Need to know

• Awaab’s law means social landlords now have 10 working days to investigate reports and 24 hours to act in emergencies.

• High street firms can expect more instructions from tenants and social landlords.

• Personal injury and health claims could be on the rise, especially where mould affects vulnerable residents.

Welcome to TSL’s Weekly Edge, whether you’re aiming for a regional or high-street practice, or just want to get a feel for how law works in the real world beyond textbooks, you’re in the right place. 

No corporate jargon, no massive deals, just real useful information designed to give you that extra edge in your legal journey.

🧠Wilson’s Weekly Wisdom

Resilience isn’t something you pick up from a textbook or lecture slide. You only really learn by doing it. By sitting with the setbacks, figuring out how to get back up, and carrying on when things feel heavy.

I can’t remember the amount of times I received the dreaded “unfortunately you were unsuccessful this time round” or, worse, just got ghosted by law firms when applying for work experience. At the time, it felt like a personal failure. Looking back, every rejection and silence was quietly building resilience; the ability to keep moving, to adapt, and to try again.

And here’s the good news: if you’re in the thick of it right now, you’re not failing, you're strengthening. The skill you’re building will serve you far longer than any exam grade.

💡Spotlight Article

Anyone who’s ever rented student halls, shared houses, or that one dodgy flat with the weird damp patch you just pretended didn’t exist, knows how common mould and moisture are.

Most of us moan about it, chase the landlord a bit, get ignored, then give up and crack a window like that’s going to magically fix everything.

But for one family in social housing, those “normal” problems turned deadly, and the law has finally decided to do something about it.

Cue Awaab’s Law with proper, sharp deadlines that force social landlords to sort out damp, mould, and dangerous conditions before anyone else gets hurt.

🔎What’s happening? 

As of 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law is live.

Social landlords now have legal time limits to deal with serious hazards. Tenants report an issue, and landlords have 10 working days to investigate. If it’s an emergency, they’ve got 24 hours to fix it.

The changes came about after the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died from prolonged exposure to mould in his home.

His case exposed what a lot of people already knew: you can complain about unsafe living conditions until you’re blue in the face and still be ignored. Regulators have been sounding alarms for ages, and recent cases show courts aren’t messing around anymore. 

People living with long-term damp or leaks have been awarded damages, proving that neglect isn’t just annoying, it’s legally and financially costly.

With Awaab’s Law now in force, social landlords don’t get to shrug things off. Their duties are clear, enforceable, and tenants finally have something solid backing them up, not just health-wise, but legally too.

Truth of the matter: this isn’t just another bit of housing admin. It’s a wake-up call about how law, basic living standards, and human rights collide in the real world.

❓ Why it matters to high street firms

With social landlords suddenly on the clock and tenants finally armed with complaints that actually bite, high-street and regional housing firms are about to feel the ground shift.

And no, that’s not some dramatic prediction. It’s already happening. 

Translation? Lawyers are about to see new clients, new cases, and plenty of fresh chaos to bill for.

So let’s get down to brass tacks:

1. Housing and social landlord work: Tenants who used to just sigh at a damp patch or a roof leak now have an actual legal route to force action. This means claims, including for disrepair, tenancy scraps, and Ombudsman complaints coming in thick and fast. At its core, there’s a queue of people waiting for a sharp solicitor to jump in, fire off a letter, and look heroic.

2. Personal injury and health claims: Mould isn’t just grim; it can make you genuinely ill. So firms can now bundle housing complaints with medical issues: asthma, breathing problems, all sorts. Suddenly, housing lawyers are dipping their toes into health-related claims, and no one’s wearing a lab coat, but everyone’s sending invoices.

3. Strategic advisory for landlords: It’s not just tenants cashing in their chips, and smart firms will spot the other side of this: landlords panicking about compliance.  Helping them sort their paperwork, manage risk, and avoid a legal train wreck is going to be its own money-maker. Think of it as legal crowd control; keep everything tidy, steer everyone away from disaster, and bill correctly.

Housing Ombudsman

When social landlords ignore serious hazards, tenants can take things to the Housing Ombudsman. They are the ‘grown-ups’ in the room who step in when the landlord stops answering emails.

They’ll dig into the complaint, issue binding recommendations, and even award compensation if the landlord’s stepped too far.

With Awaab’s Law in play, these complaints hit harder. There are now strict deadlines, so landlords can’t just drag their feet and hope the problem disappears. Think of the Ombudsman as the ref who actually blows the whistle, calls out the foul, and, when needed, makes the landlord cough up for the trouble.