Awaab’s Law Hits Scottish Landlords on 6th October: What You Must Do
Episode Overview
From 6 October 2026, private and social landlords across Scotland must follow strict new timescales when damp or mould is reported: investigate within 10 working days, provide written findings within three working days and begin any required repairs within five working days of the investigation.
Paul Newing of PRN Water Services joins Nick and Steven to explain Scotland’s implementation of Awaab’s Law and what landlords and letting agents need to do to prepare. They discuss when the clock starts, who can carry out an investigation, what evidence should be retained and why landlords can no longer dismiss a complaint as “tenant lifestyle” without investigating it properly.
They also examine condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp; ventilation and extractor-fan problems; four-week humidity monitoring; treating mould correctly; repeat complaints; and the complications caused by communal repairs and property factors.
Episode Highlights
- The new duties affecting private and social landlords from 6 October 2026
- The tragedy behind Awaab’s Law and why Scotland introduced its own regulations
- The 10-working-day deadline for investigating reported damp and mould
- Providing a written summary within three working days
- Beginning required repairs within five working days of the investigation
- Why landlords cannot immediately blame a tenant’s lifestyle
- How normal living, cooking and drying clothes increase indoor moisture
- Condensation versus penetrating damp and rising damp
- What landlords should check with windows, vents and extractor fans
- Using four weeks of humidity and dew-point data to establish the cause
- Why photographs, emails, reports and a clear paper trail are essential
- What “commencing repairs” means when parts or contractors are unavailable
- How to clean, treat and redecorate mould-affected areas properly
- When recurring problems may not require a complete new investigation
- How communal roofs, gutters and factors complicate landlord compliance
Episode Timestamps
00:00 – Meet Paul Newing
00:53 – Awaab’s Law comes to Scotland on 6 October
01:44 – The tragedy that led to Awaab’s Law
03:35 – Existing damp and mould responsibilities
04:45 – Tenant lifestyle, moisture and condensation
07:13 – Ventilation, drying clothes and tenant education
09:17 – Paul’s property and compliance background
11:21 – Why landlords cannot simply blame the tenant
12:19 – When the 10-working-day clock starts
14:51 – Inspection costs and independent reports
15:55 – Condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp
17:17 – Using four-week data monitoring to establish the cause
21:31 – Extractor fans and the landlord’s responsibilities
23:22 – Documentation and preparing for a tribunal
24:27 – The 10-day, three-day and five-day process
27:49 – Minor mould reports versus serious cases
29:34 – Balancing landlord and tenant responsibilities
31:20 – PIV units and heat-recovery ventilation
34:28 – What it means to commence repairs
36:09 – Managing deadlines and maintaining a paper trail
37:41 – Cleaning and treating mould properly
41:06 – What happens when the mould returns?
43:36 – Factors, communal repairs and leaking roofs
50:50 – Where to contact Paul
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Are Scottish landlords ready to meet these new damp and mould deadlines? Let us know in the comments
