Awaab's Law, HHSRS and Part F, explained in plain English
Every Chauntry report is written against the standards that actually govern damp and mould in UK housing. Here is what each one requires, and how our evidence maps onto it.
Named after Awaab Ishak, the law sets fixed legal timeframes for social landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould hazards.
- Emergency hazards investigated and made safe within 24 hours
- Significant hazards investigated within 10 working days
- Written summary of findings to the tenant within 3 working days of investigation
- Safety work started within 5 working days where a significant hazard is found
Emergency hazard investigated and made safe
Written summary of findings sent to the tenant
Safety work started where significant hazard is found
Significant hazard fully investigated
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System scores 29 hazards. Damp and mould growth is Hazard 1. A Category 1 score obliges the local authority to act.
- Likelihood of harm over 12 months assessed against national averages
- Spread of harm outcomes from Class I (extreme) to Class IV
- Score of 1,000 or more = Category 1 hazard
- Improvement notices, prohibition orders or emergency remedial action possible
Part F sets minimum ventilation rates. Poor extract performance is one of the most common root causes of condensation mould we record.
- Kitchen extract: 30 l/s (adjacent to hob) or 60 l/s elsewhere
- Bathroom extract: 15 l/s intermittent
- Background ventilation via trickle vents in habitable rooms
- Commissioning evidence required on new or replaced systems
Where damp actually shows up in a house
Click a hotspot to see the damp type, the signs we look for, the instrument we test with, and which regulation applies.
Click a hotspot to view the diagnostic file
Rising damp
Rising damp, wall base
- Typical signs
- Tide-mark staining up to ~1m, crumbling plaster, skirting board decay, musty smell at floor level.
- How we test it
- Calibrated pin and pinless moisture meter, cross-checked against hygroscopic salts analysis.
How a Category 1 hazard is actually scored
Pick a likelihood and a harm outcome to see how HHSRS turns risk into a number, a band and a category.
Indicative only. A real HHSRS assessment is carried out on-site and considers the specific dwelling.
Not sure which hazard applies to your case?
A £99 triage visit tells you the likely cause and whether a full HHSRS-ready report is worth commissioning.
Diagnostics only. We never sell damp treatments, chemicals or building work, so our findings are never shaped by a quote.