Plan to make landlords fix mould in Scottish housing | UK News

New measures are being introduced in Scotland to make it easier for social housing tenants to have damp and mould in their homes fixed.

The Scottish government plans to amend to the Housing (Scotland) Bill to give ministers the power to impose repair deadlines on landlords.

The move comes in response to the Awaab’s Law campaign, named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died from mould exposure in Rochdale in 2020.

The Scottish bill, which follows similar changes in England, was introduced in March last year. The new amendments are due to be debated next month.

The bill was announced at a time when a number of Scottish local authorities were declaring housing emergencies.

In 2022, a coroner concluded toddler Awaab Ishak had died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his home.

His father, Faisal Abdullah, had repeatedly raised the issue with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but no action was taken.

Campaigners demanded reforms and the previous Conservative government carried out a review of guidelines on mould.

Changes to the law in England, via the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, received royal assent in July 2023 – this included new measures on damp and mould, which would be known as Awaab’s law.

Awaab’s father said he hoped legal changes would “stop any other family going through the pain that we went through”.

The Labour government announced last month that strict timescales on landlords to fix mould issues would be enforced in England from October, with other changes being rolled out in phases.

Currently landlords in Scotland have to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) – this requires housing to be free from rising or penetrating damp, to have satisfactory ventilation and meet minimum energy efficiency standards.

According to Shelter Scotland, landlords should fix damp and mould issues “in a reasonable amount of time” – but what counts as reasonable depends on the circumstances.

Exact timescales for landlords to fix these issues could be enforced if the Housing (Scotland) Bill is passed.

The Scottish government has not yet said what these deadlines might be.

The bill would also introduce longer-term rent controls for the private sector and place a duty on local councils to carry out assessments on the state of private accommodation in their area.

However the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) previously told Scotland the legislation would exacerbate Scotland’s housing crisis.

Stacey Lamb, from Baillieston, Glasgow, said her three children became ill because of the damp problems in her former home but she hopes changes to legislation would allow other families to get help sooner than she did.

Speaking on the Good Morning Scotland programme, she said it would make a “massive difference”.

“I’ve had loads of people contacting me who are still staying in houses that are riddled with mould and dampness.

“I think this new law could potentially get these people the support help they need.”

The former emergency call handler lived at a property owned by Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), now Wheatley Homes Glasgow, for three years.

They had problems with mould in the bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen.

“All my kids were severely not well with asthma and chest problems,” she said.

“I had black mould spots growing out of the walls in my bedrooms, even if I cleaned it you could still see the damage on the wall.

“It didn’t matter how much I decorated or painted, they still came back and they came back worse than before.

“Eventually, when I threatened to withhold rent and get lawyers involved, they agreed to move me.”

It took another ten months for her to get alternative social housing but moving to a damp-free home had been “fantastic” and the difference in their health was “amazing”.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Everyone in Scotland deserves the right to live in a warm, safe and secure home, free from disrepair.

“We already have a strong set of rights and standards that have been improving in Scotland.

“However, these measures will go even further and give power and confidence to tenants that any issues are identified, and repairs started in a timely manner, so any issues do not have a detrimental impact on their health.”