Edinburgh Damp and Mould: Sandstone Tenements, Shared Owners and the Repairing Standard

In Edinburgh, 63.2% of homes are flats, against 34.4% across Scotland, and the rental market is dominated by traditional sandstone tenements, from the Georgian New Town to the older closes of the Old Town. Damp in a tenement is often a problem with the building as a whole, not one flat, which changes how a landlord has to deal with it.

Edinburgh in numbers (compared with Scotland)

• Private rented households: 22.5% (Scotland 12.4%); social rented: 15.7% (Scotland 22.5%)
• Terraced homes: 12.8% (Scotland 18.2%); flats: 63.2% (Scotland 34.4%)
• Homes with no central heating: 3.3% (Scotland 2.1%)
• Overcrowded households: 2.7% (Scotland 2.4%)
• Properties at medium flood risk (rivers, sea and surface water combined): 14% (Scotland 12.5%)
• Rainfall: about 728 mm a year at the Royal Botanic Garden, roughly a mile away

Why is tenement damp a building problem?

Sandstone tenements are prone to penetrating damp through deteriorated stonework, failed pointing and worn roof flashings. Roofs, rone pipes (the gutters) and shared stonework serve several flats, so a fault high up can show as damp several floors below. A landlord of one flat cannot usually fix the cause alone and often has to coordinate with other owners in the same building.

What can a single-flat landlord do?

1. Investigate promptly and record the findings, including whether the cause is inside the flat or in a common part.
2. Write to the other owners or the property manager about the common repair, and keep the replies.
3. Do the work within your own flat that you can do, such as extraction and heating, without waiting for the rest.
4. Keep the tenant informed of what is happening and when.

Students, HMOs and rising complaints

Many Edinburgh tenement flats are let as HMOs to the city's large student population, which adds moisture from heavy occupancy to the fabric problems of the building. Edinburgh's own reported damp and mould complaints rose 52%, from 1,215 in 2022 to 1,849 in 2024, a sign that tenants are reporting more.

What landlords must do in Scotland

In Scotland, the Repairing Standard under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 already requires a private rented home to be free from damp and mould posing a significant health risk. Since 6 October 2026 the Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 also require private landlords to investigate reports of damp and mould within set timescales and complete repairs within a reasonable time. A tenant whose landlord does not act can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber).

Awaab's Law as it applies in England does not apply in Scotland, which has its own regulations. For the wider UK picture, see our guide to Awaab's Law and the private rented sector.

To find a specialist, see our Edinburgh damp and mould page, and Shelter Scotland's guide to damp and mould in private rented homes.