As the latest in its innovation forum series, the event was organised to help assist social housing providers in Scotland to prepare for upcoming changes in legislation.

Named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died from a respiratory condition caused by mould in his family’s home in 2020, Awaab’s Law is already in place in England and comes into effect in Scotland from 6 October.

Under current regulations, social housing landlords in Scotland are already expected to repair instances of damp and mould in homes, but the new law will introduce timeframes for them to respond to the issues. 

Hosted alongside the City of Edinburgh Council at Edinburgh City Chambers, the forum brought together suppliers Aico, Mapei, Maxam, Xeplair, Breathe Pure and TIC Mould Control to demonstrate their products and solutions. 

From the opening remarks by the Lord Provost to the sessions with the suppliers, the clear focus of the event was to discuss the best ways to address damp and mould both proactively and reactively. 

The event was led by Graham Haworth, business development executive at Travis Perkins Managed Services. He said: “With Awaab’s Law coming into force in Scotland later this year, the timeframe in which landlords are going to need to respond to these issues is going to be put under pressure. 

“That’s why it’s so important to hold events like these, where we bring together housing providers, innovative suppliers and manufacturers, and framework providers. I believe that the solution to these challenges is in the room; we just need to keep asking the probing questions.

“We are aware of the challenges social housing providers face, either trying to prevent damp and mould before it becomes a problem, or dealing with it once issues are reported, and it was a fantastic opportunity to see some of these solutions in action.

“This was the first event of its kind that we’ve held in Scotland, and I’m sure it’s something that we will look at doing again. We need to say a big thank you to the suppliers for showing their products and solutions.”