Plan to make landlords fix mould in social housing
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.
Law to make social landlords fix mould in force from October
Boy's death caused by mould in flat, coroner rules
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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 identified will be repaired in a timely manner and do not have a detrimental impact on their health."
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 BBC Scotland the legislation would exacerbate Scotland's housing crisis.
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