Scottish landlords to report damp and mould data to regulator for first time

On damp and mould, the indicators are: the average length of time to resolve cases, the number of cases reopened, and open cases at the end of the year.

For each indicator, landlords will be asked to provide a breakdown of cases caused by condensation and those caused by structural issues.

The SHR said it will collect the average time, rather than the median, to deal with cases, but said there was “no clear consensus” among respondents.

“Some respondents said that the average will not provide an accurate picture of response times, given the wide variation in terms of complexity and severity of damp and mould cases,” the SHR said.

The regulator said it will review the “usefulness” of indicators after they are first submitted in May 2026.

A separate report on the damp and mould data will also be published to provide “additional context”. Some landlords voiced concern over how the data would be presented, the SHR said.

Nicola Harcus, assistant director of regulation at the SHR, said: “This is the first time that we will collect indicators on landlords’ performance in responding to reports of damp and mould.

“This is a complex issue and we will use the first submission of this data in May 2026 to review the usefulness of the new indicators.”

The issue of damp and mould remains high on the housing agenda, following a 2022 coroner’s report into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak.

The SHR also revealed a new fire safety indicator mean landlords will be expected to report the number of homes that do not have “satisfactory equipment for detecting fire and giving warning in the event of fire or suspected fire”. 

On electrical safety, the indicator will measure any failures to complete an electrical safety inspection of homes beyond the five-year cycle.

The regulator already collects fire and electrical safety data under the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. But the agency said creating the indicators will allow it to “monitor compliance more closely”.

Another new indicator on long-term voids will also be introduced. This means landlords will have to report the number of self-contained properties that are void at year end and, of those, the number that had been void for more than six months. Providers will also be able to give reasons for the voids.

Landlords will have to start collecting data from April this year.