
Against these risks, the cost of maintaining a responsive electrical maintenance system — an emergency contractor on call, a clear reporting process, and the budget to investigate and repair reported issues promptly — is modest. For most Manchester landlords, the total additional cost is a few hundred pounds per property per year at most.
Protect Your Tenants and Your Position
Awaab's Law exists because tenants were living with hazards that their landlords knew about but did not fix quickly enough. Electrical hazards are among the most serious categories because they can cause fatal injuries and fires. Meeting the response timescales is both a legal obligation and a basic duty of care.
Manchester Compliance provides emergency and scheduled electrical services for landlords across Greater Manchester. We offer same-day emergency attendance, planned EICR inspections, and full remedial work — all documented to the standard Awaab's Law requires.
Contact us for landlord electrical services:
- Phone: 0161 706 0888
- Emergency line: 0161 706 0888 (24/7 for existing clients)
- Email: hello@manchestercompliance.co.uk
- Office: 25 Holden Clough Drive, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL7 9TH