Awaab's Law - Guidance for tenants in Scotland
From 6 October 2026, landlords must investigate reports of damp or mould and begin any necessary repairs within set timescales. This guidance aims to help tenants understand their rights and responsibilities.
If you are a Gypsy/Traveller tenant on a site provided by a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) or council
Your landlord must meet similar standards. This is outlined in Annex C of the Minimum Site Standards Guidance.
If damp or mould is affecting your accommodation, you should follow the same steps to report an issue outlined above.
Your site provider should:
- investigate the issue within ten working days,
- issue you a written summary of the investigation findings within three working days,
- start any necessary repair work within five working days.
If you disagree with your site providers findings, you should contact them and explain why you disagree.
If your site fails to meet these standards, you should raise a formal complaint. If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of any formal complaint process, you can raise a complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). You can also report a Significant Performance Failure to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR). A Significant Performance Failure would be something that a site provider does, or fails to do, that puts the interests of its tenants or service users at risk and will affect many, or all, of the site provider’s tenants or service users. You can find further information in the Minimum Site Standards Guidance.