I’m really pleased to have contributed a guest article for Mobysoft looking at Awaab’s Law Phase Two, what has changed since Phase One and what social landlords should be prioritising ahead of 30 November 2026.
Anyone who has heard me speak about Awaab’s Law will know that I tend to use examples and metaphors to bring the subject to life. Somehow, my conversation with Mobysoft managed to include Darth Vader, Lord of the Rings and a Formula One car. But behind those analogies was a serious discussion about some of the operational challenges I am seeing across social housing.
The central message is straightforward. Awaab’s Law Phase Two is not simply a repairs issue. It requires social landlords to think about how the whole organisation identifies, manages and responds to hazards, and whether the systems, processes and people supporting that response genuinely work for residents.
Read my full Awaab’s Law Phase Two guest article with Mobysoft
What Has Changed Since Awaab’s Law Phase One?
One of the positive changes I have seen is a move away from treating issues purely as individual repairs and towards managing the whole case.
A damp and mould report, for example, should not simply disappear into a series of unrelated job tickets. The organisation needs to understand the journey from the initial report through investigation and action to follow-up and closure.
That change in thinking matters because the resident does not experience separate departments, systems or job numbers. The resident experiences their landlord.
In the Mobysoft article, I talk about how more landlords are beginning to take this case-management approach and place greater emphasis on resident outcomes rather than simply measuring individual repairs or targets.
For me, that is an important part of the legacy Awaab’s Law should create.
Awaab’s Law Phase Two Makes Joined-Up Working Even More Important
From 30 November 2026, Phase Two extends the requirements beyond significant damp and mould to a wider range of significant hazards. The article discusses electrical dangers, fire, falls, excess cold and heat, structural failure and hygiene problems among the hazards organisations need to prepare for.
These hazards do not conveniently belong to one department.
Colleagues working across tenancy, compliance, mechanical and electrical services, estates, repairs, contractors and contact centres may all encounter information relevant to a hazard case.
That makes joined-up working increasingly important.
Housing providers need to consider whether their existing systems and processes allow different services to contribute to the same case and understand what has already happened. The answer is not necessarily another isolated system or another standalone procedure. It is about creating a connected approach in which the organisation can understand the complete resident journey.
That was where my Lord of the Rings reference appeared in the conversation. The wider point was about the need for one connected process, rather than different parts of an organisation holding fragments of the same case. [mobysoft.com]
Why Record Keeping Matters Under Awaab’s Law
Record keeping was another major part of my discussion with Mobysoft.
Technology can only provide useful assurance when the information going into it is accurate and complete. For an Awaab’s Law case, organisations may need to demonstrate when they became aware of an issue, when an investigation took place, when action was taken to make the property safe, what further work followed, what was communicated to the resident and when the case was ultimately closed or reviewed.
That history matters because a case may need to be understood again long after the original event.
Good records should allow an organisation to understand what happened and the reasoning behind the decisions that were taken. That becomes particularly important when resident vulnerability, the seriousness of a hazard and proportionate decision-making have influenced the response.
For me, good record keeping is not simply about demonstrating compliance. It is part of delivering a joined-up service where colleagues can understand what has happened without repeatedly asking the resident to explain their situation again.
Technology Alone Will Not Deliver Awaab’s Law Compliance
This is where the Formula One car came into the conversation.
A housing provider can invest in a sophisticated new system, but technology alone will not transform a service. People still need to understand how to use it, why the process has changed and how the system supports the outcome the organisation is trying to achieve.
In the Mobysoft article, I compared it with finding a Formula One car on the drive. It might be a far better car, but that does not mean I would immediately know when to brake, how to take a corner or even how to get the best from it.
The same principle applies to technology in housing.
Investment in systems needs to be matched by investment in people. Training, implementation support and aftercare matter because a system will only deliver its intended benefits if the people using it understand what they are being asked to do.
Get the Process Right Before Expecting Training to Fix It
Training is a significant part of the work I do through Sure Plus Solutions, but training cannot compensate for a process that does not work.
My view is that organisations should get the underlying process right first and then give people the knowledge and confidence to operate effectively within it.
In most situations, a clear process should provide consistency and make it straightforward for colleagues to understand what happens next. There will always be circumstances where individual judgement becomes necessary, particularly given the different hazards and individual resident circumstances organisations encounter.
That is where effective Awaab’s Law and HHSRS training becomes particularly valuable.
Good training should not simply tell someone what a policy says. It should help people understand why the process exists, recognise the circumstances in front of them and apply their knowledge appropriately.
The article also explores why training should not be treated as a one-off exercise. Continuing support after new systems and processes go live is an important part of embedding change rather than assuming implementation ends on launch day.
Breaking Down Silos Across Social Housing
Phase Two brings the issue of organisational silos into even sharper focus.
Social housing organisations have developed specialist teams for good reasons, but those boundaries can become problematic when information relating to the same resident or property is spread across different services and systems.
A tenancy officer may see something that is relevant to a hazard. A contact-centre colleague may receive information directly from a resident. A contractor may discover something during a visit. Compliance, repairs or asset colleagues may hold other pieces of the picture.
The challenge is ensuring those pieces come together.
The Mobysoft article discusses how gaps between teams can reduce the opportunity for early action, particularly where vulnerable residents may not actively report a problem themselves.
Awaab’s Law Phase Two therefore creates an opportunity to look beyond departmental boundaries and consider whether the organisation genuinely has a joined-up view of its residents, properties and hazards.
Awaab’s Law Is Ultimately About People
The most important point in the article has nothing to do with systems, technology or targets.
We are in the people business, not the housing business.
That is something I firmly believe.
Awaab’s Law exists because of what happened to a child and his family. Its legacy should be about creating healthier and safer homes, improving the way landlords listen and respond to residents and making sure risks are recognised and acted upon.
Systems, processes, data, targets and compliance measures all play an important role in achieving that, but they should never become the outcome themselves.
Success should ultimately be measured through what changes for residents.
Preparing for Awaab’s Law Phase Two
My discussion with Mobysoft comes back to a few fundamental priorities for landlords preparing for Phase Two.
Organisations need systems and processes that support one connected resident journey rather than creating additional fragmentation. They need reliable records that allow them to understand and evidence what happened throughout a case. They need colleagues across different roles to understand their responsibilities, and they need training and ongoing support that gives people the confidence to apply those processes properly.
Perhaps most importantly, organisations need to look at their arrangements through the eyes of the resident. Following the process from beginning to end from that perspective can expose gaps that may be less obvious when each service looks only at its own part of the journey.
That is where I believe some of the most valuable Awaab’s Law readiness work can happen.
Working with Mobysoft on Awaab’s Law Phase Two
A big thank you to Mobysoft for inviting me to contribute the article and giving me the opportunity to share some of what I am seeing across the sector.
The full guest article goes into much greater detail about Awaab’s Law Phase Two, landlord readiness, case management, organisational silos, record keeping, systems, training and aftercare.
The article also introduces my work as Director of Sure Plus Solutions and my work across Awaab’s Law, damp and mould, repairs transformation, system health checks and training.
Awaab’s Law Training and Consultancy from Sure Plus Solutions
Through Sure Plus Solutions, I support social landlords with Awaab’s Law training and consultancy, HHSRS, damp and mould, repairs transformation and wider housing compliance.
My focus is on helping organisations translate legislation and regulatory requirements into practical operational delivery.
That includes looking at how people, systems and processes work together, how different parts of an organisation contribute to the resident journey, where gaps or risks exist and whether colleagues have the knowledge and confidence they need.
As Awaab’s Law Phase Two approaches, that whole-organisation perspective becomes increasingly important.
Because readiness is not simply about having the right policy.
It is about whether the organisation can make that policy work in practice for the resident.
Looking for Awaab’s Law Phase Two Support?
Danny Bird and Sure Plus Solutions provide specialist Awaab’s Law training, HHSRS training, housing compliance consultancy and organisational readiness support for social landlords and housing professionals.
If your organisation is preparing for Awaab’s Law Phase Two and wants support reviewing its training, systems, processes or operational readiness, get in touch with Sure Plus Solutions.
The objective should always remain the same: safer, healthier homes and better outcomes for residents.
