Social housing providers in Scotland have been urged to strengthen their response to damp and mould ahead of new legal requirements coming into force in October.
Travis Perkins Managed Services (TPMS) brought together housing associations, councils and industry suppliers at an event in Edinburgh focused on tackling damp and mould.
Around 50 representatives attended the forum, which was held at Edinburgh City Chambers in collaboration with Edinburgh City Council.
Graham Haworth, business development executive at Travis Perkins Managed Services, said: ‘With Awaab’s Law coming into force in Scotland this year, the timeframe in which landlords are going to need to respond to these issues is going to be put under pressure.’
‘That’s why it’s so important to hold events like these, where we bring together housing providers, innovative supplier and manufacturers and framework providers,’ Haworth continued. ‘I believe that the solution to these challenges is in the room; we just need to keep asking the probing questions.
‘We are aware of the challenges social housing providers face, either trying to prevent damp and mould before it becomes a problem, or dealing with it once issues are reported, and it was a fantastic opportunity to see some of these solutions in action.’
According to the latest government data, around 270,000 homes suffer with damp and mould in Scotland. What’s more, around 8% of properties reported condensation problems in 2024.
‘This was the first event of its kind that we’ve held in Scotland, and I’m sure it’s something that we will look at doing again,’ Haworth added. ‘We need to say a big thank you to the supplier for showing their products and solutions.’
Awaab’s Law is due to be implemented in Scotland in October, a year after it was brought into force in England.
Currently, the legislation has no timeline to be introduced in Northern Ireland. Because housing is a devolved matter, Stormont must pass its own laws to inflict similar legal duties for landlords.
Image: Graham Haworth, TPMS, Councillor Robert Aldridge, Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh and Kevin Laverick, TPMS
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