Awaab’s Law, effective from 27 October 2025, sets strict legal timeframes for addressing hazards in social housing to protect tenant health and safety. Under the law, emergency hazards must be investigated and acted upon within 24 hours, while significant damp and mould hazards require investigation within 10 working days, remediation within 5 days, and written updates to tenants within 3 days. Failure to comply can result in legal action, regulatory penalties, and serious reputational damage for housing providers.

Why Data Protection Matters

Compliance with Awaab’s Law requires housing associations to collect and process a range of sensitive tenant data to ensure timely identification and resolution of hazards. This includes health-related information such as vulnerabilities to respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD, details of household composition and language requirements to support effective communication, and comprehensive records of property condition and repair history.

These data points are essential for prioritising urgent cases and meeting statutory deadlines, but they also introduce significant responsibilities under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Housing providers must ensure that data is collected lawfully, used only for its intended purpose, and safeguarded against misuse or breaches. Ethical handling of this information is critical—not only for compliance but also for maintaining tenant trust and demonstrating accountability in service delivery.

Key Ethical Data Protection Considerations for clients

Data Minimisation & Purpose Limitation

  • Collect only what is necessary to meet Awaab’s Law obligations (e.g., health data relevant to hazard prioritisation).
  • Avoid “function creep” – do not repurpose data for unrelated activities.

Transparency & Consent

  • Provide clear, accessible privacy notices explaining why data is collected and how it will be used and shared.
  • Obtain explicit consent for processing health-related data where required.

Security & Cyber Resilience

  • Implement encryption, role-based access controls, and multi-factor authentication.
  • Regularly patch systems and monitor for breaches.
  • Train staff on cybersecurity awareness and phishing prevention.

Fairness & Non-Discrimination

  • Use data ethically to prioritise vulnerable tenants without bias.
  • Ensure automated decision-making (e.g., risk scoring) is explainable and auditable.

Accuracy & Timeliness

  • Maintain up-to-date tenant records to avoid delays in hazard response.
  • Implement data quality checks and clear retention/deletion policies.

Accountability & Governance

  • Conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for new processes.
  • Appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) or equivalent governance lead.
  • Document compliance for audit and regulator review.

Strategic Actions for Housing Associations

  • Adopt sector data standards.
  • Integrate systems for repairs, CRM, and compliance tracking to reduce siloed data risks.
  • Embed ethical principles into procurement of digital solutions and contractor agreements.

Awaab’s Law is not simply a compliance requirement; it represents a fundamental shift in how housing associations must approach tenant safety and wellbeing. Beyond meeting statutory deadlines, organisations are expected to demonstrate transparency, accountability, and ethical stewardship of tenant data. This means embedding robust governance frameworks, prioritising vulnerable households, and ensuring that every decision aligns with principles of fairness and trust.

Ethical data handling is central to this transformation: it safeguards personal information, enables timely hazard resolution, and reinforces the organisation’s reputation as a responsible and tenant-focused provider. In short, success under Awaab’s Law is measured not only by legal compliance but by the confidence and security tenants feel in their homes.

We can help you support your assurances under Awaab’s Law by ensuring compliance and ethical handling of tenant data, contact us today.