Perth Damp and Mould: Georgian and Victorian Homes Along the Tay

Perth's historic county-town core includes Georgian and Victorian tenement and terraced housing along the River Tay, and older properties close to the river face a higher risk of rising damp. The census and flood figures below cover the whole Perth and Kinross council area, a large and mostly rural one, so they describe the wider area rather than the town centre.

Perth and Kinross in numbers (compared with Scotland)

• Private rented households: 13.2% (Scotland 12.4%); social rented: 16.4% (Scotland 22.5%)
• Terraced homes: 13.3% (Scotland 18.2%); flats: 23.3% (Scotland 34.4%)
• Homes with no central heating: 2.0% (Scotland 2.1%)
• Overcrowded households: 1.6% (Scotland 2.4%)
• Properties at medium flood risk (rivers, sea and surface water combined): 13% (Scotland 12.5%)
• Rainfall: about 865 mm a year at the Perth station, roughly a mile away

How do you tell rising damp from other damp?

Rising damp is the one most often blamed and most often misdiagnosed. Genuine rising damp stays low on the wall, leaves a tide mark and crumbling salts, and is linked to a failed or absent damp-proof course or high ground levels. Condensation shows on cold surfaces higher up, and penetrating damp shows below a leak. A survey with moisture readings should come before any injection or replastering.

Riverside properties

Combined medium flood risk across the area is 13%, a little above the Scottish figure of 12.5%, and the figure is for the whole council area rather than a single address. For a flat or house near the river, check ground floors and sub-floors, ask about any flood history and keep drains and gutters clear.

Tenements and terraces: shared responsibility

In a tenement, roofs, gutters and stonework are usually shared, so a defect above can show up as damp below. Work out who is responsible for the cause before the work starts, write to the other owners or factor, and keep the replies.

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 Perth damp and mould page.