Tackling damp & mould with tech: a practical guide for Scottish social landlords
Damp and mould are no longer “just an annoyance” — they’re a health risk, a legal priority and (in Scotland) a measurable compliance obligation. With the Scottish Government moving to bring Awaab’s Law into force from March 2026, landlords will be expected to identify and clear serious damp and mould within set timeframes. That makes early detection, rapid triage and good record-keeping essential — and technology is already proving to be a powerful ally. ([Scottish Government][1])
Quick summary — what tech can do for you
Early detection — low-cost IoT sensors continuously monitor humidity, temperature and CO₂ to flag conditions that lead to condensation and mould. ([Procurement for Housing][2])
Prioritisation & dashboards— aggregated sensor feeds + historic repair records let landlords triage urgent cases and plan targeted interventions rather than doing blanket inspections. ([Procurement for Housing][3])
Tenant engagement — tenant-facing apps and alerts let residents report spikes, see simple guidance (ventilation/heating tips) and feel involved. ([Chartered Institute of Housing][4])
Predictive maintenance — analytics can identify buildings or flat types at higher risk (poor insulation, failed boilers) so you can act before visible mould appears. ([Procurement for Housing][2])
Proof for compliance — time-stamped sensor logs, photos and job tickets create the audit trail Awaab’s Law and regulators will look for. ([GOV.UK][5])
Practical tech stack for social landlords
Environmental sensors (humidity / temperature / optional VOC / CO₂): battery or mains devices placed in high-risk rooms (bathroom, bedroom behind wardrobes, kitchens). Choose devices with secure over-the-air updates and multi-year battery life. ([Housing Industry Leaders][6])
Connectivity layer: LoRaWAN / NB-IoT or Wi-Fi depending on stock density and coverage. Rural/solid-wall properties may need repeaters or cellular gateways. ([UKTIN][7])
Cloud platform & dashboard: centralised platform to collect sensor data, set thresholds, create alerts (SMS/email/ticket), and visualise risk by street/estate/property type. ([Procurement for Housing][3])
CRM / repairs integration: push alerts into existing repairs systems so a “high humidity” event generates a triage ticket and (where appropriate) a tenancy visit/inspection. ([North][8])
Tenant app / comms: simple guidance, status updates, how to reduce condensation, and consent workflows for sensors. ([Chartered Institute of Housing][4])
Analytics & modelling: identify correlations (e.g., homes with old boilers + high humidity → elevated risk) and score properties for targeted retrofit. ([ClimateXChange][9])
Deployment checklist — minimise failure and tenant friction
Pilot small, iterate fast: start with 100–500 homes in diverse building types. Use pilots to set sensible alarm thresholds and tenant comms. (See case studies.) ([Edinburgh Democracy][10])
Clear consent & privacy: explain what sensors record (environmental metrics, not audio), how long data is kept, and how it will be used. Have opt-out routes where reasonable. ([Chartered Institute of Housing][4])
Integrate with repair SLAs**: ensure the platform creates a ticket with attachments (sensor graph, photo, location) and a pre-set SLA to comply with legal timeframes. ([GOV.UK][5])
Tenant support: provide simple how-to leaflets (venting, heating behaviour) and small material aids where appropriate (larder vents, extractor fans, tenant-friendly dehumidifiers as temporary measures). ([Chartered Institute of Housing][4])
Plan for scale: battery replacement logistics, device replacement budget, and data platform costs — pilot metrics should feed a TCO model before roll-out. ([Procurement for Housing][3])
Case study 1 — Glasgow: IoT sensors to triage damp risk
Several Glasgow pilots have used Internet of Things sensors (humidity + temperature) combined with analytics to identify at-risk homes and reduce emergency visits by prioritising the worst cases for inspection. These projects showed how sensor alerts can move teams from reactive to proactive workstreams — freeing trades to do planned interventions rather than repeated emergency callouts. ([North][8])
What worked
Sensors placed in previously reported/problem flats.
Alerts feeding into repairs teams to trigger visits.
Tenant engagement reduced misunderstandings and improved reporting.
Lessons
Threshold tuning is essential (false positives annoy tenants).
Pair sensors with quick tenant advice — sometimes behaviour/ventilation fixes remove the immediate risk.
Case study 2 — West Dunbartonshire / large-scale sensor rollout
West Dunbartonshire (and neighbouring projects) installed environmental sensors across thousands of council homes to collect area-wide data on humidity and indoor air quality. The aggregated insights drove targeted retrofit planning and helped prioritise empty-home refurb programmes where issues were concentrated. ([Housing Industry Leaders][6])
What worked
Large sample size allowed pattern detection (which building types/streets were worst).
Data supported capital works bids and decarbonisation planning.
Lessons
Large rollouts must pair tech with clear governance and maintenance budgets — devices need lifecycle planning.
Case study 3 — Healthy Homes / Scotswolds citizen-science approach
The Healthy Homes project combined environmental sensors, data analytics and tenant engagement (citizen science) to explore ventilation, temperature and indoor air quality in social housing. Combining sensor data with community engagement produced richer insight and higher tenant buy-in than sensors alone. ([Glasgow City Region][11])
What worked
Community involvement improved acceptance and produced helpful contextual data (how and when homes are heated/ventilated).
Use of data to pinpoint when mechanical interventions (e.g., extractor fans) were appropriate.
Lessons
Co-design with tenants reduces objections and improves the value of the data collected.
Costs vs benefits — a pragmatic view
Costs: devices, connectivity, platform subscription, installation and ongoing maintenance. Large portfolios often negotiate volume pricing.
Benefits: fewer emergency repairs, lower long-term repair costs (by catching issues early), stronger compliance evidence for Awaab’s Law, improved tenant health outcomes, and operational efficiencies from targeted works. Real-world pilots in Scotland show these benefits can justify investment when rollouts are prioritised correctly. ([Housing Industry Leaders][6])
Quick starter plan for landlords (30 / 90 / 365 days)
30 days: select pilot neighbourhoods (mix of high-risk building types), secure tenant consent templates and choose 1–2 sensor vendors.
90 days: run 100–500 sensors, integrate alerts into repairs workflow, and refine SLA/ticketing.
365 days: review results, model total cost of ownership, plan phased roll-out aligned with retrofit programmes and compliance requirements. ([Edinburgh Democracy][10])
Final notes on compliance
Scotland’s move to implement Awaab’s Law (from March 2026) raises the bar for response times and record keeping: robust data trails and rapid triage are now a practical necessity, not a “nice to have.” Tech solutions do not replace good housing management and repairs teams, but they do let you target those resources far more effectively — and provide the evidence regulators will expect. ([Scottish Government][1])
[1]: https://www.gov.scot/publications/tackling-scotlands-housing-emergency/pages/3/ "Tackling Scotland's Housing Emergency"
[2]: https://pfhscotland.co.uk/how-ai-and-digital-solutions-are-shaping-the-future-of-social-housing-in-scotland/ "How AI and digital solutions are shaping the future of social ..."
[3]: https://pfhscotland.co.uk/transforming-scottish-social-housing-through-place-based-data-driven-insights/ "Transforming Scottish social housing through place-based ..."
[4]: https://www.cih.org/media/aaukbpmd/putting-safety-first.pdf "Putting Safety First:"
[5]: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awaabs-law-guidance-for-social-landlords/awaabs-law-guidance-for-social-landlords-timeframes-for-repairs-in-the-social-rented-sector? "Awaab's Law: Guidance for social landlords - Timeframes ..."
[6]: https://housingindustryleaders.com/damp-and-mould-sensors-rolled-out-in-10000-council-homes/ "Damp and Mould Sensors Rolled Out in 10000 Council ..."
[7]: https://uktin.net/how-to-deploy-5G/deployment-toolkits/TheSmartHuntlyProject "Smart Rural Connectivity for damp and mould"
[8]: https://north.tech/case-studies/tackling-damp-mould-in-social-housing/ "Tackling Damp & Mould in Social Housing - North.tech"
[9]: https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CXC-Social-housing-decarbonisation-case-studies-Summary-report-August-2024.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Social housing decarbonisation case studies: Summary ..."
[10]: https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s57262/7.3%20-%20Damp%20mould%20and%20condensation%20in%20Council%20homes.pdf "Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee"
[11]: https://glasgowcityregion.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Scotswolds-FINAL.pdf "Scotswolds"
[12]: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jul/10/uk-startup-switchee-secures-5m-rented-home-technology "UK tech startup raises £5m to prevent dangerous mould in social housing"