Scotland's Awaab's Law Starts 6 October 2026 — What Landlords Need to Know

While landlords in England are still waiting for fixed repair deadlines to reach the private sector, Scotland has moved first. From 6 October 2026, new regulations introduce Scotland's version of Awaab's Law — fixed timescales for investigating and starting to put right damp, mould and other serious hazards once a tenant reports them. Crucially, and unlike the position south of the border, the Scottish rules are reported to apply across both the private and social rented sectors from the outset. They arrive alongside a couple of other tenancy changes landing the same day. If you let in Scotland, this is a real, dated obligation; if you let in England, it's a signpost to where things are heading. Here's what's changing and what to do. This is general guidance, not legal advice — these are Scottish rules, so verify the detail with the Scottish Government (mygov.scot) and the legislation itself rather than relying on England-focused sources.

What's actually changing on 6 October

Three things are reported to take effect together in Scotland on 6 October 2026, all flowing from recent Housing (Scotland) legislation:

• Repair timescales ("Awaab's Law"). Landlords must act within set periods to investigate and begin dealing with reported damp, mould and serious hazards — moving from a vague "reasonable time" to defined clocks, across private and social lets.
• Succession rights. The period relevant to who can inherit a tenancy on a tenant's death is reported to be reduced (from twelve months to six).
• Wrongful-termination awards. The range of compensation a tribunal can order where a tenant was wrongly evicted is reported to be widened substantially (from up to six months' rent to a band of roughly three to thirty-six months' rent).

Treat the specific figures and timescales as the shape of the change and confirm the exact detail in the regulations and the official Scottish guidance — the precise periods are what will be enforced, and they're set out there, not in a blog.

The repair clocks: what they mean in practice

The core idea mirrors the social-housing rules already running elsewhere: once a tenant tells you about a qualifying hazard, you don't have open-ended time to respond. You're expected to investigate within a set window, keep the tenant informed, and begin remedial work within defined periods — with faster action required for anything that's an emergency. The practical effect is that a dated record of what was reported and when, and what you did about it, stops being good practice and becomes how you prove compliance. A landlord who logs every report and response will meet the clocks comfortably; one relying on memory and goodwill is suddenly exposed.

If you let in Scotland

This is a live obligation, so treat it as one:

1. Read the official guidance from the Scottish Government on the new repair timescales, and note the exact periods for investigation, updates and remedial work.
2. Set up a dated hazard log now — capture every report (date, what, how it was reported) and every step you take in response.
3. Make damp and mould a priority, not a "lifestyle" brush-off — investigate the cause and act within the timescales.
4. Review your eviction and notice practices in light of the wider wrongful-termination awards, and take advice before ending a tenancy.
5. Keep everything in one place, so you can show a timeline of report-to-resolution if challenged.

If you let in England (or Wales)

You're not caught by the Scottish rules — but they're a clear read on the direction of travel. England's own version is coming to the private sector in time, the underlying duty to deal with damp and mould already applies, and the single habit that prepares you for all of it is the same one Scottish landlords now need: log every repair report and your response, with dates. Build that into how you run a tenancy today — through routine inspections and prompt action on your repairing obligations — and whenever the clocks reach you, it's a non-event.

What landlords should do now

1. Know which regime you're in — Scotland's repair clocks are live from 6 October; England's PRS version is still to come.
2. Scottish landlords: confirm the timescales in the official guidance and diarise them.
3. Everyone: keep a dated damp/repair log — report in, action taken, completed — per property.
4. Take advice on notices and evictions, especially in Scotland given the wider wrongful-termination awards.
5. Verify with the right source — the Scottish Government for Scotland, GOV.UK for England — not a one-size-fits-all article.

Scotland getting fixed repair deadlines into the private sector first is a useful preview for the whole UK: the era of "I'll get to it" is ending, and the response the law now rewards is speed backed by records. Whether the clocks are already ticking for you in Scotland or still on the horizon in England, the move is the same — treat a reported hazard as a dated task, act on it promptly, and keep the proof. That's the one approach that works under every version of these rules.

General guidance for UK landlords, not legal advice. Housing law is devolved, and the Scottish repair-timescale, succession and wrongful-termination rules described here are set by the Scottish Parliament and Government — the figures and dates are summarised as reported at the time of writing, so always verify the current detail with the Scottish Government and the legislation, and take professional advice. For England, verify separately at GOV.UK.