A recent survey has revealed that one-third of Scottish social housing tenants lack confidence that their landlord will fix damp and mould, with thousands of complaints being made in recent years.
Between 2021 and 2022, there were at least 14,451 complaints made to local authorities in Scotland, a 19 per cent increase on the year before.
| Now, new Freedom of Information (FOI) data sourced by the home experts at Hillarys has revealed that the City of Edinburgh Council has spent more than £8.2 million tackling damp and mould in homes since 2024. The findings reveal that mould and damp complaints in the capital soared by +52% between 2022 (1,215) and 2024 (1,849), as residents report nearly five cases a day. |
And while new regulation is set to be introduced from October, enforcing fixed timeframes for social landlords to investigate and start prevention works to address damp and mould, the experts at Hillarys have shared advice on how households can tackle the problem at home while many tenants are still waiting for repairs to be carried out.
Edinburgh Council’s spending on damp and mould in homes
| Month | 2024 | 2025 | Grand Total |
| January | 148,000 | 314,000 | 462,000 |
| February | 244,000 | 352,000 | 596,000 |
| March | 252,000 | 353,000 | 605,000 |
| April | 360,000 | 254,000 | 614,000 |
| May | 291,000 | 436,000 | 727,000 |
| June | 343,000 | 423,000 | 766,000 |
| July | 343,000 | 274,000 | 617,000 |
| August | 313,000 | 367,000 | 680,000 |
| September | 514,000 | 410,000 | 924,000 |
| October | 310,000 | 395,000 | 705,000 |
| November | 589,000 | 301,000 | 890,000 |
| December | 393,000 | 264,000 | 657,000 |
| Total | 4,100,000 | 4,143,000 | £8,243,000 |
Hillarys Freedom of Information (FOI) request has uncovered that the City of Edinburgh Council has spent £8,243,000 tackling mould and damp across homes in the capital between 2024 and 2025, or £4.1m per year on average.
Edinburgh residents make 143 complaints a month about mould and damp in the capital’s housing stock
In 2022, the council responded to 1,215 reports of damp and mould, soaring by +52% to 1,849 in 2024 and 1,591 in 2025.3 Overall, the council recorded 3,440 cases between 2024 and 2025, equivalent to 143 reports per month or nearly 5 complaints each day.
Edinburgh Council currently reports an average resolution time of 42 calendar days, or six weeks, from the date damp or mould is reported to the completion of treatment work. This is significantly higher than the framework that will be enforced in the autumn, where significant damp and mould must be investigated within 10 working days and made safe within five.
Why are Scottish homes more prone to damp and mould?
Nearly one in ten homes has some incidence of damp or mould in Scotland (9-10%), compared to 4-5% of homes in England, indicating that while England has a higher total number of homes with damp, the percentage of households affected in Scotland is higher.5,6
One in ten Scottish households is impacted by damp or mould
Households in Scotland are particularly affected due to a combination of cold, wet weather, older buildings and the high cost of heating, which limits proper ventilation. In fact, a recent analysis of EPC data by Hillarys found that the ten most expensive regions to heat nationwide are all in Scotland.
Households in the Highland region pay £1,902 per year on average for heating, with the region found to have the fourth-highest proportion of homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or lower (63.42).
Victoria Robinson, product expert at Hillarys, has shared how households can tackle the problem at home and when to seek professional advice: “Proper household maintenance is incredibly important for preventing and treating mould.
“With good ventilation from opening windows and using extractor fans where possible, you can reduce the risk of mould and dampness. If you spot mould in your home, the first step is to carefully clean the affected areas by using detergents, white vinegar or mould removers and eliminating dampness at the source.
“Cleaning your own home is important and cost-effective, but sometimes it is not enough to fix mould problems. If mould is present in large areas, normally more than 1m2, or you find recurring mould patches, musty odours or structural damage, it is time to call in a professional or escalate with your landlord before further damage to your health and home occurs.”
