Awaab's Law: guidance for landlords in Scotland - Easy Read version
Easy Read version of guidance to help social and private landlords comply with their duties under the Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which come into force on 6 October 2026.
Finding out about a problem
A landlord must follow the new rules as soon as they know about a damp or mould problem.
This might be when:
- a tenant tells them
- someone else tells them
- they spot it when checking the home
- they find it while fixing something else
Landlords and tenants should work together to deal with damp and mould quickly. This can:
- be better for health
- stop damage
Landlords should make it easy for tenants to tell them about problems. They should ask tenants to report issues quickly.
Landlords must not blame tenants. They must not assume damp is caused by a tenant.
Landlords should not ignore damp and mould because they think it is caused by normal activities like:
- cooking
- bathing
- washing clothes
- drying clothes indoors
If these are part of the problem, landlords should work with tenants to find ways to make it better.
Checking for damp and mould
The person who does the check must decide:
- if there is substantial damp and mould
- if something needs to be fixed
They will look at how much damp or mould there is, and how long it has been there.
They will check if anyone in the home is more at risk from the effects of damp and mould. This could be:
- babies and children
- older people
- pregnant women
- people with some health conditions or treatments
- people with mobility problems or who are housebound
Tenants might show medical evidence, but they do not have to. Landlords must follow the rules about keeping personal information.
The check will try to find any causes of damp and mould:
- leaks
- structural defects
- poor air flow
- poor insulation
- heating problems
The person may check for hidden mould.