Awaab's Law is changing. Is your housing stock ready?

For housing associations and local authorities, this brings renewed attention to a fundamental question: how well do you really understand the performance of the homes you're responsible for?

Beyond damp and mould

Cold, overheating and damp are often treated as separate issues. In reality, they can be closely connected to how a building performs.

Poor insulation, uncontrolled air leakage, inadequate ventilation and inefficient heating can all contribute to uncomfortable or unhealthy living conditions.

The challenge is identifying what's actually causing the problem.

A cold home doesn't automatically need more insulation. Damp isn't always simply a ventilation issue. And a property that looks energy efficient on paper may behave very differently in practice.

Without reliable evidence, there's a risk of investing in remedial work that doesn't address the underlying cause.

Tighter deadlines and greater accountability.

Under Awaab's Law, social landlords must investigate potential significant hazards within 10 working days and, where a significant hazard is confirmed, complete relevant safety work within five working days of the investigation concluding.

Emergency hazards require investigation and relevant safety work within 24 hours.

These requirements place greater emphasis on identifying problems quickly, understanding their causes and taking appropriate action.

For housing providers managing large and varied property portfolios, this isn't simply about responding to complaints. It's about having the information needed to make confident, timely decisions.

Why measurement matters

Traditional surveys and energy assessments provide valuable information, but they don't always reveal how an individual building performs in real conditions.

Building performance measurement can help bridge that gap.

By measuring airtightness, heat loss and thermal performance, housing providers and their contractors can gain a clearer understanding of what's happening within a property.

This can help them:

• Identify root causes: distinguish between insulation deficiencies, air leakage, ventilation issues and other contributing factors.
• Target remedial work: avoid unnecessary improvements and focus resources where they'll have the greatest impact.
• Reduce repeat visits: gather better diagnostic evidence earlier in the investigation.
• Verify improvements: check whether completed work has delivered the intended performance benefits.
• Support better decisions: use objective evidence alongside inspections, resident feedback and other assessments.

Measurement doesn't replace professional judgement or a landlord's legal responsibilities. It provides additional evidence to support effective investigations and informed decisions.

From reactive repairs to proactive management

Perhaps the biggest opportunity lies beyond individual complaints.

For housing providers responsible for hundreds or thousands of homes, understanding building performance can help identify recurring problems, prioritise investment and make better use of maintenance and retrofit budgets.

Rather than waiting for issues to escalate, measured data can support a more informed approach to managing housing stock.

And with increasing pressure on budgets, avoiding unnecessary work while improving residents' comfort and well-being makes good financial sense.

Better evidence leads to better homes.

Awaab's Law reinforces something the building performance industry has been highlighting for years: a building's actual performance matters just as much as its design or calculated performance.

For social housing providers, the challenge is not simply meeting new deadlines. It's understanding why homes aren't performing as they should and identifying the right solutions.

At Build Test Solutions, we believe objective measurement has an important role to play in helping housing providers move from assumptions to evidence.

Because when it comes to residents' health, comfort and safety, getting to the root of the problem matters.