Reporting of emergency hazards rises sharply as Awaab’s Law takes effect

The latest Pulse report added that the increase is not being driven by a sudden deterioration in housing conditions but is more likely a result of landlords improving their reporting processes.

Jonathan Cox, chief data officer at Housemark, said: “This monthly Pulse shows the sector entering a more transparent phase of reporting under Awaab’s Law.

“Rising hazard numbers reflect better identification and investigation, not a sudden decline in housing quality. At the same time, falling repair volumes are not translating into better outcomes, which tells us capacity constraints and complexity remain firmly in place.

“The priority now is consistent compliance, consistent delivery and consistent data across the sector.”

Housemark data also revealed that landlords were maintaining a strong performance when it comes to handling these hazards, with 96.3% resolved within 24 hours.

However, there was also a wide performance gap between operators here, with some landlords reporting success rates as low as 25%.

The data also showed that pressure on repairs services has continued to be a problem for the sector.

Responsive repairs volumes fell by 6.5% month on month to a median of 306.8 repairs per 1,000 homes, while the median proportion of repairs completed within target fell slightly to 87%, from 87.4% last month. Tenant satisfaction with repair services was also down.

Void performance has also remained weak, according to the latest figures, with only 15% of landlords surveyed managing to sustain month-on-month reductions in vacancy rates over the past year.