PLANS to make it easier for social housing tenants to have damp and mould in their homes fixed have been unveiled.
The Scottish Government revealed it aims to amend to the Housing (Scotland) Bill to give ministers the power to impose repair deadlines on landlords.
The new measures follow the Awaab's Law campaign, named after Awaab Ishak who died from mould exposure in Rochdale in 2020 at just two years old and would see similar changes introduced in England last year.
The new amendments are due to be debated in the Scottish Parliament next month.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville (below) said the new measures will give tenants more powers to ensure repairs are made in a timely manner.
She 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.”
Landlords in Scotland currently must meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) which requires housing to be free from rising or penetrating damp, to have satisfactory ventilation and to meet minimum energy efficiency standards.
Landlords should fix damp and mould issues “in a reasonable amount of time”, however, what counts as reasonable depends on the circumstances, according to the housing charity Shelter Scotland.
The exact timescales for landlords to fix these issues could be enforced if the Housing (Scotland) Bill is passed, but the Scottish government has yet outline what these deadlines might be.
The bill would also place a duty on local councils to carry out assessments on the state of private accommodation in their area along with introducing longer-term rent controls.
