The hazard was not on the job sheet.
Solved Reported in the app at the property, whatever the order was for.
Awaab’s Law
Awaab’s Law hazard reporting,
Awaab’s Law hazard reporting,
from the engineer’s phone to the office.
An engineer who finds a hazard reports it in the app at the property, with photographs. The office is alerted at once, acknowledges it by name and records every step through to the landlord.
Problems we solve
Eleven Awaab’s Law reporting problems. All eleven solved.
What goes wrong between the hazard an engineer sees and the record a landlord needs, and how Unibuild closes the gap.
The report waited in the van until Friday.
Solved Submitting it alerts the office at once, by phone and by email.
Nobody can say when the office knew.
Solved Reported, picked up and every step after, timed automatically.
The signal dropped and the report went with it.
Solved Kept on the phone as it is typed, and never filed twice.
“Mould found. Needs sorting.”
Solved Where, how bad, why and what was done, with every photograph.
Emergency or significant? The engineer guessed.
Solved The engineer marks the suspected urgency. The landlord decides.
The office follow-up lives in an inbox.
Solved Who was told, and when, recorded on the same report.
Nobody can see every open hazard at once.
Solved The Hazard Register: every report and its actions on one page.
The landlord asks for a copy. Somebody retypes it.
Solved The completed report as a PDF, or shared on your client portal.
The job closed. The hazard did not.
Solved Remaining risk handed over to a named person, on the record.
Phase 2 brings hazards the old form never covered.
Solved Phase 1 and phase 2 hazards on one report, built to your form.
11/11Solved in one module
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In plain terms
Awaab’s Law gives social landlords in England fixed timescales to investigate and make safe hazards in their tenants’ homes. It applies to social housing, and the legal duty sits with the landlord. It has applied to damp and mould and to every emergency hazard since 27 October 2025. It is named after Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s home.
The work that meets those timescales is usually done by repairs and maintenance contractors. Their engineers are often the first to see a hazard, and the guidance names contractors among the routes by which a landlord becomes aware. Unibuild gives those engineers a way to report it at once, with evidence, and gives the office a record of everything that happened next. For the full background, read Awaab’s Law for repair contractors.
The landlord’s clock
Awaab’s Law timescales, and where the contractor fits.
The timescales are the landlord’s. A contractor’s report can start them, and a contractor’s record usually shows whether they were met.
| Stage | The landlord’s timescale | The contractor’s part |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency hazard | Investigate and complete the work to make the home safe within 24 hours. The 24 hours run from the moment the landlord becomes aware. | Make safe within competence, then report at once by phone as well as in the app |
| Significant hazard: investigation | Investigate within 10 working days of becoming aware | Photographs and a clear report can let the investigation be carried out remotely |
| Written summary | Give the tenant a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation concluding | Findings back to the landlord the same day, so the summary is not held up |
| Significant hazard: safety work | Complete the relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding | Attend, make safe and record it, with photographs before and after |
| Preventative work | Begin within 5 working days, or where that is not possible within 12 weeks, and complete within a reasonable period | The work that stops the hazard coming back, recorded separately from the make-safe |
| When the home cannot be made safe in time | Arrange suitable alternative accommodation at no cost to the tenant | Report early when parts, access or a specialist will hold the work up |
Working day timescales count from the working day after the landlord becomes aware. This is general guidance on the law in England, not legal advice.
Phase 1 and phase 2
The hazards an engineer now reports.
Phase 1 has covered damp and mould and every emergency hazard since 27 October 2025. Phase 2 is due to come into force on 30 November 2026, under regulations approved by both Houses of Parliament in October 2026. Each phase 2 hazard, with the government’s examples.
Damp and mould
Visible or hidden mould, wet walls and ceilings, water coming in, failed extract fans and condensation that keeps returning.
- Mould behind baths and units
- Leaks, ingress and staining
- Treatment that has not lasted
Awaab’s LawPhase 1 · in force
Every emergency hazard
Any hazard of any kind that needs making safe within 24 hours, from a dangerous electrical fault to a ceiling about to fall.
- Exposed or scorched wiring
- Smell of gas, major leaks
- Unstable structure
Awaab’s LawPhase 1 · in force
Excess cold and excess heat
Heating that has failed or cannot keep the home warm, severe draughts and heat loss, and rooms that overheat with no way to cool them.
- Failed boilers and controls
- Broken windows and doors
- Overheating top floor flats
Awaab’s LawPhase 2 · 30 Nov 2026
Falls
Falls on the level, on stairs and steps, and between levels. Falls in bathrooms and at small changes in level now count as falls on the level.
- Loose handrails and nosings
- Missing guarding or balustrades
- Trip hazards and wet floors
Awaab’s LawPhase 2 · 30 Nov 2026
Fire, explosions and electrical hazards
Fire, explosion and electrical risks inside the home. Fire defects in the common parts of a block are dealt with under fire safety law instead.
- Damaged sockets and cables
- Overheating consumer units
- Damaged gas pipework
Awaab’s LawPhase 2 · 30 Nov 2026
Structural collapse and domestic hygiene
Collapse or falling elements, and one combined domestic hygiene hazard covering pests, waste, food safety, washing, sanitation and drainage.
- Cracking and falling ceilings
- Pest entry and infestation
- No usable toilet or sewage ingress
Awaab’s LawPhase 2 · 30 Nov 2026
How a report moves
From the engineer’s phone to the landlord, in five steps.
Each step is timed and recorded against the person who took it. The report answers the question the law asks: who knew what, and when.
01
Reported at the property
The engineer completes the report in the app, ticks each hazard seen, marks the suspected urgency and adds photographs. Submitting the report is reporting it to the office.
It takes the next reference number and the time it arrived, and shows as awaiting the office.
02
The office alerted
The office receives a notification on the phone and an email, and the report appears on the alerts page in the office portal. A suspected emergency is marked as one.
The email carries the hazards, the urgency and what was done on the day. The resident’s details and the photographs stay in the portal.
03
Acknowledged by name
One click in the office acknowledges the report and records who picked it up, and when. Until then, the report shows how long it has been waiting.
The engineer sees on the phone whether the office has picked it up.
04
Escalated and handed over
The office completes its own section: who the hazard was reported to and how, the escalation and its time, and whether a director and the landlord were told.
Any risk that remains is handed over to a named person, on the record.
05
Closed or transferred
The office records the outcome and marks the report closed or transferred, with the reviewer’s name and the time. A report reopened later keeps its full history.
In Unibuild
Everything in the Awaab’s Law section.
In your own staff app, office portal and client portal, as part of the health and safety module.
The engineer’s report
Your checksheet, laid out for a phone held in a resident’s home: the visit, the hazards, the evidence, the action taken and the engineer’s own completion check.
- Phase 1 and phase 2 hazards listed
- Emergency, significant or unsure
- Address filled in from the project
Awaab’s LawStaff app
Looking beyond the job
The report opens with the rule the guidance sets: look beyond the job sheet. The engineer confirms the access route was checked and the resident was asked about the problem.
- Recurring or worsening problems
- Vulnerability recorded, without diagnosis
- No access recorded and escalated
Awaab’s LawStaff app
A suspected emergency
A banner on the report puts the office’s number one tap away. The engineer makes safe within competence, phones the office, then completes the report.
- Made safe: yes, partly or no
- Area isolated, specialist needed
- Follow-on work and parts noted
Awaab’s LawStaff app
Photographs
As many photographs as the hazard needs, from the camera or the gallery, sent with the report from the property. More can be added until the report is closed.
- Any number on one report
- Added after submission too
- Never public, seen only on the report
Awaab’s LawStaff app
Alerts
A phone notification and an email go to the people in the office you choose. The alerts page lists every report not yet picked up, with a count on its badge.
- Phone notification and email
- Emergencies marked in red
- No resident details in the email
Awaab’s LawOffice portal
Reports phoned in
When an engineer rings a hazard through, the office completes the report for them and names the engineer who gave it. The report shows who entered it.
- Filed against the right engineer
- Entered by, shown on the report
- Reporting route chosen by the office
Awaab’s LawOffice portal
The Hazard Register
Every report on one page: the hazards, what was done on the day and what the office has done since. The counts at the top work as filters.
- Awaiting, emergency and significant counts
- Time waiting, shown in red
- Search by property, project or urgency
Awaab’s LawOffice portal
The project page
Each report links to its project and the work order it came from. Projects marked as social housing carry an Awaab’s Law tile with the reports waiting and open.
- Linked to the project and work order
- Waiting reports shown on the tile
- New reports started from the project
Awaab’s LawOffice portal
The timeline
Every step on the report is recorded with the person and the time, from submission to close. The engineer’s findings are locked once sent.
- Every change named and timed
- Removed photographs kept aside
- Deletion by an administrator, with a reason
Awaab’s LawOffice portal
The PDF
The completed checksheet in your company’s branding, laid out as the landlord expects, with a photo sheet after it. Internal office notes never appear on it.
- Only the hazards identified
- Photographs dated and timed
- Ready to send to the landlord
Awaab’s LawPDF
The client portal
The office shares a report with the landlord’s staff on your client portal with one click, and removes it the same way. Nothing reaches the landlord until the office chooses.
- Shared report by report
- Only the landlord’s own projects
- Report, photographs and PDF
Awaab’s LawClient portal
Residents’ details
Reports hold residents’ names, phone numbers and photographs of their homes. The office people you choose see every report, and each engineer sees only their own.
- Engineers see their own reports
- Office notes stay in the office
- Phone copy cleared after three days
Awaab’s LawApp and portals
Who sees what
Who sees an Awaab’s Law report, and what they can do.
A report describes a resident’s home and, often, their health. Each person sees what their part needs.
| Who | Sees | Can |
|---|---|---|
| Engineers and operatives | Their own reports, with the office’s status, escalation and outcome | Report a hazard, add photographs until the report is closed, download the PDF |
| The office | Every report, the alerts and the Hazard Register | Acknowledge, complete the office section, close, transfer or reopen, link a project, report for an engineer, share with the landlord |
| Administrators | Everything the office sees | Everything the office can, and delete a report with a reason that stays on the timeline |
| The landlord’s staff | Only the reports the office shares, on their own projects, through your client portal | Read the report, view the photographs and download the PDF |
You choose who in the office sees every report and receives the alerts. Office notes and the timeline are never shown to the landlord.
Where it sits
Your form, your app, your records.
Built from your own checksheet
Unibuild is bespoke business software for UK trades and specialist contractors: a platform in daily production since 2016, shaped to the way each firm already works. Your own Awaab’s Law form is built in, and changes after go-live are inside the monthly fee.
In your firm’s own app
Your staff app is published on the App Store and Google Play under your company’s own name and icon. Your engineers download your app, not ours, and the app works on sites with no signal.
Kept with every other record
The reports sit with the job’s visits, photographs, dynamic risk assessments and certificates. Records are kept for seven years, and every record exports at any time.
Part of health and safety
Awaab’s Law reporting sits in the health and safety module, beside near miss and accident reporting. One monthly figure covers every module, with unlimited users, so every engineer who reports a hazard is included.
Free to download
A free Awaab’s Law form and toolbox talk.
For firms still on paper, or briefing engineers before phase 2. Free to use and reuse, with no sign-up.
Awaab’s Law hazard report form
The engineer’s report for phase 1 and phase 2 hazards, with the urgency, the evidence, what was made safe and an office section for the escalation and handover. Editable PDF and Word.
Awaab’s Law toolbox talk
A talk for engineers and trades working in social homes: what the law is, the phase 2 hazards, looking beyond the job sheet, and reporting without delay. PDF and Word, with an attendance record.
Questions
Asked about Awaab’s Law.
How does an engineer report an Awaab’s Law hazard in Unibuild?
In the staff app, at the property, on any visit. The engineer ticks each hazard seen, records where it is and how far it extends, marks the urgency they suspect and notes what was made safe. They add photographs and submit, and the report is linked to the project.
How is the office alerted to a new hazard report?
Submitting the report sends a notification to the phones of the office people you choose, and an email to the same people. The report also appears on the alerts page in the office portal until somebody acknowledges it. A suspected emergency is marked as one.
Can we prove when the office knew about a hazard?
Yes. Each report records the time it reached the office and the name of the person who acknowledged it, with the time. A timeline on the report records every step after that, with the person and the time.
Can we see every Awaab’s Law report in one place?
Yes. The Awaab’s Law Hazard Register shows every report with what was done on the day and the office’s actions since. Counts at the top show reports awaiting the office, open emergencies and open significant hazards, and each one filters the list.
Can the landlord see our Awaab’s Law reports?
Yes, when the office chooses. The office shares a report on your client portal with one click, and the landlord’s staff see the report, the photographs and the PDF. They see only the reports shared with them, on their own projects.
Can we send the landlord a PDF of the hazard report?
Yes. Every report downloads as a PDF of the completed checksheet in your company’s branding, with a photo sheet after it. It lists the hazards the engineer identified and never includes the office’s internal notes.
Who decides whether it is an emergency hazard?
The landlord. The engineer reports the facts and marks the urgency they suspect, with unsure as a proper answer, and the office escalates. The legal classification of an emergency or significant hazard stays with the landlord, as the guidance intends.
Can a hazard report be changed after it is submitted?
The engineer’s findings are locked once the report is sent. The office completes and updates its own section, and every change is recorded on the timeline with the person and the time. Removed photographs are kept aside rather than destroyed.
Who can see residents’ details on the reports?
The office people you choose see every report. Each engineer sees only their own, and the landlord sees only what the office shares. The alert email leaves out the resident’s details and the photographs.
What happens if the signal drops while the engineer is reporting?
Nothing is lost. What the engineer types is kept on the phone as they go and cleared once the report is sent, or after three days. If no reply arrives, they press submit again, and the office still receives one report.
Can the office log a hazard an engineer phones in?
Yes. The office completes the report on the engineer’s behalf and names the engineer who gave it. The report shows who entered it, and the office records how the hazard reached it.
Can we use our own Awaab’s Law form?
Yes. Unibuild builds the report from your own checksheet, in your own words, with your own escalation steps. When the next phase of Awaab’s Law arrives, the form is changed for you inside the monthly fee.
Does Awaab’s Law apply to contractors?
The legal duty sits with the social landlord, which keeps full responsibility when it uses contractors. The guidance expects contractors to report any hazard they find, beyond the job they were sent to do, and to supply information for the written summary in good time.
When does the clock start if our engineer finds the hazard?
The landlord is usually treated as aware when the contractor tells it. The phase 2 guidance adds that a landlord can sometimes be aware as soon as its contractor is, and the Housing Ombudsman says the same. The safe practice is to report the same day, from the property.
What are the Awaab’s Law timescales?
An emergency hazard is investigated and made safe within 24 hours. A significant hazard is investigated within 10 working days. The tenant receives a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation, and the safety work is completed within 5 working days of it. Preventative work begins within 5 working days, or within 12 weeks.
When does Awaab’s Law phase 2 start?
Phase 2 is due to come into force on 30 November 2026. The amending regulations were approved by the House of Lords on 14 October 2026 and the House of Commons on 20 October 2026. The government plans a third phase, set out for 2027, covering the remaining hazards apart from overcrowding.
Which hazards does phase 2 add?
Excess cold, excess heat, falls on the level, falls on stairs and steps, falls between levels, fire and explosions, electrical hazards, structural collapse and domestic hygiene. Domestic hygiene covers pests, waste, food safety, personal hygiene, sanitation and drainage. Fire defects in the common parts of blocks fall under fire safety law instead.
Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords?
Not yet. It applies to social housing in England. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 allows it to be extended to privately rented homes, and the government’s consultation on how runs until 18 December 2026.
Is Awaab’s Law reporting included in the price?
Yes. It is part of the health and safety module, and one monthly figure per firm covers every module with unlimited users. There is no charge per report and none per engineer. Read how pricing works.
Legal references
The law behind the timescales.
The product information on this page is published by Unibuild. The legal references below cover social housing in England and were checked on .
- GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law in the social rented sector
- GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law guidance for social landlords, timeframes for repairs
- GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law phase 2 guidance for social landlords
- GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law phase 2 hazards guidance
- The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025
- The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- Housing Health and Safety Rating System: the hazards, Schedule 1
- Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, section 42
- Housing Ombudsman: guidance on complaints involving hazards
The site modules
The rest of what happens on site.
Same platform, same login. These are the modules that plan the work, record it, and hold the evidence it was done properly.
One level down
The hazard report is one record.
The hazard report is one record.
These are the others around it.
The law in full, the records a repairs firm keeps, and the visits that follow a report.
Awaab's Law for repair contractors: timescales, phase 2 and the records to keepThe timescales, what phase 2 adds, and the record to hold at every attendance.
Reducing risk
Awaab's Law phase 2 hazards: what an engineer should reportEach phase 2 hazard, what an engineer looks for, and the government’s own examples.
Reducing risk
The HHSRS hazards list: 21 hazards since June 2026, and what changedThe 21 hazards since June 2026, what merged, and where Awaab’s Law fits.
Reducing risk
Snagging, and the list that decides when a job endsHow a defect is raised, assigned and closed with the evidence attached.
Commercial
Document control, and the revision everybody was working toHow two live versions of one form end up in the same van.
Choosing software
Why WhatsApp fails as a site recordWhy the group chat is not the evidence, however complete it feels at the time.
Choosing software
Next step
See a hazard reported, then picked up.
A 30-minute live demo. An engineer reports a hazard on the phone with photographs, the alert arrives in the office, and we acknowledge it, escalate it and share it with the landlord.
All elevenSolved
- Hazards outside the order
- Reports that arrive late
- No record of when it arrived
- Reports lost to a weak signal
- Reports nobody can act on
- Classification left to the engineer
- Follow-up held elsewhere
- No single view
- Reports retyped for the landlord
- Hazards closed with the job
- A damp and mould form for every hazard
Ask for a quote
Tell us a little about the firm.
Tell us a little about the firm.
We do the rest.
Two minutes. A written figure by email, usually the same working day. Unlimited users, so every engineer who reports a hazard is included.