Awaab’s Law to be introduced in Scotland
Awaab’s Law will be introduced in Scotland to “protect social housing residents”, the devolved government has announced.
The Scottish government confirmed it intends to introduce amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill that will broaden ministers’ powers to impose timeframes on social landlords to investigate disrepair and start repairs.
The regulations will build on provisions already in the bill to strengthen tenants’ rights, alongside Scotland’s existing legal protections for social tenants, such as the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and the Right to Repair Scheme.
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In England, Awaab’s Law was named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died from prolonged exposure to mould in a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing flat.
It was introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and will force social landlords to respond to hazards within strict timeframes.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scotland’s social justice secretary, said that introducing timescales and expectations for repairs “aims to make sure this never happens to a child or their family ever again”.
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 [will be] identified and repairs started in a timely manner, so any issues do not have a detrimental impact on their health.
“Our housing bill already contains proposals to improve tenants’ rights, and these measures will strengthen those even further to make sure their home is safe for them and their families.”
In England, secondary legislation is still required to implement Awaab’s Law across the social housing sector.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been consulting on the law and is now finalising its requirements.
The Housing (Scotland) Bill, which is passing through the Scottish parliament, will introduce a long-term cap on private rent rises at the Consumer Price Index plus 1%, up to a maximum of 6%. It is likely to come into force from 2027.
