Recently, we circulated a survey to get your thoughts on Awaab’s Law. One of our Scrutiny Officers, Dylan, has given us some more information on Awaab’s Law and what you said about it.
What is Awaab’s Law?
Awaab’s Law is a government proposal for changes in how housing associations will be expected to respond to emergency repair cases. The proposal will change how social housing providers respond to potential hazards and health risks, with a greater focus on faster response times and escalating cases for more immediate attention.
This law will give a greater voice and protection to our tenants when they report issues in their home.
We’ll be expected to comply with the new regulations under Awaab’s law. This means we’ll need to review how we provide some of our services to best reflect and protect the rights of our tenants.
Where do we come in?
We wanted to provide a formal response to the events and so we ran our own survey to gather the views of our tenants on the proposed Awaab’s Law, and what elements you agree or disagree with.
We felt it was important to hear from you to make sure that we implement the rules of Awaab’s Law in a way that you feel is most impactful and beneficial, and to ensure that we’re tailoring our response in a way that’s representative of our wider tenant base.
A group of 37 tenants provided us with a range of feedback.
What you told us
The standards in Awaab's Law that our respondents felt mattered to them most were damp and mould, excess cold, and asbestos-related issues. We also found:
of respondents were not aware of Awaab’s Law before our survey
felt that their medical conditions should decide if the case is within scope of Awaab’s Law.
felt that 7 days was a good timeframe for us to attend a medically at-risk property.
felt that gas leaks, broken boilers, significant leaks, and front door damage should be prioritised and attended to within 24 hours.
ranked electrical hazards as the top “emergency and hazards” priority
What happens next?
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our survey. We’ve now use these results as part of our official response to the Awaab’s Law proposal.
The government proposal on Awaab’s Law ran for 8 weeks from 9 January 2024 and the government will now review the findings of the consultation and will publish their updates.
We don’t currently know what the changes will be but, if there are any, we will share this information with you when it becomes available.
We’re here to make sure you feel safe in your home. If have any concerns about repairs or hazards, please get in touch with our Hub as soon as possible on 0345 60 20 540.
If you would like to get involved with future surveys or any of our other Involved Tenant groups, and get your voice heard, you can find out more here.
*of the 37 tenants who responded
