Awaab’s Law to come into force in Scotland in October

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations warned at the end of last year that the Scottish government needed to provide housing associations with more funding and clearer guidelines on remediation.

Màiri McAllan, housing secretary, said: “Everyone deserves to live in a home free from damp and mould.

“These regulations will help to ensure that’s the case by requiring any instances to be swiftly investigated by landlords and prompt action taken.

“In Scotland, while 90% of homes are free from damp and mould, we want to make sure everyone is protected.

“That’s why we are leading the way in rolling out these protections to both social and private tenants.

“We have worked closely with tenant groups, landlords and other stakeholders to develop regulations that protect tenants while being practical for landlords to implement. We will also be raising awareness of the importance of identifying and addressing damp and mould issues as quickly as possible.”

In England, Awaab’s Law was named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died from prolonged exposure to mould in a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing flat.

It was introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and forces social landlords to respond to hazards within strict timeframes – 24 hours in the case of emergency hazards.

Landlords must also investigate significant damp and mould within 10 working days of being notified and then make properties safe within five working days. For both types of hazard, landlords must also inform tenants of their findings in writing within three working days of inspection.