RoSPA’s accident prevention expertise has been central in a major step forward for home safety by supporting the government to shape new guidance which will protect the four million social housing tenants in England from preventable falls and other accidents.

Working directly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), RoSPA provided reference material and specialist accident prevention insights during the development guidance for landlords.

The guidance comes ahead of the Phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, which will come into effect on 30 November 2026.

Awaab’s Law was introduced into England in 2025 as a response to the tragic loss of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, whose death was attributed to prolonged exposure to black mould in the social home he lived in. The law currently applies to social tenants and imposes set timeframes for landlords to address serious damp and mould.

The government is now expanding the legislation to address a wider range of serious housing hazards, including falls, excessive heat and cold, structural collapse, fire and explosions.

This is a significant milestone for RoSPA's long-standing work to reduce accidents in the home.

Falls are the leading cause of accidental injuries and death in the UK, yet many could be prevented through better design, maintenance and management of homes. We are proud to have worked with the government to ensure that evidenced accident prevention strategy, especially for preventing falls, is at the core of this next stage of Awaab's Law. This is a vital step in putting accident prevention at the heart of improving housing standards.

The government’s guidance references RoSPA's Fall Prevention for Social Housing Toolkit as a source of further practical advice for landlords, alongside the organisation's wider work on the Safer Stairs Campaign and Safer by Design principles. The toolkit was produced in 2024 with the support of forward-looking house builder Berkeley Group. It provides practical, evidence-based advice to help housing providers identify, assess and reduce fall risks in tenants' homes, giving landlords a valuable how-to guide which now to supports implementation of the incoming legal requirements.

This was possible because of our partnership with Berkeley Group. Could your organisation be interested in becoming a RoSPA partner? Find out more here.

RoSPA has campaigned for decades to prevent serious accidents in the home, and this latest achievement demonstrates the impact of working collaboratively with government and industry to turn evidence into action. As Phase 2 of Awaab's Law is brought in, RoSPA will continue to work to make sure that social landlords have the guidance and their tenants the information they need, so that this extension of the law keeps people safe in their homes.